and which, indeed, he scarcely noticed, was that Maggie contrived to be present at most of these conversations. She was either putting things to rights in the room (and she was a great putterto-rights), or she was at work at a little table in the corner of the room, doing, or pretending to be doing, her lessons; but, generally, listening most carefully to the conversations. After all the visitors were gone, excepting, perhaps, Count Casimir, she would sit upon a footstool near Mr. Thurston, and would ask all manner of questions relating to what she had heard. The questions were of the oddest and the quaintest kind, chiefly drawn from her experience of life in that squalid part of the town from which she had been taken. Mr. Thurston, much to Casimir's amusement, would take the greatest pains to make Maggie understand the nature of the things that had been discussed; and from finding that words, which he supposed to be very common and to be known to all persons, conveyed no ideas to poor Maggie, was sometimes dreadfully puzzled in explaining things to her. He had often far

more work in making these difficult explanations after the company had left, than he had undergone in contending with the ablest of his compeers who were adverse to him.

It was a striking proof of the adroitness and the winningness of Maggie that she had succeeded in making herself as free of the parlour and the study as of the housekeeper's room and the kitchen. With the old housekeeper herself she had but little difficulty, for the good old woman who had taken Maggie out of her rags and clothed her, began to look upon her as if she were a child of her own; and, indeed, had been heard to say that there was a likeness between herself and Maggie-that is, that Maggie resembled her when she was a young woman. But Maggie contrived also to manage the two other women servants, and began to be looked upon as an oracle in the kitchen when she went down there, and retailed, after her strange fashion, some of the discourse to which she had been listening upstairs. I have said before that she was a singularly handy person, one of those people who learn very quickly

how to do anything when they are shown, and this ensured a certain superiority for her in these lower regions. As for her master, he had pledged himself to Lord Glenant that Maggie should have some education, and he believed that no education was much better than listening to the wise things which he had to tell the world. There was a governess who came for two hours in the day to instruct Maggie, and who, like the rest of them, being fascinated by this coaxing girl, would take her home with her, and unconsciously continue the lesson-giving. Music was the thing in which Maggie made the most rapid progress, and for which she had a natural genius.

It was curious to see the different ways in which she treated Count Casimir and Mr. Thurston. She always looked upon the young Count as one of themselves—I mean, as one of her own class. He had lived amongst them, and been one of them. To be sure, he was now in what might be called a higher sphere; but Maggie could never divest herself of the idea that he was one of us.' She had no hesitation in telling

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him of any of her troubles, and would bring difficulties in her lessons to be explained by him first. Whereas, with Mr. Thurston she was distant and timid and respectful; obeyed his slightest word or gesture; knew to a nicety whether he was in a good temper or a bad temper, and whether she might venture to stay in the room or not. She thought that he must be the greatest and the best man in the world-the man who had read so many books, and talked like a book, and yet who would condescend to talk to her.

I am afraid that, if Lord Glenant could have known all this, he would not have journeyed with so light a heart and with so undoubting a hope as those with which he pursued his arduous journey over the uneasy roads of Russia, then not so permeable as now, by railway.

CHAPTER XXIII.

A JOURNEY THROUGH RUSSIA.

E must now turn from affairs at home, and follow the journey of those travellers in whom the chief personages

of our story, left in England, have so much namely, Ruth Sumner and Lord

interest,

Glenant.

But first, a few words about Russia, and Russian travel generally.

Russia is at present one of the most interesting countries in the world. Where else, without a revolution, or without civil war, has so great a social and political change been made in our time, or in any other time that we know of, as that which has been made by the present Emperor, in the liberation of the serfs. The whole