grandmother, the gipsy Andrei’s wife.  Obstinate, and fond of power, she would not even hear of marriage.  Ivan Petrovich’s return home was by no means to her taste.  So long as the Princess Kubensky kept him with her, Glafira had hoped to obtain at least half of her father’s property; and in her avarice, as well as in other points, she resembled her grandmother.  Besides this, Glafira was jealous of her brother.  He had been educated so well; he spoke French so correctly, with a Parisian accent; and she scarcely knew how to say “Bonjour” and “Comment vous portez vous?” It is true that her parents were entirely ignorant of French, but that did not make things any better for her.

As to Ivan Petrovich, he did not know what to do with himself for vexation and ennui; he had not spent quite a year in the country, but even this time seemed to him like ten years.  It was only with his mother that he was at ease in spirit; and for whole hours he used to sit in her low suite of rooms listening to the good lady’s simple, unconnected talk, and stuffing himself with preserves.  It happened that among Anna Pavlovna’s maids there was a very pretty girl named Malania.  Intelligent and modest, with calm, sweet eyes, and finely-cut features, she pleased Ivan Petrovich from the very first, and he soon fell in love with her.  He loved her timid gait, her modest replies, her gentle voice, her quiet smile.  Every day she seemed to him more attractive than before.  And she attached herself to Ivan Petrovich with the whole strength of her soul—­as only Russian girls know how to devote themselves—­and gave herself to him.  In a country house no secret can be preserved long; in a short time almost every one knew of the young master’s fondness for Malania.  At last the news reached Peter Andreich himself.  At another time it is probable that he would have paid very little attention to so unimportant an affair; but he had long nursed a grudge against his son, and he was delighted to have an opportunity of disgracing the philosophical exquisite from St. Petersburg.  There ensued a storm, attended by noise and outcry.  Malania was locked up in the store-room.[A] Ivan Petrovich was summoned into his father’s presence.  Anna Pavlovna also came running to the scene of confusion, and tried to appease her husband; but he would not listen to a word she said.  Like a hawk, he pounced upon his son charging him with immorality, atheism, and hypocrisy.  He eagerly availed himself of so good an opportunity of discharging on him all his long-gathered spite against the Princess Kubensky, and overwhelmed him with insulting expressions.

[Footnote A:  A sort of closet under the stairs.]