War and Peace Volume 2 Book 8 Chapter 16

In which Anatole Kurágin prepares with the willing if wary assistance of Dólokhov and others for a bold and perilous scheme, arranged with careful thought but driven by a reckless ardour. The hour draws near as trusted servants and a famed driver ready their horses, their shared fondness for wild speed marking the perilous excitement that underpins their plans.