Anna began to look after her, but even that did not distract her mind, especially as the illness was not serious.

However hard she tried, she could not love this little child, and to feign love was beyond her powers.

Towards the evening of that day, still alone, Anna was in such a panic about him that she decided to start for the town, but on second thoughts wrote him the contradictory letter that Vronsky received, and without reading it through, sent it off by a special messenger.

The next morning she received his letter and regretted her own.

She dreaded a repetition of the severe look he had flung at her at parting, especially when he knew that the baby was not dangerously ill.