t while the carriages are being called, until the
proper _pozlannik_ turns up. If we envied those who got off sooner, we
are now envied by those who still must wait, bulky in black satin or
cloth, in sable or raccoon skin. It is half-past three when we reach
home, and there are still six hours until sunrise.

The succeeding balls, whether given by the Grand Dukes, the principal
members of the Russian nobility, or the heads of foreign legations, were
conducted on the same plan, except that, in the latter instances, the
guests were not so punctual in arriving. The pleasantest of the season
was one given by the Emperor in the Hermitage Palace. The guests, only
two hundred in number, were bidden to come in ordinary evening-dress,
and their Imperial Majesties moved about among them as simply and
unostentatiously as any well-bred American host and hostess. On a
staircase at one side of the Moorish Hall sat a distinguished Hungarian
artist, sketching the scene, with its principal figures, for a picture.

I was surprised to find how much true social culture exists in St.
Petersburg. Aristocratic manners, in their perfection, are simply
democratic: but this is a truth which is scarcely recognized by the
nobility of Germany, and only partially by that of England. The habits
of refined society are very much the same everywhere. The man or woman
of real culture recognizes certain forms as necessary, that social
intercourse may be _ordered_ instead of being arbitrary and chaotic; but
these forms must not be allowed to limit the free, expansive contact of
mind with mind and character with character, which is the charm and
blessing of society. Those who meet within the same walls meet upon an
equal footing, and all accidental distinctions cease for the time. I
found these principles acted upon to quite as full an extent as (perhaps
even more so than) they are at home. One of the members of the Imperial
family, even, expressed to me the intense weariness occasioned by the
observance of the necessary forms of court life, and the wish that they
might be made as simple as possible.

I was interested in extending my acquaintance among the Russian
nobility, as they, to a certain extent, represent the national culture.
So far as my observations reached, I found that the women were better
read, and had more general knowledge of Art, literature, and even
politics, than the men. My most instructive intercourse was with the
former. It seemed t