'Now,' said Wardle, after a substantial lunch, with the agreeable items

of strong beer and cherry-brandy, had been done ample justice to,

what say you to an hour on the ice? We shall have plenty of time.'

Capital!' said Mr Benjamin Allen.

Prime!' ejaculated Mr Bob Sawyer.

You skate, of course, Winkle?' said Wardle.

Ye-yes; oh, yes,' replied Mr Winkle. 'I - I - am RATHER out of practice.'

Oh, DO skate, Mr Winkle,' said Arabella. 'I like to see it so much.'

Oh, it is SO graceful,' said another young lady. A third young lady

said it was elegant, and a fourth expressed her opinion that it was

swan-like.'

I should be very happy, I'm sure,' said Mr Winkle, reddening; 'but I

have no skates.'

This objection was at once overruled. Trundle had a couple of pair,

and the fat boy announced that there were half a dozen more

downstairs; whereat Mr Winkle expressed exquisite delight, and

looked exquisitely uncomfortable.

Old Wardle led the way to a pretty large sheet of ice; and the fat boy

and Mr Weller, having shovelled and swept away the snow which had

fallen on it during the night, Mr Bob Sawyer adjusted his skates with

a dexterity which to Mr Winkle was perfectly marvellous, and

described circles with his left leg, and cut figures of eight, and

inscribed upon the ice, without once stopping for breath, a great many

other pleasant and astonishing devices, to the excessive satisfaction of

Mr Pickwick, Mr Tupman, and the ladies; which reached a pitch of

positive enthusiasm, when old Wardle and Benjamin Allen, assisted

by the aforesaid Bob Sawyer, performed some mystic evolutions,

which they called a reel.

All this time, Mr Winkle, with his face and hands blue with the cold,

had been forcing a gimlet into the sole of his feet, and putting his

skates on, with the points behind, and getting the straps into a very

complicated and entangled state, with the assistance of Mr Snodgrass,

who knew rather less about skates than a Hindoo. At length, however,

with the assistance of Mr Weller, the unfortunate skates were firmly

screwed and buckled on, and Mr Winkle was raised to his feet.

Now, then, Sir,' said Sam, in an encouraging tone; 'off vith you, and

show 'em how to do it.'

The Pickwick Papers