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Rh did not have them; but he had such an appearance, that from Petrovna's standpoint, it was impossible not to see two stars on him,—and so she saw them; I am not joking when I tell you that she really saw them.

"And what livery the lackey wore, Daniluitch! Real English stuff, five rubles an arshín; such a solemn man he was, and so important, but just as perlite as could be; he give me a civil answer; he allowed me to feel of his sleeve; elegant cloth. They seem to have so much money that they feed it out to their chickens. And they sat in our tenants' rooms, Daniluitch, and talked with them cosily, for more'n two hours, just as I talk with you, and them tenants did not even bow to them, and they were joking with them, and the tenant was sitting with the general, both of them sitting comfortably on the chair, and they were smoking! and our tenant smoked right in the general's face, and he sat comfortably before him! what else? His cigarette went out, and then he lighted it at the general's! And with what grace the general kissed our lady's little hand! why, I can't begin to tell you! What can we make out of this, Daniluitch?"

"Everything is from God, is the way I reason it; I reckon that whether it's acquaintance or relation, it's all from God."

"So it is, Daniluitch; there's no doubt about it; but this is what I think: that either our tenant or his wife are either a brother or a sister of either the general or the generálsha. And, to tell you the truth, I think that she must be the general's sister."

"What makes you think so, Petrovna? It don't seem natural. If it was so, then they'd have money."

"That's a fact, Daniluitch. It must be this way: either the mother or the father had a natural child; because they don't favor each other. Really, there ain't no resemblance 't all."

"That may be, Petrovna; perhaps there was a natural child. Such things do happen."

Petrovna, for four whole days, enjoyed great importance in her little store. This little store for three whole days drew a part of the public from the store on the other side of the street. Petrovna, for the sake of enlightening the public during these days, even neglected her work to a certain