10 The Brothers Karamazov
‘Why not? I was especially invited yesterday.’
‘Unfortunately I feel myself compelled to go to this
confounded dinner,’ said Miusov with the same irritabil-
ity, regardless of the fact that the monk was listening. ‘We
ought, at least, to apologise for the disturbance, and explain
that it was not our doing. What do you think?’
‘Yes, we must explain that it wasn’t our doing. Besides,
father won’t be there,’ observed Ivan.
‘Well, I should hope not! Confound this dinner!’
They all walked on, however. The monk listened in silence.
On the road through the copse he made one observation
however — that the Father Superior had been waiting a long
time, and that they were more than half an hour late. He re-
ceived no answer. Miusov looked with hatred at Ivan.
‘Here he is, going to the dinner as though nothing had
happened,’ he thought. ‘A brazen face, and the conscience
of a Karamazov!’