Page 134 - the-brothers-karamazov
P. 134

how can you call her a harlot? Is she... that sort of woman?’
       Alyosha flushed suddenly. ‘I tell you again, I heard that she
       was a relation of yours. You often go to see her, and you told
       me yourself you’re not her lover. I never dreamed that you
       of all people had such contempt for her! Does she really de-
       serve it?’
         ‘I may have reasons of my own for visiting her. That’s not
       your business. But as for relationship, your brother, or even
       your  father,  is  more  likely  to  make  her  yours  than  mine.
       Well,  here  we  are.  You’d  better  go  to  the  kitchen.  Hullo!
       what’s wrong, what is it? Are we late? They can’t have fin-
       ished dinner so soon! Have the Karamazovs been making
       trouble again? No doubt they have. Here’s your father and
       your brother Ivan after him. They’ve broken out from the
       Father  Superior’s.  And  look,  Father  Isidor’s  shouting  out
       something  after  them  from  the  steps.  And  your  father’s
       shouting and waving his arms. I expect he’s swearing. Bah,
       and there goes Miusov driving away in his carriage. You see,
       he’s going. And there’s old Maximov running! — there must
       have been a row. There can’t have been any dinner. Surely
       they’ve not been beating the Father Superior! Or have they,
       perhaps, been beaten? It would serve them right!’
         There was reason for Rakitin’s exclamations. There had
       been a scandalous, an unprecedented scene. It had all come
       from the impulse of a moment.







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