The Brothers Karamazov полностью

“Not for a minute. Didn’t you know? But he himself says so to everyone, that is, not to everyone, but to all the intelligent people who visit him. With Governor Schultz he came right out and said: credo, but I don’t know in what.”

“He said that?”

“Precisely that. But I respect him. There’s something Mephistophelean in him, or, better, from the Hero of Our Time ... Arbenin, or what’s his name?^[105] ... you see, I mean, he’s a sensualist, he’s such a sensualist that even now I’d be afraid for my daughter or my wife if she went to him for confession. You know, when he gets to telling stories ... The year before last he invited us to tea, with liqueur, too (the ladies send him liqueurs), and he began painting such pictures of the old days that we almost split our sides laughing ... Especially about how he healed one paralyzed woman. ‘If my legs were still good, I’d show you a step or two.’ Eh? You see? ‘I’ve done some holy fooling in my day,’ he said. He filched sixty thousand from the merchant Demidov.”

“What, stole it?”

“Demidov brought it to him as to a decent man: ‘Keep it for me, brother, they’re going to search my place tomorrow.’ Keep it he did. ‘You donated it to the Church, didn’t you?’ he said. I said to him: ‘You’re a scoundrel,’ I said. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’m not a scoundrel, I’m broad-natured . . .’ It wasn’t him, though ... It was someone else. I confused him with someone else ... and didn’t notice. Just one more glass and that’s it; take the bottle away, Ivan. I was lying, why didn’t you stop me, Ivan ... why didn’t you tell me I was lying?”

“I knew you’d stop by yourself.”

“That’s a lie! It was out of malice towards me, out of sheer malice. You despise me. You came to me and you despise me in my own house.”

“And I’ll leave; the drink is acting up in you.”

“I asked you for Christ’s sake to go to Chermashnya ... for a day or two, and you don’t go.”

“I’ll go tomorrow, if you’re so insistent.”

“You won’t go. You want to spy on me here, that’s what you want, you wicked soul, that’s why you won’t go.” The old man would not be still. He had reached that level of drunkenness at which some drunkards, who until then have been peaceable, suddenly want to get angry and make a show of themselves.

“What are you staring at me for? What kind of look is that? Your eyes look at me and say: ‘You drunken pig! ‘ Suspicious eyes, malicious eyes ... You came here with something in mind. Alyoshka looks at me and his eyes shine. Alyosha doesn’t despise me. Alexei, do not love Ivan...”

“Don’t be angry with my brother! Stop hurting him,” Alyosha all of a sudden said insistently.

“Well, well, maybe I will. Oof, what a headache! Take away the cognac, Ivan, it’s the third time I’m telling you.” He lapsed into thought and suddenly smiled a long and cunning smile: “Don’t be angry with an old runt like me, Ivan. I know you don’t love me, but still don’t be angry. There’s nothing to love me for. You go to Chermashnya, and I’ll visit you there, I’ll bring presents . I’ll show you a young wench there, I’ve had my eye on her for a long time. She’s still barefoot. Don’t be afraid of the barefoot ones, don’t despise them, they’re pearls...!”

And he kissed his hand with a smack.