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imprisoned, it did not soften their hearts in the least. They would only
taunt one another on such occasions, saying: "Never mind; I will repay
you for all this."
This state of affairs lasted for six years.
Ivan's father, the sick old man, constantly repeated his good advice. He
would try to arouse their conscience by saying: "What are you doing, my
children? Can you not throw off all these troubles, pay more attention
to your business, and suppress your anger against your neighbors? There
is no use in your continuing to live in this way, for the more enraged
you become against each other the worse it is for you."
Again was the wise advice of the old man rejected.
At the beginning of the seventh year of the existence of the feud it
happened that a daughter-in-law of Ivan's was present at a marriage. At
the wedding feast she openly accused Gavryl of stealing a horse. Gavryl
was intoxicated at the time and was in no mood to stand the insult, so
in retaliation he struck the woman a terrific blow, which confined her
to her bed for more than a week. The woman being in delicate health, the
worst results were feared.
Ivan, glad of a fresh opportunity to harass his neighbor, lodged a
formal complaint before the district-attorney, hoping to rid himself
forever of Gavryl by having him sent to Siberia.
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