ARKADY (ARKASHA) NIKOLAEVITCH (_or_ NIKOLAITCH), his son.
YEVGENY (ENYUSHA) VASSILYEVITCH (_or_ VASSILYITCH) BAZAROV, friend of Arkady.
VASSILY IVANOVITCH (_or_ IVANITCH), father of Bazarov.
FEDOSYA (FENITCHKA) NIKOLAEVNA, second wife of Nikolai.
ANNA SERGYEVNA ODINTSOV, a wealthy widow.
MATVY ILYITCH KOLYAZIN, government commissioner.
EVDOKSYA (_or_ AVDOTYA) NIKITISHNA KUKSHIN, an emancipated lady.
PIOTR (_pron. P-yotr_), servant to Nikolai.
'Well, Piotr, not in sight yet?' was the question asked on May the 20th, 1859, by a gentleman of a little over forty, in a dusty coat and checked trousers, who came out without his hat on to the low steps of the posting station at S----. He was addressing his servant, a chubby young fellow, with whitish down on his chin, and little, lack-lustre eyes.
The servant, in whom everything--the turquoise ring in his ear, the streaky hair plastered with grease, and the civility of his movements--indicated a man of the new, improved generation, glanced with an air of indulgence along the road, and made answer:
'No, sir,' responded the man a second time.
His master sighed, and sat down on a little bench. We will introduce him to the reader while he sits, his feet tucked under him, gazing thoughtfully round.