The Rabbit Remise by Nikolai Leskov. Short summary

5 seconds

An old man, Onoprius Peregood, whose insanity was almost invisible, lives in an insane asylum. He shares with the narrator the story of his life.

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The narrator visited the asylum for some time, where he became acquainted with many patients. In some of them, the insanity was almost imperceptible. Such was the jolly and talkative old man Onoprius Peregood. He was always knitting stockings and giving them to the poor. The man came from a small landed gentry.

The village of Peregudy, where Onopriy was from, was founded by Colonel Opanas Opanasovich. He later promoted the development of the Cossacks in the village. The Cossacks are tired of being serfs. They want to send a man to talk to the Tsarina, and she will free them. Peregudov suppresses this attempt and makes sure that the unwilling do not communicate with the free.

Before he dies, Opanas spells out to his relatives and heirs that only the Christian faith is to be practiced in the village. Gradually, all the nobles in Peregudy quarrelled and began to annoy each other. Onoprius leaves the village and goes to serve in the army. This helps him increase his granary and give a good upbringing to his son Dmitry. When the young man grew up, he enlisted in the customs service.