cheapest of the “downy” furs, which are the proper sort for the climate, is the brown goat, that constantly reminds its owner of the economy practiced, by its weight and characteristic strong smell, though it has the merit of being very warm.  Next come the various grades of red fox fur,—­those abundantly furnished with hair,—­where the red is pale and small in area, and the gray patches are large and dark, being the best.  The kuni, which was the unit of currency in olden days, and was used by royalty, is the next in value, and is costly if dark, and with a tough, light-weight skin, which is an essential item of consideration for the necessary large cloaks.  Sables, rich and dark, are worn, like the kuni, by any one who can afford them,—­court dames, cavaliers, archbishops, and merchants, or their wives and daughters,—­while the climax of beauty and luxury is attained in the black fox fur, soft and delicate as feathers, warm as a July day.  The silky, curly white Tibetan goat, and the thick, straight white fur of the psetz, make beautiful evening wraps for women, under velvets of delicate hues, and are used by day also, though they are attended by the inconvenience of requiring frequent cleaning.  Cloth or velvet is the proper covering for all furs, and the colors worn for driving are often gay or light.  A layer of wadding between the fur and the covering adds warmth, and makes the circular mantle called a rotonda set properly.  These sleeveless circular cloaks are not fit for anything but driving, however, although they are lapped across the breast and held firmly in place by the crossed arms,—­a weary task, since they fall open at every breeze when the wearer is on foot,—­but they possess the advantage over a cloak with sleeves that they can be held high around the ears and head at will.  The most inveterate “shopper” would be satisfied with the amount of running about and bargaining which can be got out of buying a fur cloak and a cap!

The national cap has a soft velvet crown, surrounded by a broad band of sable or otter, is always in fashion, and lasts forever.  People who like variety buy each year a new cap, made of black Persian lambskin, which resembles in shape that worn by the Kazaks, though the shape is modified every year by the thrifty shopkeepers.

The possibilities for self delusion, and delusion from the other quarter, as to price and quality of these fur articles, is simply enormous.  I remember the amusing tags fastened to every cloak in the shop of a certain fashionable furrier in Moscow, where “asking price” and “selling price” were plainly indicated.  By dint of inquiry I found that “paying price” was considerably below “selling price.”  Moscow is the place, by the way, to see the coats intended for “really cold weather” journeys, made of bear skin and of reindeer skin, impervious to cold, lined with downy Siberian rat or other skins, which one does not see in Petersburg shops.