fearful fight followed.

Ivan was the most powerful peasant in all the country round, and it
did not take him long to disperse the crowd, for they flew in all
directions. During the progress of the fight Ivan tore out a large
quantity of Gavryl's beard.

By this time a large crowd of peasants had collected, and it was with
the greatest difficulty that they persuaded the two families to stop
quarrelling.

This was the beginning.

Gavryl took the portion of his beard which Ivan had torn out, and,
wrapping it in a paper, went to the volostnoye (moujiks' court) and
entered a complaint against Ivan.

Holding up the hair, he said, "I did not grow this for that bear Ivan to
tear out!"

Gavryl's wife went round among the neighbors, telling them that they
must not repeat what she told them, but that she and her husband were
going to get the best of Ivan, and that he was to be sent to Siberia.

And so the quarrelling went on.

The poor old grandfather, sick with asthma and lying on the brick oven
all the time, tried from the first to dissuade them from quarrelling,
and begged of them to live in peace; but they would not listen to his
good advice. He said to them: "You children are making a great fuss and
much trouble about nothing. I beg of you to stop and think of what a
little thing has caused all this trouble. It has arisen from only one
egg. If our neighbors' children picked it up, it is all right. God bless
them! One egg is of but little value, and without it God will supply
sufficient for all our needs."

Ivan's daughter-in-law here interposed and said, "But they called us
vile names."

The old grandfather again spoke, saying: "Well, even if they did call
you bad names, it would have been better to return good for evil, and
by your example show them how to speak better. Such conduct on your part
would have been best for all concerned." He continued: "Well, you had a
fight, you wicked people. Such things sometimes happen, but it would
be better if you went afterward and asked forgiveness and buried your
grievances out of sight. Scatter them to the four winds of heaven, for
if you do not do so it will be the worse for you in the end."

The younger members of the family, still obstinate, refused to profit
by the old man's advice, and declared he was not right, and that he only
liked to grumble in his old-fashioned way.

Ivan refused to go to his neighbor, as the grandfather wished, saying:
"I did not tear out G