A Lost Opportunity

"A Lost Opportunity," a short story by Leo Tolstoy, explores themes of regret, morality, and the consequences of choices in human relationships. The narrative centers around a character who reflects on a missed chance at connection and the impact of a seemingly small decision on his life. Through rich character development and poignant moral inquiry, Tolstoy examines how opportunities for kindness and understanding can shape our existence, ultimately highlighting the importance of seizing moments of compassion before they slip away.

								
“Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” . . . . “So likewise
shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts
forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”—ST. MATTHEW
xviii., 21-35.

In a certain village there lived a peasant by the name of Ivan
Scherbakoff. He was prosperous, strong, and vigorous, and was
considered the hardest worker in the whole village. He had three sons,
who supported themselves by their own labor. The eldest was married,
the second about to be married, and the youngest took care of the
horses and occasionally attended to the plowing.

The peasant’s wife, Ivanovna, was intelligent and industrious, while
her daughter-in-law was a simple, quiet soul, but a hard worker.

There was only one idle person in the household, and that was Ivan’s
father, a very old man who for seven years had suffered from asthma,
and who spent the greater part of his time lying on the brick oven.

Ivan had plenty of everything—three horses, with one colt, a cow with
calf, and fifteen sheep. The women made the men’s clothes, and in
addition to performing all the necessary household labor, also worked
in the field; while the men’s industry was confined altogether to the
farm.

What was left of the previous year’s supply of provisions was ample for
their needs, and they sold a quantity of oats sufficient to pay their
taxes and other expenses.

Thus life went smoothly for Ivan.

The peasant’s next-door neighbor was a son of Gordey Ivanoff, called
“Gavryl the Lame.” It once happened that Ivan had a quarrel with him;
but while old man Gordey was yet alive, and Ivan’s father was the head
of the household, the two peasants lived as good neighbors should. If
the women of one house required the use of a sieve or pail, they
borrowed it from the inmates of the other house. The same condition of
affairs existed between the men. They lived more like one family, the
one dividing his possessions with the other, and perfect harmony
reigned between the two families.

If a stray calf or cow invaded the garden of one of the farmers, the
other willingly drove it away, saying: “Be careful, neighbor, that your
stock does not again stray into my garden; we should put a fence up.”
In the same way they had no secrets from each other. The doors of their
houses and barns had neither bolts nor locks, so sure were they of each
other’s honesty. Not a shadow of suspicion darkened their daily
intercourse.

Thus lived the old people.

In time the younger members of the two households started farming. It
soon became apparent that they would not get along as peacefully as the
old people had done, for they began quarrelling without the slightest
provocation.

A hen belonging to Ivan’s daughter-in-law commenced laying eggs, which
the young woman collected each morning, intending to keep them for the
Easter holidays. She made daily visits to the barn, where, under an old
wagon, she was sure to find the precious egg.

One day the children frightened the hen and she flew over their
neighbor’s fence and laid her egg in their garden.

Ivan’s daughter-in-law heard the hen cackling, but said: “I am very
busy just at present, for this is the eve of a holy day, and I must
clean and arrange this room. I will go for the egg later on.”

When evening came, and she had finished her task, she went to the barn,
and as usual looked under the old wagon, expecting to find an egg. But,
alas! no egg was visible in the accustomed place.

Greatly disappointed, she returned to the house and inquired of her
mother-in-law and the other members of the family if they had taken it.
“No,” they said, “we know nothing of it.”

Taraska, the youngest brother-in-law, coming in soon after, she also
inquired of him if he knew anything about the missing egg. “Yes,” he
replied; “your pretty, crested hen laid her egg in our neighbors’
garden, and after she had finished cackling she flew back again over
the fence.”

The young woman, greatly surprised on hearing this, turned and looked
long and seriously at the hen, which was sitting with closed eyes
beside the rooster in the chimney-corner. She asked the hen where it
laid the egg. At the sound of her voice it simply opened and closed its
eyes, but could make no answer.

She then went to the neighbors’ house, where she was met by an old
woman, who said: “What do you want, young woman?”

Ivan’s daughter-in-law replied: “You see, babushka [grandmother], my
hen flew into your yard this morning. Did she not lay an egg there?”

“We did not see any,” the old woman replied; “we have our own hens—God
be praised!—and they have been laying for this long time. We hunt only
for the eggs our own hens lay, and have no use for the eggs other
people’s hens lay. Another thing I want to tell you, young woman: we do
not go into other people’s yards to look for eggs.”

Now this speech greatly angered the young woman, and she replied in the
same spirit in which she had been spoken to, only using much stronger
language and speaking at greater length.

The neighbor replied in the same angry manner, and finally the women
began to abuse each other and call vile names. It happened that old
Ivan’s wife, on her way to the well for water, heard the dispute, and
joined the others, taking her daughter-in-law’s part.

Gavryl’s housekeeper, hearing the noise, could not resist the
temptation to join the rest and to make her voice heard. As soon as she
appeared on the scene, she, too, began to abuse her neighbor, reminding
her of many disagreeable things which had happened (and many which had
not happened) between them. She became so infuriated during her
denunciations that she lost all control of herself, and ran around like
some mad creature.

Then all the women began to shout at the same time, each trying to say
two words to another’s one, and using the vilest language in the
quarreller’s vocabulary.

“You are such and such,” shouted one of the women. “You are a thief, a
schlukha [a mean, dirty, low creature]; your father-in-law is even
now starving, and you have no shame. You beggar, you borrowed my sieve
and broke it. You made a large hole in it, and did not buy me another.”

“You have our scale-beam,” cried another woman, “and must give it back
to me;” whereupon she seized the scale-beam and tried to remove it from
the shoulders of Ivan’s wife.

In the mêlée which followed they upset the pails of water. They tore
the covering from each other’s head, and a general fight ensued.

Gavryl’s wife had by this time joined in the fracas, and he, crossing
the field and seeing the trouble, came to her rescue.

Ivan and his son, seeing that their womenfolk were being badly used,
jumped into the midst of the fray, and a fearful fight followed.

Ivan was the most powerful peasant in all the country round, and it did
not take him long to disperse the crowd, for they flew in all
directions. During the progress of the fight Ivan tore out a large

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