In Tolstoy's Words: Alexey Vronsky 'Vronsky is one of the sons of Count Kiril Ivanovitch Vronsky, and one of the finest specimens of the gilded youth of Petersburg.... Fearfully rich, handsome, great connections, an aide-de-camp, and with all that a very nice, good-natured fellow. But he's more than simply a good-natured fellow, as I've found out here -- he's a cultivated man too, and very intelligent; he's a man who'll make his mark.' Anna Karenina, Part I, Chapter 11 Vronsky was a squarely built, dark man, not very tall, with a good-humored, handsome, and exceedingly calm and resolute face. Everything about his face and figure, from his short-cropped black hair and freshly shaven chin down to his loosely fitting, brand-new uniform, was simple and at the same time elegant. Anna Karenina, Part I, Chapter 14