ed. In club dinners, when men are
dining alone, it will be easily believed that the same importance
is not attached to it; but the custom may be described as almost
universal among the rich, and quite universal among the poor. Indeed,
a peasant or workman would not on any account eat without first
making the sign of the cross. In Russia, with its "patriarchal"
society (as the Russians are fond of saying), it is usual to thank
the lady of the house, either by word or gesture, after dining at
her table; and those who are sufficiently intimate kiss her hand.

[Illustration: THE TSAR'S DINING-ROOM, MOSCOW.]

We now come to the composition of the Russian dinners; and here I
must repeat with Archdeacon Coxe, that although the Russians have
adopted many of the delicacies of French cookery, they "neither
affect to despise their native dishes nor squeamishly reject the
solid joints which characterize our own repasts." I was astonished,
at one Russian dinner, which I was assured was thoroughly national
in style, to meet with the homely roast leg of mutton and baked
potatoes of my native land. Like the English, the Russians take
potatoes with nearly every dish--either plain boiled, fried, or
with parsley and butter over them. Plum-pudding, too, and boiled
rice-pudding with currants in it, and with melted butter, are known
in Russia--at all events in Moscow and St. Petersburg; and goose is
not considered complete without apple-sauce. As in France, every
dinner begins with soup; but this custom has not been borrowed
from the French. It seems to date from time immemorial, for all
the Russian peasants, a thoroughly stationary class, take their
soup daily. The Russians are very successful with some kinds of
pickles, such as salted cucumbers and mushrooms; and they excel
in salads, composed not only of lettuce, endive, and beetroot, but
also of cherries, grapes, and other fruits, preserved in vinegar.
The fruit is always placed at the top, and has a very picturesque
effect in the midst of the green leaves. Altogether it may be said
that the Russian _cuisine_ is founded on a system of eclecticism,
with a large number of national dishes for its base. Of course,
in some Russian houses, as in some English ones, the cooking is
nearly all in the French style; but even then there are always a
few dishes on the table that might easily be recognized as belonging
to the country. We need scarcely remark, that only very rich persons
dine every d