hand," he answered, and immediately he was startled at what he had said, and grew red in the face. In fact, he had scarcely uttered the words, when, just as the sun goes under a cloud, her face lost all its kindliness, and Levin became aware of the well-remembered play of her face indicating the force of her thoughts; a slight frown wrinkled her smooth brow!
"Has anything disagreeable happened to you? but I have no right to ask," he added quickly.
"Why so? No, nothing disagreeable has happened to me," she said coolly, and immediately continued, "Have you seen Mlle Linon yet?"
"Not yet."
"Go to see her; she is so fond of you."
"What does this mean? I have offended her! Lord! have pity upon me!" thought Levin, and skated swiftly toward the old French governess, with little gray curls, who was watching them from a bench. She received him like an old friend, smiling, and showing her false teeth.
"Yes, but how we have grown up," she said, indicating Kitty with her eyes; "and how demure we are! Tiny bear has grown large," continued the old governess, still smiling; and she recalled his jest about the three young ladies whom he had named after the three bears in the English story "Do you remember that you used to call them so?"
He had entirely forgotten it, but she had laughed at this pleasantry for ten years, and still enjoyed it.
"Now go, go and skate. Does n't our Kitty take to it beautifully?"
When Levin rejoined Kitty, her face was no longer severe; her eyes had regained their frank and kindly expression; but it seemed to him that her very kindliness had a peculiar premeditated tone of serenity, and he felt troubled. After speaking of the old governess and her eccentricities, she asked him about his own life. "Is n't it a bore living in the country in the winter?" she asked.
"No, it is not a bore; I am very busy," he replied,
