Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART ONE CHAPTER 9
He felt as though the sun were coming near him. She was in a corner, and turning out
her slender feet in their high boots with obvious timidity, she skated towards him. A
boy in Russian dress, desperately waving his arms and bowed down to the ground,
overtook her. She skated a little uncertainly; taking her hands out of the little muff
that hung on a cord, she held them ready for emergency, and looking towards Levin,
whom she had recognized, she smiled at him, and at her own fears. When she had
got round the turn, she gave herself a push off with one foot, and skated straight up
to Shtcherbatsky. Clutching at his arm, she nodded smiling to Levin. She was more
splendid than he had imagined her.
When he thought of her, he could call up a vivid picture of her to himself, especially
the charm of that little fair head, so freely set on the shapely girlish shoulders,
and so full of childish brightness and good humor. The childishness of her expression,
together with the delicate beauty of her figure, made up her special charm, and
that he fully realized. But what always struck him in her as something unlooked for,
was the expression of her eyes, soft, serene, and truthful, and above all, her smile,
which always transported Levin to an enchanted world, where he felt himself softened
and tender, as he remembered himself in some days of his early childhood.
“Have you been here long?” she said, giving him her hand. “Thank you,” she
added, as he picked up the handkerchief that had fallen out of her muff.
“I? I’ve not long...yesterday...I mean today...I arrived,” answered Levin, in his emotion
not at once understanding her question. “I was meaning to come and see you,”
he said; and then, recollecting with what intention he was trying to see her, he was
promptly overcome with confusion and blushed.
“I didn’t know you could skate, and skate so well.”
She looked at him earnestly, as though wishing to make out the cause of his confusion.
“Your praise is worth having. The tradition is kept up here that you are the best of
skaters,” she said, with her little black-gloved hand brushing a grain of hoarfrost off
her muff.
“Yes, I used once to skate with passion; I wanted to reach perfection.”
“You do everything with passion, I think,” she said smiling. “I should so like to
see how you skate. Put on skates, and let us skate together.”
“Skate together! Can that be possible?” thought Levin, gazing at her.
“I’ll put them on directly,” he said.
And he went off to get skates.
“It’s a long while since we’ve seen you here, sir,” said the attendant, supporting
his foot, and screwing on the heel of the skate. “Except you, there’s none of the
gentlemen first-rate skaters. Will that be all right?” said he, tightening the strap.
“Oh, yes, yes; make haste, please,” answered Levin, with difficulty restraining the
smile of rapture which would overspread his face. “Yes,” he thought, “this now is
life, this is happiness! Together, she said; let us skate together! Speak to her now? But
that’s just why I’m afraid to speak–because I’m happy now, happy in hope, anyway....
And then?.... But I must! I must! I must! Away with weakness!”
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