y went trembling up to the examinations provided
by the great Anton himself, in the mid-year term.

Ivan's estimate of his pedagogic labors was very humble. But Nicholas
Rubinstein, who himself taught for nine hours daily, soon came to
appreciate the conscientious work of his subordinate, clearly
perceptible in the excellently trained classes who came up to him for
their monthly competition. And this satisfaction was soon substantially
expressed. Upon the formal opening of the new building of the
Conservatoire in December, Ivan found his salary increased by
twenty-five roubles monthly. Nor did he suspect what Nicholas went
through to obtain this favor; though he was not slow to notice the
change of manner which Anton of the jealous soul had already begun to
betray towards him.

The month succeeding the opening of the great, white building, was
replete with change. First of all, young Shradik departed for a
concert-tour, through Austria and Germany; and, though he and Gregoriev
parted most cordially, it was with a feeling of new freedom that Ivan
looked about him, when the persistent practiser of trills and runs was
gone to show the great world the results of meritorious study. Two weeks
later, came the welcome if astonishing news that Ivan, whose classes had
grown rapidly, was to have an assistant, in the person of young
Laroche:--his nearest friend in the Petersburg student days. And when
this young fellow replaced the violinist in the Rubinstein household,
Ivan felt the cup of his contentment full.

In many ways, indeed, this period was one of the happiest of Gregoriev's
career. It was at this time that he formed those several friendships
which stood him, in his after years, in such rich stead. Of the many
professional men who frequented Nicholas' society, one of the foremost
was Monsieur Kashkine:--he who afterwards did so much to make Ivan known
to his world. From the first these two young men took to each other with
the utmost congeniality. Next to the writer, Ivan's fancy locked itself
with that of bullet-headed, homely, great-hearted Balakirev: a man who
has been the inspiration of a dozen greater than he; who, for thirty
years a pillar of Russian music, has let his greatest ideas go to feed
the brains of those who have learned to stand towards him, as the public
towards themselves. Finally, there was young Ostrovsky, later one of the
great playwrights and librettists of the country; who, even at this
time, ha