316 317
without any incitement on his part, gained ground considerably, and
began getting alongside of Mahotin on the most favorable side, close
to the inner cord. Mahotin would not let her pass that side. Vronsky
had hardly formed the thought that he could perhaps pass on the outer
side, when Frou-Frou shifted her pace and began overtaking him on
the other side. Frou-Frou’s shoulder, beginning by now to be dark with
sweat, was even with Gladiator’s back. For a few lengths they moved
evenly. But before the obstacle they were approaching, Vronsky began
working at the reins, anxious to avoid having to take the outer circle,
and swiftly passed Mahotin just upon the declivity. He caught a
glimpse of his mud-stained face as he flashed by. He even fancied
that he smiled. Vronsky passed Mahotin, but he was immediately
aware of him close upon him, and he never ceased hearing the even-
thudding hoofs and the rapid and still quite fresh breathing of Gladi-
ator.
The next two obstacles, the water course and the barrier, were
easily crossed, but Vronsky began to hear the snorting and thud of
Gladiator closer upon him. He urged on his mare, and to his delight
felt that she easily quickened her pace, and the thud of Gladiator’s
hoofs was again heard at the same distance away.
Vronsky was at the head of the race, just as he wanted to be and as
Cord had advised, and now he felt sure of being the winner. His ex-
citement, his delight, and his tenderness for Frou-Frou grew keener
and keener. He longed to look round again, but he did not dare do this,
and tried to be cool and not to urge on his mare so to keep the same
reserve of force in her as he felt that Gladiator still kept. There re-
mained only one obstacle, the most difficult; if he could cross it ahead
of the others he would come in first. He was flying towards the Irish
barricade, Frou-Frou and he both together saw the barricade in the
distance, and both the man and the mare had a moment’s hesitation.
He saw the uncertainty in the mare’s ears and lifted the whip, but at
the same time felt that his fears were groundless; the mare knew what
was wanted. She quickened her pace and rose smoothly, just as he had
fancied she would, and as she left the ground gave herself up to the
force of her rush, which carried her far beyond the ditch; and with the
same rhythm, without effort, with the same leg forward, Frou-Frou fell
back into her pace again.
“Bravo, Vronsky!” he heard shouts from a knot of men—he knew
they were his friends in the regiment—who were standing at the ob-
stacle. He could not fail to recognize Yashvin’s voice though he did not
see him.
“O my sweet!” he said inwardly to Frou-Frou, as he listened for
what was happening behind. “He’s cleared it!” he thought, catching
the thud of Gladiator’s hoofs behind him. There remained only the
last ditch, filled with water and five feet wide. Vronsky did not even
look at it, but anxious to get in a long way first began sawing away at
the reins, lifting the mare’s head and letting it go in time with her paces.
He felt that the mare was at her very last reserve of strength; not her
neck and shoulders merely were wet, but the sweat was standing in
drops on her mane, her head, her sharp ears, and her breath came in
short, sharp gasps. But he knew that she had strength left more than
enough for the remaining five hundred yards. It was only from feeling
himself nearer the ground and from the peculiar smoothness of his
motion that Vronsky knew how greatly the mare had quickened her
pace. She flew over the ditch as though not noticing it. She flew over
it like a bird; but at the same instant Vronsky, to his horror, felt that he
had failed to keep up with the mare’s pace, that he had, he did not
know how, made a fearful, unpardonable mistake, in recovering his seat