will astonish you all." And thereupon with a calm and even voice, though
quaking inwardly in every limb, Ivan Petrovitch declared to his father,
that there was no need to reproach him with immorality; that though he
did not intend to justify his fault he was ready to make amends for it,
the more willingly as he felt himself to be superior to every kind of
prejudice--and in fact--was ready to marry Malanya. In uttering these
words Ivan Petrovitch did undoubtedly attain his object; he so
astonished Piotr Andreitch that the latter stood open-eyed, and was
struck dumb for a moment; but instantly he came to himself, and just as
he was, in a dressing-gown bordered with squirrel fur and slippers on
his bare feet, he flew at Ivan Petrovitch with his fists. The latter, as
though by design, had that morning arranged his locks a la Titus, and put
on a new English coat of a blue colour, high boots with little tassels
and very tight modish buckskin breeches. Anna Pavlovna shrieked with all
her might and covered her face with her hands; but her son ran over the
whole house, dashed out into the courtyard, rushed into the
kitchen-garden, into the pleasure-grounds, and flew across into the
road, and kept running without looking round till at last he ceased to
hear the heavy tramp of his father's steps behind him and his shouts,
jerked out with effort, "Stop you scoundrel!" he cried, "stop! or I will
curse you!" Ivan Petrovitch took refuge with a neighbour, a small
landowner, and Piotr Andreitch returned home worn out and perspiring,
and without taking breath, announced that he should deprive his son of
his blessing and inheritance, gave orders that all his foolish books
should be burnt, and that the girl Malanya should be sent to a distant
village without loss of time. Some kind-hearted people found out Ivan
Petrovitch and let him know everything. Humiliated and driven to fury,
he vowed he would be revenged on his father, and the same night lay in
wait for the peasant's cart in which Malanya was being driven away,
carried her off by force, galloped off to the nearest town with her and