“Come, there’s some sense in that. Stop a bit, Vronsky. We’ll all have a drink.”

“No; goodbye all of you. I’m not going to drink today.”

“Why, are you gaining weight? All right, then we must have it alone. Give us the seltzer water and lemon.”

“Vronsky!” shouted someone when he was already outside.

“Well?”

“You’d better get your hair cut, it’ll weigh you down, especially at the top.”

Vronsky was in fact beginning, prematurely, to get a little bald. He laughed gaily, showing his even teeth, and pulling his cap over the thin place, went out and got into his carriage.

“To the stables!” he said, and was just pulling out the letters to read them through, but he thought better of it, and put off reading them so as not to distract his attention before looking at the mare. “Later!”