I never
missed an opportunity of meeting him, for I was curious to see and study
a legendary monster in the flesh. How far the numerous stories told
about him were true I cannot pretend to say, but they were certainly
not without foundation. In his youth he had served for some time in the
army, and was celebrated, even in an age when martinets had always a
good chance of promotion, for his brutality to his subordinates. His
career was cut short, however, when he had only the rank of captain.
Having compromised himself in some way, he found it advisable to send in
his resignation and retire to his estate. Here he organised his house on
Mahometan rather than Christian principles, and ruled his servants and
peasants as he had been accustomed to rule his soldiers--using corporal
punishment in merciless fashion. His wife did not venture to protest
against the Mahometan arrangements, and any peasant who stood in the way
of their realisation was at once given as a recruit, or transported to
Siberia, in accordance with his master's demand.* At last his tyranny
and extortion drove his serfs to revolt. One night his house was
surrounded and set on fire, but he contrived to escape the fate that was
prepared for him, and caused all who had taken part in the revolt to
be mercilessly punished. This was a severe lesson, but it had no effect
upon him. Taking precautions against a similar surprise, he continued
to tyrannise and extort as before, until in 1861 the serfs were
emancipated, and his authority came to an end.

* When a proprietor considered any of his serfs unruly he
could, according to law, have them transported to Siberia
without trial, on condition of paying the expenses of
transport. Arrived at their destination, they received
land, and lived as free colonists, with the single
restriction that they were not allowed to leave the locality
where they settled.

A very different sort of man was Pavel Trophim'itch, who likewise came
regularly to pay his respects and present his congratulations to the
General and "Gheneralsha."* It was pleasant to turn from the hard,
wrinkled, morose features of the legendary monster to the soft, smooth,
jovial face of this man, who had been accustomed to look at the bright
side of things, till his face had caught something of their brightness.
"A good, jovial, honest face!" a stranger might exclaim as he looked at
him. Knowing something of his character and