Page 883 - the-brothers-karamazov

Chapter 3

The Schoolboy

UT Kolya did not hear her. At last he could go out. As he
Bwent out at the gate he looked round him, shrugged up
his shoulders, and saying ‘It is freezing,’ went straight along
the street and turned off to the right towards the market-
place. When he reached the last house but one before the
market-place he stopped at the gate, pulled a whistle out of
his pocket, and whistled with all his might as though giv-
ing a signal. He had not to wait more than a minute before a
rosy-cheeked boy of about eleven, wearing a warm, neat and
even stylish coat, darted out to meet him. This was Smur-
ov, a boy in the preparatory class (two classes below Kolya
Krassotkin), son of a well-to-do official. Apparently he was
forbidden by his parents to associate with Krassotkin, who
was well known to be a desperately naughty boy, so Smurov
was obviously slipping out on the sly. He was — if the reader
has not forgotten one of the group of boys who two months
before had thrown stones at Ilusha. He was the one who told
Alyosha about Ilusha.
‘I’ve been waiting for you for the last hour, Krassotkin,’
said Smurov stolidly, and the boys strode towards the mar-

The Brothers Karamazov