Page 426 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

moved away to the center of the race course, where the
horses were being led for the great steeplechase.
The horses who had run in the last race were being led
home, steaming and exhausted, by the stable-boys, and

one after another the fresh horses for the coming race
made their appearance, for the most part English racers,
wearing horsecloths, and looking with their drawn-up
bellies like strange, huge birds. On the right was led in
Frou-Frou, lean and beautiful, lifting up her elastic, rather
long pasterns, as though moved by springs. Not far from
her they were taking the rug off the lop-eared Gladiator.
The strong, exquisite, perfectly correct lines of the stallion,
with his superb hind-quarters and excessively short
pasterns almost over his hoofs, attracted Vronsky’s
attention in spite of himself. He would have gone up to
his mare, but he was again detained by an acquaintance.
‘Oh, there’s Karenin!’ said the acquaintance with
whom he was chatting. ‘He’s looking for his wife, and
she’s in the middle of the pavilion. Didn’t you see her?’
‘No,’ answered Vronsky, and without even glancing
round towards the pavilion where his friend was pointing
out Madame Karenina, he went up to his mare.
Vronsky had not had time to look at the saddle, about
which he had to give some direction, when the

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