The Brothers Karamazov
age of his brother Dmitri rose before his mind. But only for
a minute, and though it reminded him of something that
must not be put off for a moment, some duty, some terrible
obligation, even that reminder made no impression on him,
did not reach his heart and instantly faded out of his mind
and was forgotten. But, a long while afterwards, Alyosha
remembered this.
‘Your brother Ivan declared once that I was a ‘liberal
booby with no talents whatsoever.’ Once you, too, could not
resist letting me know I was ‘dishonourable.’ Well! I should
like to see what your talents and sense of honour will do
for you now.’ This phrase Rakitin finished to himself in a
whisper.
‘Listen!’ he said aloud, ‘Let’s go by the path beyond the
monastery straight to the town. H’m! I ought to go to Ma-
dame Hohlakov’s by the way. Only fancy, I’ve written to
tell her everything that happened, and would you believe
it, she answered me instantly in pencil (the lady has a pas-
sion for writing notes) that ‘she would never have expected
such conduct from a man of such a reverend character as
Father Zossima.’ That was her very word: ‘conduct.’ She is
angry too. Eh, you are a set! Stay!’ he cried suddenly again.
He suddenly stopped and taking Alyosha by the shoulder
made him stop too.
‘Do you know, Alyosha,’ he peeped inquisitively into his
eyes, absorbed in a sudden new thought which had dawned
on him, and though he was laughing outwardly he was evi-
dently afraid to utter that new idea aloud, so difficult he still
found it to believe in the strange and unexpected mood in