St. Petersburg is the high school for all the cooks of the empire. Every noble of the interior has a number of yomig men, en pension, in the kitchens of the great houses in St. Petersburg, who are to return accomplished cooks ; and a family from the capital removing into the interior with the whole corps of Frenchified servants, soon have their kitchen swarming with a multitude of candidates striving to acquire new and piquant recipes from the initiated.
Although there is a post-office in St. Petersburg, there are still so many commissions to be executed in a great house which do not fall exactly within any one's department, that it is thought necessary to keep a " house courier" to drive out every morning, noon, and evening, to deliver letters, parcels, and so forth. The merchants on Vassili Ostrolf have a similar figurant in their houses to carry out letters and money, whom they call " Ai'telshtshik." He is generally a long-bearded Russ, and by virtue of his beard a trustworthy man, for he is often employed to carry hundreds of thousands, without any imeasiuess being felt for their safety. When we consider the numbers already mentioned, the servants, and the servants' servants, and that many of them are married, and live in the house with all their et ccBtera, it will be admitted that a Russian house must be tolerably well filled, and swarming in every corner. The whole of the lower regions is commonly given up to them, where they pack themselves as well as they can with bag and baggage, home-made furnitm-e, and household utensils, not forgetting the pictures of saints, and their everlasting lamps.
Yet it is well known that a Russian nobleman, in spite of his train of servants, or perhaps because of his train of servants, is very badly served. As no one will do what is " not in his place," a commission has a vast nmnber of hands to go through before it is executed. A valet is asked for a glass of water, he tells a footman, who calls to a sculhon; he is found sleeping about somewhere, and after a long search after a decanter, runs to the spring, and the water comes, perhaps, at last, when liis master is no longer thirsty. " Sluga! pasluish!" (Here, servant, here), is called from a door. " Sei tshas!" (Directly, directly, this minute), is answered from above and below, from staircase and courtyard. The caller waits a quarter of an hour, but no one comes; for Paul suj)poses that Ivan is gone, and Matwei knows that Vanka heard as well as he. The call is repeated. " Sluga pasluishi," and " Sei tshas," is echoed back, but no servant comes; and a hundred times a day a man may be convinced of the truth of the Russian proverb, which says, " Sei tshas" means to-morrow morning, and " Sei minut" this day week. Yet they fancy there is no doing without a retinue of serv^ants.
" Ah! you really embarrass me with your kind visit," said Prince N — to a friend who came unexpectedly to dine with him. " I must apologize to you, for you will be very badly attended to. One-half of my servants are gone hunting with my son ; I have sent out some on business myself,
and my good mother, who has driven out of town to pay a visit, has taken away nearly all the rest." Nevertheless, there were live diligent pair of hands to wait on twelve persons.
It is singular that the male servants should be much more numerous than the female. Generally the rooms are swept and the beds made by men, and the ladies, in addition to their waiting-maids, have a chamberlain who attends them every where. The waiting damsels are of all nations : arch Parisian grisettes ; Swiss maidens pining with home sickness ; Swedes from Stockliolm come to seek a better fortune, i. e. more money ; German Amalias, or Matildas, who write sentimental verses ; Russian Sofinkas or Olgas, very discontented at the number of foreigners they see preferred to themselves; and over all this pot pour ri of nationality, the same Russian sauce is poinded. They speak a jargon half Russian, half French, garnished with many other words from many other languages ; they must dress gaily and fashionably to please their mistresses, try to make themselves agreeable, and fall in with the prevailing tone.