Summary

The story opens in the Russian town of Vladimir. A young merchant named Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov lives there. When he was a younger man, he used to drink heavily, and very often. However, ever since he married, he has stopped drinking except on infrequent occasions. He and his wife have multiple children. One day, Aksionov is preparing to go to a fair in another town to sell some of his wares. His wife is distraught, as she had a nightmare during the previous night. Aksionov laughs and says that she should not worry, as he will not drink alcohol at the fair. His wife says that she does not have a specific worry, but that in the dream, Aksionov’s hair was grey when he returned from the fair. Aksionov interprets the dream as an omen that he will successfully sell his wares...