half in-doors and half out-of-doors, enabled
us to reach my dormitory. The house was well
situated for commanding a view of much that
went on about the factory. An additional
recommendation to me was the fact that the stanavoy,
or district inspector and magistrate, lived in
a wooden house next mine, and that from my
gable windows I could see into his court-yard.
It was there that he administered justice with
"the stick," and there also was a rude prison or
lock-up. As I wanted to see life in the interior,
had heard so much of the "stick" by which
Russia is said to be governed, and had seen so
little of it—perhaps for want of opportunity—I
felt rather glad that this short-coming in my
experience was about to be supplied.

Although my goods and chattels had been
sent off from Moscow before we left that city,
they did not arrive till six weeks after us, our
six rooms being in the mean time partially
furnished from the count's own house. The things
came, however, and for a wonder came unbroken,
which is saying a good deal when it is understood
that amongst them there was a set of
Wedgewood's best dinner ware, besides two sets
of imperial china and porcelain, and a lot of
crystal. The count had ordered his steward
to supply us with everything we might want in
horses, provisions, and necessaries from the
stables and "econom." The horses I accepted,
the provisions I preferred to pay for; but I
soon found that the count's orders were one
thing, and the steward's fulfilment of them was
another. For instance, when horses and conveyances
were wanted, this gentleman picked us
the worst cattle and the oldest carriages he had.
For provisions he charged three hundred per cent
more than it cost us to buy them from the
peasants. The peasants he sent us as servants were
the worst behaved and dirtiest he could discover.
Clearly enough we were looked upon by this
German as interlopers, spies, and what not, for
which reason he took every means that he durst
safely employ to annoy us. Some things,
beyond our friend's control, were very cheap. As
matter of curiosity, to illustrate the drawback
to the poor of want of market for the articles of
their own raising, here are some comparisons
of price: A turkey cost in the interior
tenpence, in the capital four-and-sixpence; a
goose, in the interior, ninepence, in the capital,
three shillings; a fowl, interior, fourpence
halfpenny, capital, fourteen-pence; beef, three-
halfpence a pound in the interior, fourpence-
halfpenny in the capital. Of eggs, the price in
the capital was five times our price here of
a penny three-farthings for ten. Butter was in
the country threepence-halfpenny, in the capital
ninepence a pound; and a sucking-pig, that in
the interior cost sevenpence, in the capital cost
three shillings and sevenpence. The peasants,
rearing all these, and many other articles, on
their allotments, and having no near market for
them, were glad to get anything in the shape of
money. Wool, flax, feathers, they carried to
the fairs, many miles distant, or sold to the
natives who travel round in search of such
articles. These men would then take them to
the large fairs, and sell them to merchants, who
again re-sell them to other and larger dealers,
by whom the goods reach Moscow, Odessa, or
St. Petersburg, after passing through four
hands.

A main dependence of a household is upon
the servants. An English mistress wants them
"quiet, honest, clean, tidy, and respectful,"
but finds them of another sort in Russia. As
a domestic servant, the Russian serf, particularly
the woman, is noisy, impudent, dirty, slatternly,
thievish. One good English servant is worth a
whole regiment of them. If you choose, madam,
to live up to the eyes in filth—if you submit to
be plundered to your stay-laces — if you pay
your maids ten times their rightful wages in
presents— if you never look into the kitchen, and
give the whole establishment entire command
of the cellar and larder, you may live to be
tolerated in your own house.

We began our housekeeping with four, a
key-keeper (housekeeper), a cook, a room-girl
(housemaid), and a footman. They came in a
body, accompanied by the "starosta," and sent
by the steward, who had the control of all the
human chattels. My wife looked at them as
she would have looked at doubtful meat, for she
had much Russian experience in such affairs.

"Take them away, starosta; I must have
better than these."

"But surely, madame," said the starosta,
"you will try them. If they don't do well, tell
me, and they shall be whipped; or beat them
yourself, it is all the same."

"No, I will not have these. You have picked
out the dregs of the village. Get me others
directly, or must I speak to the count?"

"I hear and obey, madame. Get out, you
pigs! I will bring younger ones, madame.
Forgive me, but the steward sent these."

This batch was succeeded by another, and
then by a third, which last was deemed admissible.
When they had shaken themselves into
their places, we found they had all some
experience in the duties expected of them. But
each stuck with amusing firmness to a single
duty. When the cook had cooked she lay down
on a bench in the kitchen, and slept out the rest
of the day. When the room-girl had dusted the
chairs and tables, she also squatted on the floor
in a corner and slept. When the lad had waited
at table, and carried the dirty dishes to the
kitchen, he rolled himself up double in a corner
of the lobby. When anything was wanted from
any of them they had to be roused up with
kicks or cold water; shaking was but a vain
exercise. The key-keeper, not having any keys
to manage (there was not yet a lock in the house
except on my wife's drawers), slept placidly, and
snored the sleep of the just all day and all night
on one of our sofas, as rather a more dignified
place than the floor for a key-keeper. Beds they
had none, and beds they did not want, nor ever
had wanted. The breakfast dishes were put on
the table for tea just as they had been taken
away dirty the evening before.