1 The Brothers Karamazov
light. Can you understand that one might kill oneself from
delight? But I didn’t stab myself. I only kissed my sword
and put it back in the scabbard — which there was no need
to have told you, by the way. And I fancy that in telling you
about my inner conflict I have laid it on rather thick to glo-
rify myself. But let it pass, and to hell with all who pry into
the human heart! Well, so much for that ‘adventure’ with
Katerina Ivanovna. So now Ivan knows of it, and you — no
one else.’
Dmitri got up, took a step or two in his excitement,
pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his forehead, then
sat down again, not in the same place as before, but on the
opposite side, so that Alyosha had to turn quite round to
face him.