Page 1227 - the-brothers-karamazov

Chapter 10

The Speech for the

Defence. An Argument

that Cuts Both Ways

LL was hushed as the first words of the famous orator
Arang out. The eyes of the audience were fastened upon
him. He began very simply and directly, with an air of con-
viction, but not the slightest trace of conceit. He made no
attempt at eloquence, at pathos, or emotional phrases. He
was like a man speaking in a circle of intimate and sym-
pathetic friends. His voice was a fine one, sonorous and
sympathetic, and there was something genuine and sim-
ple in the very sound of it. But everyone realised at once
that the speaker might suddenly rise to genuine pathos and
‘pierce the heart with untold power.’ His language was per-
haps more irregular than Ippolit Kirillovitch’s, but he spoke
without long phrases, and indeed, with more precision. One
thing did not please the ladies: he kept bending forward, es-
pecially at the beginning of his speech, not exactly bowing,
but as though he were about to dart at his listeners, bending

1 The Brothers Karamazov