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"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 s "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 theet 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 gentleht?" 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