At the same moment there appeared on the threshold
of another doorway a tall, well-made, dark-haired
girl of nineteen—Maria Dmitrievna’s
elder daughter, Liza.
The young man whom we have just introduced to our
readers was called Vladimir Nikolaevich Panshine.
He occupied a post at St. Petersburg—one
devoted to business of a special character—in
the Ministry of the Interior. He had come to
O. about certain affairs of a temporary nature, and
was placed there at the disposal of the governor,
General Zonnenberg, to whom he was distantly related.
Panshine’s father, a retired cavalry officer,[A]
who used to be well known among card-players, was
a man of a worn face, with weak eyes, and a nervous
contraction about the lips. Throughout his life
he always revolved in a distinguished circle, frequenting
the English Clubs[B] of both capitals, and being generally
considered a man of ability and a pleasant companion,
though not a person to be confidently depended upon.
In spite of all his ability, he was almost always
just on the verge of ruin, and he ultimately left but
a small and embarrassed property to his only son.
About that son’s education, however, he had,
after his own fashion, taken great pains.
[Footnote A: A Shtabs-Rotmistr, the second
captain in a cavalry regiment.]
[Footnote B: Fashionable clubs having nothing
English about them but their name.]
The young Vladimir Nikolaevich spoke excellent French,
good English, and bad German. That is just as
it should be. Properly brought-up people should
of course be ashamed to speak German really well; but
to throw out a German word now and then, and generally
on facetious topics—that is allowable;
“c’est meme tres chic,” as
the Petersburg Parisians say. Moreover, by the
time Vladimir Nikolaevich was fifteen, he already
knew how to enter any drawing-room whatsoever without
becoming nervous, how to move about it in an agreeable
manner, and how to take his leave exactly at the right
moment.
The elder Panshine made a number of useful connections
for his son; while shuffling the cards between two
rubbers, or after a lucky “Great Schlemm,"[A]
he never lost the opportunity of saying a word about
his young “Volodka” to some important personage,
a lover of games of skill. On his part, Vladimir
Nikolaevich, during the period of his stay at the
university, which he left with the rank of “effective
student,"[B] made acquaintance with several young people
of distinction, and gained access into the best houses.
He was cordially received everywhere, for he was very
good looking, easy in manner, amusing, always in good
health, and ready for every thing. Where he was
obliged, he was respectful; where he could, he was
overbearing. Altogether, an excellent companion,
un charmant garcon. The Promised Land
lay before him. Panshine soon fathomed the secret
of worldly wisdom, and succeeded in inspiring himself
with a genuine respect for its laws. He knew
how to invest trifles with a half-ironical importance,
and to behave with the air of one who treats all serious
matters as trifles. He danced admirably; he dressed
like an Englishman. In a short time he had gained
the reputation of being one of the pleasantest and
most adroit young men in St. Petersburg.
