And even if such should not be her lot, if she can accommodate herself to the humour of her patroness she may lead a very supportable, brilliant life. She will find opportunities of making her light shine before men, and of gi-atifying her vanity ; and what is more, she may look with tolerable certainty to an ultimate retreat to her native land, with a little fortune to solace the evening of her days. The cities of Montbeillard, Lausanne, Neufchatel, and some others, the nurseries for governesses for all Europe, are full of small capitalists of both sexes, who have accumulated their little fortunes in Russia. To maintain themselves successfully in such a position, however, they require a total want of susceptibility, whether false or real, for the Russians are pitiless towards such feelings. In their stead let there be a certain coldness and strength of character, and a resolute and watchful defence ; for the Russian always strikes his flag to perseverance and firmness.
Some contrive to accommodate themselves so thoroughly to the Russian element as to exchange their own national peculiarities for those of Russia, and prefer remaining for life where they have spent the better part of it. In many Russian families are to be foimd such after-growths of superannuated Englisli nurses, Frenchwomen, and Germans, who have adhered to tlie family till they are considered regular parts of it, and enjoy all the privileges of adoption accordingly.
In St. Petersburg, which keeps all articles of the first quality for itself, and despatches the inferior ones into the provinces, much is of course required, and the capabilities of the tutors and tutoresses employed there, must be much on a par with those of other capitals ; bwt in the provinces it -is wonderful what a cry of astonishment is often raised at very moderate endowments.
" He is a miracle of a Nyemetz (German) that I have got for my children," assured me once a thorough Russian gentleman in one of the provinces ; "he speaks German, English, French, Greek, Latin, and knows all sorts of sciences that ever were. It is wonderful to hear how he plays on the pianoforte, and sings. Ah, Heaven, I am perfectly amazed at the man !" On a nearer acquaintance, I found this " wonder" a very ordinary person indeed, who had indeed a smattering of many things, but seemed to me hardly master of his native language.
The tutor in a Russian provincial house, is always an oracle, and the governess a prophetess. If at table or elsewhere, any thing occurs relative to any science whatever, all eyes turn to the oracle, before whose omniscience all are dumb. To doubt him would compromise the doubter ; all listen attentively. " Ah, you must know ! That is all in your way !" How often an honest German is almost compelled to make a solemn face, and play the part of conjurer thus forced on him against his will ! " I do not know," " that is not in my way," ' I imagine so and so." Such a way of speaking would ruin a man's credit for ever in the interior of Russia. "What does he say?" " He don't know." " Why does he not know ? We do not know, either. Then he knows no more than we do ! God knows what he does know ! he is one of those learned quacks that are so plentiful with us.'' — " You must know, sir ; you must be sure ; say yes or no. What lies between yes or no ? Uncertainty, ignorance. If you don't know, sir, why do you call yourself a learned man ? Solomon says, that all knowledge is vanity, but two thousand years have passed away since then. Almost every thing is known now, and you, as a German and an examined teacher, ought to know every thing. The D — 1 ! else why do we pay the Nyemtzi so much money?"
Learned modesty does nowhere less for a man than in Russia, where the depths of science are not even guessed at, and where they stop short on the surface, and strike on the few fragments loosened from the mountain of knowledge. The learned are expected to deal in ordonnances like the government, which speak out positively ; sic volo, sic Jubeo. A man must carry his learned small change in his pocket, that it may be at hand when wanted, and deliver himself, thus : " It is known to all the world that the thing is so, and so ;" or " the famous so and so says," — " Vou say so, but / say no ! I know better, keep to what you understand and be silent ! — twice three are five, and one are six, Abrakadabra ! Aristotle was the disciple of Plato, and Plato of Socrates, and all three are positive on this point, &c. &c." " Vot Maladez! (see, that is the right lad) he understands ! what a learned man ! It is really astonishing !" And with the wonder at the learning the matter rests; they have