two peasants.
Their words fell on stony ground, however, for Gavryl would not listen
to them.

"I am fifty years old," said Gavryl, "and have a son married, and never
from my birth has the lash been applied to my back; but now this bear
Ivan has secured a verdict against me which condemns me to receive
twenty lashes, and I am forced to bow to this decision and suffer the
shame of a public beating. Well, he will have cause to remember this."

At this Gavryl's voice trembled and he stopped speaking, and turning his
back on the judges took his departure.

It was about ten versts' distance from the court to the homes of the
neighbors, and this Ivan travelled late. The women had already gone
out for the cattle. He unharnessed his horse and put everything in its
place, and then went into the izba (room), but found no one there.

The men had not yet returned from their work in the field and the women
had gone to look for the cattle, so that all about the place was quiet.
Going into the room, Ivan seated himself on a wooden bench and soon
became lost in thought. He remembered how, when Gavryl first heard the
sentence which had been passed upon him, he grew very pale, and turned
his face to the wall, all the while remaining silent.

Ivan's heart ached when he thought of the disgrace which he had been the
means of bringing upon Gavryl, and he wondered how he would feel if the
same sentence had been passed upon him. His thoughts were interrupted by
the coughing of his father, who was lying on the oven.

The old man, on seeing Ivan, came down off the oven, and slowly
approaching his son seated himself on the bench beside him, looking at
him as though ashamed. He continued to cough as he leaned on the table
and said, "Well, did they sentence him?"

"Yes, they sentenced him to receive twenty lashes," replied Ivan.

On hearing this the old man sorrowfully shook his head, and said: "This
is very bad, Ivan, and what is the meaning of it all? It is indeed
very bad, but not so bad for Gavryl as for yourself. Well, suppose his
sentence IS carried out, and he gets the twenty lashes, what will it
benefit you?"

"He will not again strike a woman," Ivan replied.

"What is it he will not do? He does not do anything worse than what you
are constantly doing!"

This conversation enraged Ivan, and he shouted: "Well, what did he do?
He beat a woman nearly to death, and even now he threatens to burn my
house! Must I bow to him for all th