CHAP. XVIII.

333

CHAPTER XVIII.

Ekaterinburg-Passion for Card-playing-Obtaining Recruits for the Army The Easter Carnival-Pancakes and Bells—Amateur Bellringers-Iloutroffsky-A pardoned Exile-The Fair at Irbit.

Ekaterinburg, May 1853.

LAST week only I received your letter, dated February 1853, now three months old. Need I tell you that it was, after so long a silence, a great pleasure, especially coming from you? I fear I am not in the mood to write you a long letter, as my ideas are all chilled by the intense cold weather, which is making us all shiver again, and that, too, just at midsummer. Oh! for Siberia, with its bright sunny sky. The climate is far better than this; there you find a clear and pure atmosphere, but here it is cloudy; rain and snow, with very strong winds, sharp and cutting.

I dare say you think our progress homeward is very slow. On Saturday next we shall start on our last excursion in the Oural mountains; this will be short, and soon ended, after which I hope to reduce the distance between us. I have not told you anything of our journey here. Several of our Barnaoul friends conducted us to the first station, ladies and gentlemen both; here we all partook of refreshment; then in

champagne they wished us a happy and prosperous journey, when we took leave of our kind friends, probably for ever.

We had several zavods to call at, to which we had to turn aside; but though it took us out of our road, we could not think of quitting without bidding adieu to all. The last we visited was the brother of General Sokolovsky. He likewise, with several of his friends, conducted us to the first station from his place. We drove to the Ispravonick's house, where two ladies met us, and embraced me as if I were an old acquaintance.

We had not been long in the house, ere the two ladies vanished to order tea, and the gentlemen sat down to consult nearly the only books they ever read, viz. cards: they had carried them in their pockets for that purpose. Having nothing better to do, I stood by watching the game. The old lady was not long ere she returned to the room; coming close up she touched me, I glanced at her, when she cast her eyes down towards her hand, mine followed, when I perceived she had a pack of cards. Looking once more narrowly into her face, I suddenly recognised my old friend the apothecary's wife from Zmeinogorsk. I could not refrain from a smile, and it would have been amusing to you could you have seen the old lady's face when I remembered her. Her husband had been occupying the position of Ispravonick during the last two years.

I had to follow the good but simple-minded lady into another room. I would gladly have excused myself from doing such a foolish thing as foretelling future events by cards, but the kind creature believed I did

CHAP. XVIII.

COMFORTABLE QUARTERS.

335

not like to be troubled. I told her, most cheerfully would I lay the cards out twenty times, I was not afraid of trouble. I perceived I should give offence if I said it was nonsense, so went through the ordeal of peeping into futurity. I hope they will not find out I have been dealing in the black art, and burn me for a witch when I return home-home! that one little word, how many a recollection does it stir up in one's mind! We have been accustomed to have a new home nightly; but the home of homes is one's birthplace. I often wonder what Alatau's feelings will be when he grows up; what place he will recognise as his home. Most probably, when he becomes a man, Kopal will no longer be a fortress; but his birthplace he will be sure to recognise, from the celebrated spring Tamchiboulac. The state of the weather without reminds me, as I am speaking of Kopal, how different my position is now to what it was there, where we were obliged to hang up quilts, cloaks, and coats, to keep out the wind, snow, and rain; unwelcome intruders into a house not built like a palace. When I had a candle to burn, it was impossible to light it without taking the very necessary precaution of covering up the window to keep out the bouran; whereas now I am in a warm room, and surrounded by every comfort. I should probably shock you did I say which I prefer.

The road we travelled from the zavods was not the great post-road to Ekaterinburg, we were going across the country; when such is the case we always meet with prettier cottages, more tastefully decorated, and oftentimes nestled by the side of a wood. At some distance

from a very pretty spot we came upon an old couple; the man and woman both were kneeling on the ground, with outstretched arms, and sobbing painfully. It appeared that their only son, a lad about fourteen or fifteen, had just been taken away for a soldier. The cart which carried him off they had followed till they could see it no longer. We soon came up with it, when I expected to find the boy in tears; but, on the contrary, he looked as gay and happy as possible, feasting on white bread, probably the parting gift. I felt sorry for the parents, perhaps it was the last time they would ever see him; it is hard to have the children dragged away thus. At one station we met with a Jew, a really superior man, who complained bitterly of his hard fate. Three of his sons had been taken from him at different periods; and he said it was contrary to his creed that they should serve as soldiers.

It is needless to tell you we were welcomed with great heartiness on our return here by all our old friends. We arrived just in time for the carnival. This festival is spent in much the same way in all Russian towns. There is the usual amount of balls and parties, and the ladies are dressed with exquisite taste. Here they have a custom not found in Petersburg. In each house you enter during this week, and at whatever time of the day it may be, you are expected to partake of a blini, a kind of pancake, only much lighter, served with clarified butter and caviar, which latter no one appears to understand that I cannot eat it, especially after living in Russia such a number of years. After the blini, of which there are a great variety, comes coffee or tea; and

CHAP. XVIII.

AMATEUR BELL-RINGERS.

337

the more you eat and drink, the more honour you are considered to confer on your host.

But heaven preserve me from being in Ekaterinburg again at Easter. I will not say the booming of the bells was not grand for awhile, but at last it became positively deafening; we are living close to a church, the bells of which never ceased during the whole of Easter week. I do not know if you are aware that whoever chooses is at liberty to ring the bells this festival, and, unfortunately for my comfort, amateurs were not wanting. I should really have been ungenerous enough to rejoice had the same fate happened to the bells here as happened to one in Barnaoul. The officers had all contributed to the purchase of a very large bell, and the hanging of it was to be a great festival. A vast concourse of people met at the church in grand gala costume; the service was performed, and afterwards they commenced elevating the bell to its position in the belfry; but, when about half raised, snap went the rope, and you may judge the fate of the bell. The officers and ladies were sadly mortified, as it had cost a large sum of money; and still more so when they learned that the disaster was occasioned by the niggardliness of the priest, who had pocketed the money which he had received for a new rope, and substituted an old one. You may also have an idea of the confusion that was created; but, fortunately, no one was hurt or injured in any way.

Of course the grandest and most effective ball during Easter was at General Glinka's. At supper he adopts the Siberian fashion of not sitting with the guests,