Page 913 - the-brothers-karamazov
P. 913

dog,’  Kolya  observed  gravely  and  stolidly,  as  if  the  only
           thing he cared about was the puppy and its black nose. But
           in reality he still had to do his utmost to control his feelings
           not to burst out crying like a child, and do what he would he
            could not control it. ‘When it grows up, you’ll have to keep
           it on the chain, I’m sure.’
              ‘He’ll be a huge dog!’ cried one of the boys.
              ‘Of course he will,’ ‘a mastiff,’ ‘large,’ ‘like this,’ ‘as big as
            a calf,’ shouted several voices.
              ‘As big as a calf, as a real calf,’ chimed in the captain. ‘I
            got one like that on purpose, one of the fiercest breed, and
           his parents are huge and very fierce, they stand as high as
           this from the floor.... Sit down here, on Ilusha’s bed, or here
            on the bench. You are welcome, we’ve been hoping to see
           you a long time.... You were so kind as to come with Alexey
           Fyodorovitch?’
              Krassotkin  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  at  Ilusha’s  feet.
           Though he had perhaps prepared a free-and-easy opening
           for the conversation on his way, now he completely lost the
           thread of it.
              ‘No... I came with Perezvon. I’ve got a dog now, called
           Perezvon.  A  Slavonic  name.  He’s  out  there...  if  I  whistle,
           he’ll run in. I’ve brought a dog, too,’ he said, addressing Ilu-
            sha all at once. ‘Do you remember Zhutchka, old man?’ he
            suddenly fired the question at him.
              Ilusha’s little face quivered. He looked with an agonised
            expression at Kolya. Alyosha, standing at the door, frowned
            and signed to Kolya not to speak of Zhutchka, but he did
           not or would not notice.

            1                              The Brothers Karamazov
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