, if he must get drunk, let him at least
remember to be more respectful."

Ivan bowed low and followed his comrades, Foedor entered the house
again, and the crowd dispersed, much dissatisfied that Ivan's trickery
and the general's generosity had deprived them of four strokes of the
knout--exactly a third of the punishment.

Now that we have introduced our readers to some of the characters in
this history, we must make them better acquainted with those who have
made their appearance, and must introduce those who are still behind the
curtain.

General Count Tchermayloff, as we have said, after having been governor
of one of the most important towns in the environs of Pultava, had been
recalled to St. Petersburg by the Emperor Paul, who honoured him with
his particular friendship. The general was a widower, with one daughter,
who had inherited her mother's fortune, beauty, and pride. Vaninka's
mother claimed descent from one of the chieftains of the Tartar race,
who had invaded Russia, under the leadership of D'Gengis, in the
thirteenth century. Vaninka's naturally haughty disposition had been
fostered by the education she had received. His wife being dead, and
not having time to look after his daughter's education himself, General
Tchermayloff had procured an English governess for her. This lady,
instead of suppressing her pupil's scornful propensities, had encouraged
them, by filling her head with those aristocratic ideas which have made
the English aristocracy the proudest in the world. Amongst the different
studies to which Vaninka devoted herself, there was one in which she
was specially interested, and that one was, if one may so call it,
the science of her own rank. She knew exactly the relative degree of
nobility and power of all the Russian noble families--those that were
a grade above her own, and those of whom she took precedence. She could
give each person the title which belonged to their respective rank, no
easy thing to do in Russia, and she had the greatest contempt for all
those who were below the rank of excellency. As for serfs and slaves,
for her they did not exist: they were mere bearded animals, far below
her horse or her dog in the sentiments which they inspired in her; and
she would not for one instant have weighed the life of a serf against
either of those interesting animals.

Like all the women of distinction in her nation, Vaninka was a good
musician, and spoke French, Italian, German, and E