history, I could not endorse
such an opinion. Jovial he certainly was, for few men were more capable
of making and enjoying mirth. Good he might be also called, if the word
were taken in the sense of good-natured, for he never took offence,
and was always ready to do a kindly action if it did not cost him any
trouble. But as to his honesty, that required some qualification. Wholly
untarnished his reputation certainly could not be, for he had been a
judge in the District Court before the time of the judicial reforms;
and, not being a Cato, he had succumbed to the usual temptations. He had
never studied law, and made no pretensions to the possession of great
legal knowledge. To all who would listen to him he declared openly
that he knew much more about pointers and setters than about legal
formalities. But his estate was very small, and he could not afford to
give up his appointment.

* The female form of the word General.

Of these unreformed Courts, which are happily among the things of the
past, I shall have occasion to speak in the sequel. For the present I
wish merely to say that they were thoroughly corrupt, and I hasten to
add that Pavel Trophim'itch was by no means a judge of the worst kind.
He had been known to protect widows and orphans against those who wished
to despoil them, and no amount of money would induce him to give an
unjust decision against a friend who had privately explained the case to
him; but when he knew nothing of the case or of the parties he readily
signed the decision prepared by the secretary, and quietly pocketed the
proceeds, without feeling any very disagreeable twinges of conscience.
All judges, he knew, did likewise, and he had no pretension to being
better than his fellows.

When Pavel Trophim'itch played cards at the General's house or
elsewhere, a small, awkward, clean-shaven man, with dark eyes and a
Tartar cast of countenance, might generally be seen sitting at the same
table. His name was Alexei Petrovitch T----. Whether he really had any
Tartar blood in him it is impossible to say, but certainly his ancestors
for one or two generations were all good orthodox Christians. His father
had been a poor military surgeon in a marching regiment, and he himself
had become at an early age a scribe in one of the bureaux of the
district town. He was then very poor, and had great difficulty in
supporting life on the miserable pittance which he received as a salary;
but he was a sharp