Pagina 536 de 2288

The horse, stiffening out its legs, with an effort stopped its

rapid course, and the officer of the horse-guards looked round

him like a man waking up from a heavy sleep, and just managed to

smile. A crowd of friends and outsiders pressed round him.

Vronsky intentionally avoided that select crowd of the upper

world, which was moving and talking with discreet freedom before

the pavilions. He knew that Madame Karenina was there, and Betsy,

and his brother's wife, and he purposely did not go near them for

fear of something distracting his attention. But he was

continually met and stopped by acquaintances, who told him about

the previous races, and kept asking him why he was so late.