Page 1206 - the-brothers-karamazov

two five per cent coupons of five thousand each — that is,
ten thousand in all — to the chief town of the province to be
changed. I only mention this to point out that anyone may
have money, and that it can’t be proved that these notes are
the same as were in Fyodor Pavlovitch’s envelope.
‘Ivan Karamazov, after receiving yesterday a communi-
cation of such importance from the real murderer, did not
stir. Why didn’t he report it at once? Why did he put it all off
till morning? I think I have a right to conjecture why. His
health had been giving way for a week past: he had admit-
ted to a doctor and to his most intimate friends that he was
suffering from hallucinations and seeing phantoms of the
dead: he was on the eve of the attack of brain fever by which
he has been stricken down to-day. In this condition he sud-
denly heard of Smerdyakov’s death, and at once reflected.
‘The man is dead, I can throw the blame on him and save
my brother. I have money. I will take a roll of notes and say
that Smerdyakov gave them me before his death.’ You will
say that was dishonourable: it’s dishonourable to slander
even the dead, and even to save a brother. True, but what if
he slandered him unconsciously? What if, finally unhinged
by the sudden news of the valet’s death, he imagined it re-
ally was so? You saw the recent scene: you have seen the
witness’s condition. He was standing up and was speaking,
but where was his mind?
‘Then followed the document, the prisoner’s letter writ-
ten two days before the crime, and containing a complete
programme of the murder. Why, then, are we looking for
any other programme? The crime was committed precise-

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