Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com
in the summer-house, even if he had to wait there till eve-
ning. If, as before, Dmitri were lying in wait for Grushenka
to come, he would be very likely to come to the summer-
house. Alyosha did not, however, give much thought to
the details of his plan, but resolved to act upon it, even if it
meant not getting back to the monastery that day.
Everything happened without hindrance, he climbed
over the hurdle almost in the same spot as the day before,
and stole into the summer-house unseen. He did not want
to be noticed. The woman of the house and Foma too, if
he were here, might be loyal to his brother and obey his
instructions, and so refuse to let Alyosha come into the gar-
den, or might warn Dmitri that he was being sought and
inquired for.
There was no one in the summer-house. Alyosha sat
down and began to wait. He looked round the summer-
house, which somehow struck him as a great deal more
ancient than before. Though the day was just as fine as yes-
terday, it seemed a wretched little place this time. There was
a circle on the table, left no doubt from the glass of bran-
dy having been spilt the day before. Foolish and irrelevant
ideas strayed about his mind, as they always do in a time of
tedious waiting. He wondered, for instance, why he had sat
down precisely in the same place as before, why not in the
other seat. At last he felt very depressed — depressed by sus-
pense and uncertainty. But he had not sat there more than
a quarter of an hour, when he suddenly heard the thrum
of a guitar somewhere quite close. People were sitting, or
had only just sat down, somewhere in the bushes not more