1 The Brothers Karamazov

Chapter 3

The Confession of a

Passionate Heart — in Verse

A

LYOSHA remained for some time irresolute after hear-

ing the command his father shouted to him from the

carriage. But in spite of his uneasiness he did not stand

still. That was not his way. He went at once to the kitchen to

find out what his father had been doing above. Then he set

off, trusting that on the way he would find some answer to

the doubt tormenting him. I hasten to add that his father’s

shouts, commanding him to return home ‘with his mattress

and pillow’ did not frighten him in the least. He under-

stood perfectly that those peremptory shouts were merely

‘a flourish’ to produce an effect. In the same way a trades-

man in our town who was celebrating his name-day with a

party of friends, getting angry at being refused more vodka,

smashed up his own crockery and furniture and tore his

own and his wife’s clothes, and finally broke his windows,

all for the sake of effect. Next day, of course, when he was

sober, he regretted the broken cups and saucers. Alyosha

knew that his father would let him go back to the monastery