ne knew, had a good deal to
do with certain government monopolies; he was also a voice, and an
important one, in many rich public companies of various descriptions;
in fact, he enjoyed the reputation of being a well-to-do man of busy
habits, many ties, and affluent means. He had made himself indispensable
in several quarters, amongst others in his department of the government;
and yet it was a known fact that Fedor Ivanovitch Epanchin was a man of
no education whatever, and had absolutely risen from the ranks.

This last fact could, of course, reflect nothing but credit upon the
general; and yet, though unquestionably a sagacious man, he had his own
little weaknesses-very excusable ones,--one of which was a dislike to
any allusion to the above circumstance. He was undoubtedly clever. For
instance, he made a point of never asserting himself when he would
gain more by keeping in the background; and in consequence many exalted
personages valued him principally for his humility and simplicity, and
because "he knew his place." And yet if these good people could only
have had a peep into the mind of this excellent fellow who "knew his
place" so well! The fact is that, in spite of his knowledge of the world
and his really remarkable abilities, he always liked to appear to be
carrying out other people's ideas rather than his own. And also, his
luck seldom failed him, even at cards, for which he had a passion that
he did not attempt to conceal. He played for high stakes, and moved,
altogether, in very varied society.

As to age, General Epanchin was in the very prime of life; that is,
about fifty-five years of age,--the flowering time of existence, when
real enjoyment of life begins. His healthy appearance, good colour,
sound, though discoloured teeth, sturdy figure, preoccupied air during
business hours, and jolly good humour during his game at cards in the
evening, all bore witness to his success in life, and combined to make
existence a bed of roses to his excellency. The general was lord of a
flourishing family, consisting of his wife and three grown-up daughters.
He had married young, while still a lieutenant, his wife being a girl of
about his own age, who possessed neither beauty nor education, and who
brought him no more than fifty souls of landed property, which
little estate served, however, as a nest-egg for far more important
accumulations. The general never regretted his early marriage, or
regarded it as a foolish