r language, and not in the one I
acquired lately, she would have buttoned her shoes, gartered her
stockings, and would not have shown the bad quality of her corset
cover under her wide-opened _robe-de-chambre_. If she only knew how
her hired help understood her.

At four I was in the kitchen. Here--another interesting phase of life!
The woman from Moscow who claims to be a cook, does not think I am
from her midst, but feels with her organic cleverness that I am an
imposter.

"You,--gentry! You liar! Hate your face! Hope the devil will get you
soon!" she says,--but she isn't a bad woman, she means well, only she
is not as clean as her profession demands. Altogether the kitchen is a
mournful place.

"What is your business?" she asked, "You want to see the Princess?
Don't lie to me!"

"My business is none of your business," said I, "Forget it! Better
tell me if I can have some beer? Go on, cookie, lay it out. Don't be
so stingy!"

The stubborn woman would not give it to me, until I took her gently
around the waist and pinched her arm with all of my force,--that's
the way to get cook's sympathies; it's astonishing how it works! I got
some beer.

Then I was invited in: "Come in, you scabby devil."

"You will have to take this," said the Princess, giving me a letter
so that she wouldn't touch my hand, "and be sure they don't catch you
with the letter. Be careful, don't drink, Alexei. It's bad to drink;
when you come back we'll give you 500 rubles."

"_Je ne le tolere pas_," she said to the Prince, "_il a l'air si
commun! Il nous vendrait tous, s'il etait assez intelligent_!"

The Prince did not answer (I guess he knows more than her Highness)
and looked aside, grumbling something just to calm his better half.

I stared at her, just to scare this bad female, from under my
eyebrows.

"_Vous voyez_," the Princess almost cried, "_Vous voyez! Mon Dieu!
Quel type horrible! J'ai peur de lui! C'est un degenere! il nous
trahira_!" She complimented me in this manner for a while, and then
started to give me some silly instructions,--how to get there, etc.

Finally, I left the house, went to Schmelin and got his permission in
a minute, and tonight--I am leaving.

My house and all in it will be taken good care of,--Schmelin promised
to look after it.

Good-by, my humble hut! Good-by Tumen!

III. TOBOLSK

III. TOBOLSK

39

The Irtysh opened its dark blue streams for navigation not so long
ago.