101  The Brothers Karamazov

Chapter 6

The First Interview

with Smerdyakov

T

HIS was the third time that Ivan had been to see

Smerdyakov since his return from Moscow. The first

time he had seen him and talked to him was on the first day

of his arrival, then he had visited him once more, a fort-

night later. But his visits had ended with that second one, so

that it was now over a month since he had seen him. And he

had scarcely heard anything of him.

Ivan had only returned five days after his father’s death,

so that he was not present at the funeral, which took place

the day before he came back. The cause of his delay was that

Alyosha, not knowing his Moscow address, had to apply to

Katerina Ivanovna to telegraph to him, and she, not know-

ing his address either, telegraphed to her sister and aunt,

reckoning on Ivan’s going to see them as soon as he arrived

in Moscow. But he did not go to them till four days after his

arrival. When he got the telegram, he had, of course, set off

post-haste to our town. The first to meet him was Alyosha,

and Ivan was greatly surprised to find that, in opposition