in one of the suburbs there was a poor hut where an old man lived with his three sons, thomas, pakhom, and ivan. the old man was not only clever, he was wise. he had happened once to have a chat with the devil. they talked together while the old man treated him to a tumbler of wine and got out of the devil many great secrets. soon after this the peasant began to perform such marvelous acts that the neighbors called him a sorcerer, a magician, and even supposed that the devil was his kin.