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then, first of all to Samsonov’s. I’ll inquire whether Grush-
enka’s there and instantly be back here again, stay till eleven,
and then to Samsonov’s again to bring her home.’ This was
what he decided.
He flew home, washed, combed his hair, brushed his
clothes, dressed, and went to Madame Hohlakov’s. Alas! he
had built his hopes on her. He had resolved to borrow three
thousand from that lady. And what was more, he felt sud-
denly convinced that she would not refuse to lend it to him.
It may be wondered why, if he felt so certain, he had not
gone to her at first, one of his own sort, so to speak, instead
of to Samsonov, a man he did not know, who was not of his
own class, and to whom he hardly knew how to speak.
But the fact was that he had never known Madame
Hohlakov well, and had seen nothing of her for the last
month, and that he knew she could not endure him. She had
detested him from the first because he was engaged to Kat-
erina Ivanovna, while she had, for some reason, suddenly
conceived the desire that Katerina Ivanovna should throw
him over, and marry the ‘charming, chivalrously refined
Ivan, who had such excellent manners.’ Mitya’s manners
she detested. Mitya positively laughed at her, and had once
said about her that she was just as lively and at her ease as
she was uncultivated. But that morning in the cart a bril-
liant idea had struck him: ‘If she is so anxious I should not
marry Katerina Ivanovna’ (and he knew she was positively
hysterical upon the subject) ‘why should she refuse me now
that three thousand, just to enable me to leave Katya and
get away from her for ever. These spoilt fine ladies, if they

0 The Brothers Karamazov