Summary

In Chapter 1, a woman visits her younger sister in the countryside. The older sister is married to a tradesman and lives in the city, while the younger sister is married to a farmer. The sisters soon argue and disparage each other’s lives. The younger sister says that farm work is more secure, while the older sister says that farm work and country living are degrading. The younger sister’s husband, a farmer named Pahom, overhears the conversation. He says that he loves his life, and that if he just owned a little more land, than he would be perfectly happy and would fear nothing. He says that he would not even fear the Devil. The Devil overhears this statement and thinks, “I’ll give you land enough; and by means of that land I will get you into my power” (51).

In Chapter...