Through Soshenko's agency, the aid of the secretary of the Academy of Arts was invoked to rescue the young man from his artist master's intolerable oppression, and his literary friend introduced Shevtchenko to Zhukovsky, who took an ardent interest in the fate of the talented young fellow.

They speedily began operations to free Shevtchenko from serfdom; and the manner in which it was finally affected is curious.

A certain general ordered a portrait of himself from Shevtchenko for which he was to pay fifty rubles.

The general was not pleased with the portrait, and refused to accept it.

The offended artist painted the general's beard over with a froth of shaving-soap, and sold the picture for a song to the barber who was in the habit of shaving the general, and he used it as a sign.