married her. He was supplied with money by the neighbour, a good-natured
retired marine officer, a confirmed tippler, who took an intense delight
in every kind of--as he expressed it--romantic story.

The next day Ivan Petrovitch wrote an ironically cold and polite letter
to Piotr Andreitch, and set off to the village where lived his second
cousin, Dmitri Pestov, with his sister, already known to the reader,
Marfa Timofyevna. He told them all, announced his intention to go to
Petersburg to try to obtain a post there, and besought them, at least
for a time, to give his wife a home. At the word "wife" he shed tears,
and in spite of his city breeding and philosophy he bowed himself in
humble, supplicating Russian fashion at his relations' feet, and even
touched the ground with his forehead. The Pestovs, kind-hearted and
compassionate people, readily agreed to his request. He stayed with them
for three weeks, secretly expecting a reply from his father; but no
reply came--and there was no chance of a reply coming.

Piotr Andreitch, on hearing of his son's marriage, took to his bed, and
forbade Ivan Petrovitch's name to be mentioned before him; but his
mother, without her husband's knowledge, borrowed from the rector, and
sent 500 roubles and a little image to his wife. She was afraid to
write, but sent a message to Ivan Petrovitch by a lean peasant, who
could walk fifty miles a day, that he was not to take it too much to
heart; that, please God, all would be arranged, and his father's wraath
would be turned to kindness; that she too would have preferred a
different daughter-in-law, but that she sent Malanya Sergyevna her
motherly blessing. The lean peasant received a rouble, asked permission
to see the new young mistress, to whom he happened to be godfather,
kissed her hand and ran off at his best speed.