which
did not escape Michael Strogoff. Evidently this young girl had already
suffered in the past, and the future doubtless did not present itself
to her in glowing colors; but she had surely known how to struggle
still with the trials of life. Her energy was evidently both prompt and
persistent, and her calmness unalterable, even under circumstances in
which a man would be likely to give way or lose his self-command.

Such was the impression which she produced at first sight. Michael
Strogoff, being himself of an energetic temperament, was naturally
struck by the character of her physiognomy, and, while taking care
not to cause her annoyance by a too persistent gaze, he observed his
neighbor with no small interest. The costume of the young traveler was
both extremely simple and appropriate. She was not rich--that could
be easily seen; but not the slightest mark of negligence was to be
discerned in her dress. All her luggage was contained in the leather bag
which, for want of room, she held on her lap.

She wore a long, dark pelisse, gracefully adjusted at the neck by a
blue tie. Under this pelisse, a short skirt, also dark, fell over a robe
which reached the ankles. Half-boots of leather, thickly soled, as if
chosen in anticipation of a long journey, covered her small feet.

Michael Strogoff fancied that he recognized, by certain details, the
fashion of the costume of Livonia, and thought his neighbor a native of
the Baltic provinces.

But whither was this young girl going, alone, at an age when the
fostering care of a father, or the protection of a brother, is
considered a matter of necessity? Had she now come, after an already
long journey, from the provinces of Western Russia? Was she merely going
to Nijni-Novgorod, or was the end of her travels beyond the eastern
frontiers of the empire? Would some relation, some friend, await her
arrival by the train? Or was it not more probable, on the contrary, that
she would find herself as much isolated in the town as she was in this
compartment? It was probable.

In fact, the effect of habits contracted in solitude was clearly
manifested in the bearing of the young girl. The manner in which she
entered the carriage and prepared herself for the journey, the slight
disturbance she caused among those around her, the care she took not to
incommode or give trouble to anyone, all showed that she was accustomed
to be alone, and to depend on herself only.

Michael Strogoff ob