Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 1
peared. He was always well and even elaborately dressed; he
had already some independent fortune and expectations of
much more. He was a friend of Alyosha’s.
In an ancient, jolting, but roomy, hired carriage, with a
pair of old pinkish-grey horses, a long way behind Miusov’s
carriage, came Fyodor Pavlovitch, with his son Ivan. Dmi-
tri was late, though he had been informed of the time the
evening before. The visitors left their carriage at the hotel,
outside the precincts, and went to the gates of the monas-
tery on foot. Except Fyodor Pavlovitch, more of the party
had ever seen the monastery, and Miusov had probably not
even been to church for thirty years. He looked about him
with curiosity, together with assumed ease. But, except the
church and the domestic buildings, though these too were
ordinary enough, he found nothing of interest in the in-
terior of the monastery. The last of the worshippers were
coming out of the church bareheaded and crossing them-
selves. Among the humbler people were a few of higher
rank — two or three ladies and a very old general. They
were all staying at the hotel. Our visitors were at once sur-
rounded by beggars, but none of them gave them anything,
except young Kalganov, who took a ten-copeck piece out
of his purse, and, nervous and embarrassed — God knows
why! — hurriedly gave it to an old woman, saying: ‘Divide it
equally.’ None of his companions made any remark upon it,
so that he had no reason to be embarrassed; but, perceiving
this, he was even more overcome.
It was strange that their arrival did not seem expected,
and that they were not received with special honour, though