Page 442 - the-brothers-karamazov

to be understood. But Ivan soon saw that, though the sun,
moon, and stars might be an interesting subject, yet that it
was quite secondary to Smerdyakov, and that he was looking
for something altogether different. In one way and anoth-
er, he began to betray a boundless vanity, and a wounded
vanity, too, and that Ivan disliked. It had first given rise to
his aversion. Later on, there had been trouble in the house.
Grushenka had come on the scene, and there had been the
scandals with his brother Dmitri — they discussed that, too.
But though Smerdyakov always talked of that with great ex-
citement, it was impossible to discover what he desired to
come of it. There was, in fact, something surprising in the
illogicality and incoherence of some of his desires, acciden-
tally betrayed and always vaguely expressed. Smerdyakov
was always inquiring, putting certain indirect but obvious-
ly premeditated questions, but what his object was he did
not explain, and usually at the most important moment he
would break off and relapse into silence or pass to another
subject. But what finally irritated Ivan most and confirmed
his dislike for him was the peculiar, revolting familiarity
which Smerdyakov began to show more and more markedly.
Not that he forgot himself and was rude; on the contrary, he
always spoke very respectfully, yet he had obviously begun
to consider — goodness knows why! — that there was some
sort of understanding between him and Ivan Fyodorovitch.
He always spoke in a tone that suggested that those two had
some kind of compact, some secret between them, that had
at some time been expressed on both sides, only known to
them and beyond the comprehension of those around them.

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