CHARLLS BOROWIECKI (borrov-yetsky), of gentle birth, the son of a country landowner and bred in the traditions of his class, has broken away from them, made special studies in chemistry, dyes, and cotton printing, and has besides a great talent for new tints and original designs, and has become manager in that line to the greatest factory in Lodz.

KUROVSKI (koorosky), of gentle birth, but a first-rate chemist; has run through a fortune in his early youth, and is building up another in Lodz; a brilliant talker, an assemblage of seeming contradictions, and on familiar terms with Boroviecki.

DR. MIECZYSLAUS (m'yechyslaws) VYSOCKI (vysotsky), a scientist of advanced ideas, strongly idealistic, with innumerable poor patients to whom he devotes himself disinterestedly, living with and partly on his mother, who has some resources of her own. She is a strong anti-Semite, whereas he is quite the reverse.

ANKA (Anne), Boroviecki's cousin and fiancee; a girl of great benevolence, purity, and nobility of mind She loves him with all her heart, but is proud, sensitive, and not expansive.

KAMA, a Polish girl at the Colony; in love with horn, but after a very idealistic and infantine fashion.

CASIMIR, or Kazio, TRAVINSKI, a cotton-mill-owner of noble family, who has sunk much money in his works and is on the verge of ruin, partly on account of his own and his wife's esthetic and expensive tastes.

MME NINA TRAVINSKA, his wife, a woman of simple elegance and subtle charm, greatly admired by everyone.

JOSEV YASKULSKI, son of a ruined landowner, incompetent, but proud of his noble birth; a clerk in old Mr.Baum's factory; a very hard-working, bashful, awkward, sentimental young fellow.

MYSHKOVSKI, a technical engineer who believes overwork and capitalism to be an evil, works only enough to get a living, and gives up all his leisure to science and art for their own sake.

STANISLAS VILCHEK , the son of a poor peasant of Kurov. Gifted with much natural ability, lie has been educated by the help of gentlefolk, goes into business, and makes money by every possible means; is devoured by hatred for those above him, and by the craving he feels to enjoy the pleasures he has never had; a peasant gone wrong, he may either make a fortune or end his days in jail.

ADAM BOROVIECKI, called "Old Mr. Adam," the father of Charles, paralysed on one side, but always good-humoured.