Page 755 - the-brothers-karamazov

‘Would you believe it, I foresaw all this! I have that spe-
cial faculty, whatever I imagine comes to pass. And how
often I’ve looked at that awful man and always thought, that
man will end by murdering me. And now it’s happened...
that is, if he hasn’t murdered me, but only his own father,
it’s only because the finger of God preserved me, and what’s
more, he was ashamed to murder me because, in this very
place, I put the holy ikon from the relics of the holy mar-
tyr, Saint Varvara, on his neck.... And to think how near I
was to death at that minute I went close up to him and he
stretched out his neck to me!... Do you know, Pyotr Ilyitch (I
think you said your name was Pyotr Ilyitch), I don’t believe
in miracles, but that ikon and this unmistakable miracle
with me now — that shakes me, and I’m ready to believe in
anything you like. Have you heard about Father Zossima?...
But I don’t know what I’m saying... and only fancy, with the
ikon on his neck he spat at me.... He only spat, it’s true, he
didn’t murder me and... he dashed away! But what shall we
do, what must we do now? What do you think?’
Pyotr Ilyitch got up, and announced that he was going
straight to the police captain, to tell him all about it, and
leave him to do what he thought fit.
‘Oh, he’s an excellent man, excellent! Mihail Makarov-
itch, I know him. Of course, he’s the person to go to. How
practical you are, Pyotr Ilyitch! How well you’ve thought of
everything! I should never have thought of it in your place!’
‘Especially as I know the police captain very well, too,’
observed Pyotr Ilyitch, who still continued to stand, and
was obviously anxious to escape as quickly as possible from

The Brothers Karamazov