at all has gone well on the journey. Paul," he
said to a man who had followed him out, "carry these trunks upstairs."

After paying the driver Godfrey followed his host to the floor above.
Petrovytch was a portly man, with a pleasant but by no means
good-looking face. "Wife," he said as he entered the sitting-room, "this
is Godfrey Bullen; I will leave him in your hands for the present, as I
have some business that I must complete before we close."

"My name," Mrs. Petrovytch said, "is Catharine. You know in this country
we always address each other by our names. The high-born may use titles,
but simple people use the Christian name and the family name unless they
are very intimate, and then the Christian name only. I heard you
speaking to my husband as you came in, so that you have not forgotten
our language. I should have thought that you would have done so. I can
remember you as quite a little fellow before you went away."

"I have been speaking it for the last two months at home," Godfrey said,
"and it has nearly come back to me."

"And your father and mother and your sisters, are they all well?"

"They are quite well, and my father and mother begged me to give their
kind regards to you."

At this moment the servant came in with the samovar, or tea-urn.

"It is four o'clock now; we dine at five o'clock, when the office is
closed. Many dine at one, but my husband likes it when he has done his
work, as then he does not need to hurry."

After drinking a tumbler of tea and eating a flat-cake or two with it,
Godfrey went to his room to have a wash after his long journey, and to
unpack some of his things. He thought that he should like both
Petrovytch and his wife, but that the evenings would be dull if he had
to spend them in the house. Of this, however, he had but little fear,
for he was sure that between his father's friends and the acquaintances
he might himself make he should be out as much as he liked.

In the course of the next week Godfrey called at the houses of the
various people to whom he had letters of introduction, and left them
with the hall porter. His host told him that he thought he had better
take a fortnight to go about the capital and see the sights before he
settled down to work at the office; and as not only the gentlemen with
whom he had left letters of introduction and his card--for in Russia
strangers always call first--but many others of his father's friends
called or invited him to the