In a little hollow, perhaps by the side of a watercourse, he suddenly comes on a long row of high-roofed houses half concealed in trees.

The trees may be found on closer inspection to be little better than mere saplings; but after a long journey on the bare Steppe, where there is neither tree nor bush of any kind, the foliage, scant as it is, appears singularly inviting.

The houses are large, well arranged, and kept in such thoroughly good repair that they always appear to be newly built.
The rooms are plainly furnished, without any pretensions to elegance, but scrupulously clean.

Adjoining the house are the stable and byre, which would not disgrace a model farm in Germany or England.

In front is a spacious courtyard, which has the appearance of being swept several times a day, and behind there is a garden well stocked with vegetables.
Fruit trees and flowers are not very plentiful, for the climate is not favourable to them.
The inhabitants are honest, frugal folk, somewhat sluggish of intellect and indifferent to things lying beyond the narrow limits of their own little world, but shrewd enough in all matters which they deem worthy of their attention.