Russian fiction. The heroine, unhappy in her family surroundings, becomes
entangled in the plots of some Nihilist conspirators. Her enthusiasm is dispelled by her discovery of the vagueness of purpose and the personal unworthiness of her associates. They really despise the people for whom they profess to labour ; but they are in earnest in seeking their own aggrandisement or personal indulgence. She finds a home with a relative, and with the home a lover ; but the old associations still hamper her, and when she is unlucky enough to inspire and to reject the love of a powerful official, they are employed to bring her into trouble. There is a lighter and more cheerful story mixed up with that of the heroine. Jenny Gregorievna is a very sprightly maiden, and never fails to amuse and charm. The novel gives us some carious glimpses of social life in Russia, of the relations of the enfranchised peasants to the landed proprietors, of the doings of the official world, of the working of the Nihilist societies (regarded from an unfriendly point of view), and of other interesting things. The English of the translator is indifferent at first, bat improves considerably with practice.
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