ed beauty of the family, par excellence, was the youngest,
Aglaya, as aforesaid. But Totski himself, though an egotist of the
extremest type, realized that he had no chance there; Aglaya was clearly
not for such as he.

Perhaps the sisterly love and friendship of the three girls had more or
less exaggerated Aglaya's chances of happiness. In their opinion, the
latter's destiny was not merely to be very happy; she was to live in
a heaven on earth. Aglaya's husband was to be a compendium of all the
virtues, and of all success, not to speak of fabulous wealth. The two
elder sisters had agreed that all was to be sacrificed by them, if need
be, for Aglaya's sake; her dowry was to be colossal and unprecedented.

The general and his wife were aware of this agreement, and, therefore,
when Totski suggested himself for one of the sisters, the parents made
no doubt that one of the two elder girls would probably accept the
offer, since Totski would certainly make no difficulty as to dowry. The
general valued the proposal very highly. He knew life, and realized what
such an offer was worth.

The answer of the sisters to the communication was, if not conclusive,
at least consoling and hopeful. It made known that the eldest,
Alexandra, would very likely be disposed to listen to a proposal.

Alexandra was a good-natured girl, though she had a will of her own. She
was intelligent and kind-hearted, and, if she were to marry Totski, she
would make him a good wife. She did not care for a brilliant marriage;
she was eminently a woman calculated to soothe and sweeten the life of
any man; decidedly pretty, if not absolutely handsome. What better could
Totski wish?

So the matter crept slowly forward. The general and Totski had agreed to
avoid any hasty and irrevocable step. Alexandra's parents had not even
begun to talk to their daughters freely upon the subject, when suddenly,
as it were, a dissonant chord was struck amid the harmony of the
proceedings. Mrs. Epanchin began to show signs of discontent, and
that was a serious matter. A certain circumstance had crept in, a
disagreeable and troublesome factor, which threatened to overturn the
whole business.

This circumstance had come into existence eighteen years before. Close
to an estate of Totski's, in one of the central provinces of Russia,
there lived, at that time, a poor gentleman whose estate was of the
wretchedest description. This gentleman was noted in the district for
his per