NCERT · Class 10 · English · First Flight: The ProposalDescribe the dispute over Oxen Meadows between Lomov and Natalya. What arguments do both present to support their claims?

The argument over Oxen Meadows begins when Lomov casually mentions that his family's property borders Chubukov's birchwoods and that his Oxen Meadows touch Natalya's property. Natalya immediately interrupts him, claiming that Oxen Meadows actually belong to her family, not to Lomov. Lomov defends his stance by providing historical context, explaining that his aunt's grandmother gave the free use of these Meadows to the peasants of Natalya's father's grandfather in return for making bricks for her. Since the peasants used the land for forty years, they began to treat it as their own. However, Natalya strongly rejects this historical account, insisting that the meadows have belonged to her family for nearly three hundred years. This trivial matter quickly escalates into a heated, absurd quarrel, completely overshadowing Lomov's original marriage proposal.