Page 70 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

Whether it was that she had heard his words, or that
she did not want to hear them, she made a sort of stumble,
twice struck out, and hurriedly skated away from him. She
skated up to Mlle. Linon, said something to her, and went

towards the pavilion where the ladies took off their skates.
‘My God! what have I done! Merciful God! help me,
guide me,’ said Levin, praying inwardly, and at the same
time, feeling a need of violent exercise, he skated about
describing inner and outer circles.
At that moment one of the young men, the best of the
skaters of the day, came out of the coffee-house in his
skates, with a cigarette in his mouth. Taking a run, he
dashed down the steps in his skates, crashing and bounding
up and down. He flew down, and without even changing
the position of his hands, skated away over the ice.
‘Ah, that’s a new trick!’ said Levin, and he promptly
ran up to the top to do this new trick.
‘Don’t break you neck! it needs practice!’ Nikolay
Shtcherbatsky shouted after him.
Levin went to the steps, took a run from above as best
he cold, and dashed down, preserving his balance in this
unwonted movement with his hands. On the last step he
stumbled, but barely touching the ice with his hand, with
a violent effort recovered himself, and skated off, laughing.

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