Moses could not contain his joy, and, when the Cossacks had gone out of sight, he clapped with his hands and sang out in a joyful key, repeating frequently, 'atrapirt! atrapirt! (caught.)

On arriving safe at the kartchma, the casks were unloaded into the storehouse, and the peasants were dismissed, being paid partly in money, but mostly in spirits, tobacco and herrings. After dining and sleeping a while, Moses shut himself up in the storehouse with Josel, Khatzkel, and myself. I was quite astonished when he began to work at the casks. In the centre was tar or potash, but the two ends had double bottoms, and the space between them contained a variety of valuable goods, silk stuffs, linens, cambrics, laces, trinkets, perfumery, &c. They brought a brazier, stamps, black and red marking ink, and melted tin; and while I blew the coals, Moses with his companions began to stamp the goods exactly as I afterwards saw it done at the customhouses.

In the night-time there arrived some large Jewish waggons on which the goods were loaded, being now packed up in bales and cases, and sent home with Josel and Khatzkel: I with Moses went back in the same breetchka in which we had travelled to the kartchma.

Moses, as has been already mentioned, had calculated upon being a fortnight absent, and only chanced to be a week, because his goods arrived from beyond the frontier sooner than usual. All was joy and rejoicing in his house, and Reefka for next day, which was Sabbath, baked tarts with honey and poppies; and kugel (paste fried in goose-fat;) roasted geese, boiled lokshena (milk broth thickened with home-made macaroni;) and tzimes (a sort of hotch-potch made of carrots and honey, with fat and spices;) and besides regaled me with some spoiled wine.

Moses notified to his factors and agents, that he wished to commemorate the fortunate issue of one of his undertakings by a good action. In lending money on pledge, he usually took two per cent. a week: on this occasion, for the length of a whole month, he resolved to take only one and a half from poor people and those in straitened circumstances. His factors gave notice of this act of Moses' benevolence to all gamesters, spend-thrifts, and drunkards;

but Moses had to endure the remonstrances and even scoldings of his wife for this useless generosity, which in Reefka's opinion might bring on his ruin.

CHAPTER VIII.

Meeting of two great Lawyers, the one going out full, the other coming in empty-I leave the Jew.

WINTER came on, and with it, in Moses' house, an increase of activity, and to me of drudgery. Loads of goods, and travellers frequently put up with Moses, and I had to be in attendance in the strangers' apartments, the very same as had been occupied formerly by Meloveeden. Besides having to light the stoves, carry water, and sweep the rooms, the Jew ordered me to listen, behind the doors, to the subjects of the strangers' conversation, particularly if they were people in office. I was instructed to find out if they were in search of any one; if they had caught any thing; and to attend particularly if the words 'false money,' or band,' should be introduced. Although I was not aware of the real purport of these words, yet, feeling that some Jewish roguery must be at the bottom of this curiosity, I had no desire to serve the Jew faithfully, if he had not sometimes bribed me with the promise of a reward, and had not hunger constrained me to be an instrument of Jewish policy. But I was so wearied of this sort of life, that I resolved to flee on the first opportunity whithersoever my good luck should carry me. There was only one thing which detained me; an insufficiency of winter-clothing.

'contra

One day, when the sun began to leave the horizon, some carriages stopped in the market-place just opposite to Moses' house. He immediately ran to the street, and, ap. proaching the principal carriage with a low bow, made an offer of his lodgings to the people in the carriage, cried up all the conveniences of his house, the cheapness of fodder and of all sorts of provisions, not forgetting to recommend himself as a man well known for his honesty and civility. The fair outside of Moses' house in comparison with others, was, I suppose, a more powerful argument than the land

lord's words; and the carriages, to the great delight of the whole Jewish family, drew up at the door.

Reefka ran with her daughters to meet the gentry, while she drove me and the maid-servants to the strangers' appartments, to sweep away the dust, to clean the floors, and to clear off the table the fragments of an entertainment which Moses had been giving to the magistrates that same morning, having something to do with a charge of counterfeiting pawned goods. We had hardly got things in order, when the travellers came into the room. I stopped at the doors to get a look at them. First came a little, thin, pale-complexioned man, wrapt up in a fur great-coat. His eyes glared like those of a fox: with a single glance he examined all around him, and passing into the other room, he immediately began to take off his coat. He was followed by a couple of boys, and as many girls, from ten to fourteen years of age, wrapped up and tied up like so many snails. The lady herself, also, a thin person with a frowning look, in the mean while, hopped about like a frog. After her followed a train of maid-servants, nurses, and footmen, with bundles and baskets. The first expression uttered by the lady to me and the house-maid was the words, "Get out of the way, you creatures!" We, returning the compliment with a bow and a courtesy, made our retreat, and, behind the door, repaid her in her own coin.

In the common room I learned that the passengers were travelling with hired horses to Moscow, from the government-town, where this gentleman, whose name was Scotinko, had filled the office of procureur.* Candles were

put on the table, the tea-urn† was heated, and Mr. Scotinko's cook began to make ready supper, while the gentleman himself put Moses in requisition to converse with him and answer questions about the news.

In about two hours after, when it was already dark, a kibitkat drew up at the door, covered with matting and

* Crown-advocate and public prosecutor.

+ No one has lived in Russia without appreciating the benefits of the Russian tea-urn or samovar, which is not unlike the old English tea-urns in shape, but is heated with charcoal. When the teapot is placed on the top of the samovar, the strength of the tea is drawn off sooner and better than by any similar process in this country.

A kibitka, is a four-wheeled cart with a cover like the head of a cradle. There is generally a mat fastened to the head, which can be drawn over the rest of the kibitka when it rains.

drawn by two horses. The landlord and landlady did not trouble themselves about meeting their guest. There entered a tall, stout, ruddy-faced gentleman, who, learning that the best rooms were already occupied, took possession of a little closet, usually tenanted by Judelia, the landlord's son. The whole baggage of this gentleman consisted of a small portmanteau and leathern pillow, which his manservant, who was dressed in a bare sheepskin coat, carried under his arm.-The worn-out pelisse of the gentleman himself was a plain enough index of the contents of the portmanteau. Reefka treated his man with a dram, and learned that his master'sname was Plootyagoaveetch, and that he was on his way from Petersburg to occupy the situa tion of procureur in the very same town which Mr. Scotinko had left. A town-clerk who was at that time standing at the bar, drinking a dram of cordials, smiled very knowingly, and said "There is a meeting of kites !"

Mr. Plootyagoaveetch, learning that his predecessor was in the house, immediately went to pay his respects to him. They seemed to like one another's company, for Scotinko invited Plootyagoaveetch to sup with him, and they spent the whole evening conversing together.

In the mean time, Plootyagoaveetch's man, having supped upon a bit of dry bread and quass,* seated himself beside the pot where Mr. Scotinko's servants were emptying out of the goblets the fragments of their master's lordly sup per, joking together, and casting contemptuous looks on Plootyagoaveetch's man. When they learned that Plootyagoaveetch was going to occupy their master's place, they softened their tone, and treated the poor fellow with a dram. "What is your name, neighbour?" Scotinko's valet asked. "Pharaphont," answered Plootyagoaveetch's servant. "Look ye, Pharaphont," rejoined the valet, "learn to be deaf, and you will enjoy a perpetual carnival. Don't say 'aye' to petitioners and allow nobody to enter gratis, but make them pay for a sight of your master, as they do for admittance to the dancing dogs. Why should you let them off?” "I would be glad to take, but will they

* Quass is a sour fermented liquor, made from rye-malt, and is the usual drink of the common people in Russia. It is a very refreshing drink in the heats of summer.

give is the query?" "To be sure they will, if you squeeze it out of them," answered the valet. "Learn to bawl lustily, not at home,' engaged,' indisposed,' wishes to repose'"! but when they ask, if they may return, might they not wait, might you not let him know, say, ‘I might do every thing in the world, if you were only discreet !" At this all Scotinko's servants burst into a roar of laughter. Pharaphont continued, "All that is very plausible; but what is to be done with gentlemen whom my master orders to be admitted without previous notice: I that suppose I must be more civil to them without expecting any returns. "Nonsense!" answered the valet, "But you must manage them in a different style. Make Make your bow regularly, open the doors with alacrity, go befere them with a candle, and pay your compliments to them on holidays. Oh! brother Pharaphont, it is a happy life with the Procureur, but with the Governor a perfect paradise-the cup of bliss there overflows. We wept when we left the city. Our future lot we could not foresee; our past was good. But with you in Petersburgh what sort of a life do the servants of people in office lead? "According to the place, brother," answered Pharaphont, "there are some of us who act the gentleman; there are others who wipe away their tears with a naked hand. My master was only at the head of a table ;* but a small spoke in the wheel of state. He himself was glad to wrench a kopeek from right and wrong indifferently, but did not always succeed. It only happened that I would receive drink-money when my master sent me with the copy of a paper to a petitioner, or if there should be much business in the house, and the petitioner, having nothing to do, should turn and speak to us. But all that was very trifling : the oldest hands could make but a poor job of it." "But now your master will be a great man," added the valet, "Oh Pharaphontushka,† Pharaphontushka, I would give the best feather in my cap to change places with thee! But my master calls; good bye.'

There is an immense number of courts of law and public offices in St. Petersburgh, and every department has what is called a Kant. zellaria or chancery attached to it. Each of these chanceries has a head-clerk or director, who sits at the head of the table to superintend the inferior clerks.

† A diminutive of endearment,