Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 1you say to a driver who wouldn’t make way for anyone, but
would just drive on and crush people? No, a driver mustn’t
run over people. One can’t run over a man. One can’t spoil
people’s lives. And if you have spoilt a life — punish your-
self.... If only you’ve spoilt, if only you’ve ruined anyone’s
life — punish yourself and go away.’
These phrases burst from Mitya almost hysterically.
Though Andrey was surprised at him, he kept up the con-
versation.
‘That’s right, Dmitri Fyodorovitch, you’re quite right, one
mustn’t crush or torment a man, or any kind of creature, for
every creature is created by God. Take a horse, for instance,
for some folks, even among us drivers, drive anyhow. Noth-
ing will restrain them, they just force it along.’
‘To hell?’ Mitya interrupted, and went off into his abrupt,
short laugh. ‘Andrey, simple soul,’ he seized him by the
shoulders again, ‘tell me, will Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karam-
azov go to hell, or not, what do you think?’
‘I don’t know, darling, it depends on you, for you are...
you see, sir, when the Son of God was nailed on the Cross
and died, He went straight down to hell from the Cross,
and set free all sinners that were in agony. And the devil
groaned, because he thought that he would get no more sin-
ners in hell. And God said to him, then, ‘Don’t groan, for
you shall have all the mighty of the earth, the rulers, the
chief judges, and the rich men, and shall be filled up as you
have been in all the ages till I come again.’ Those were His
very words..’
‘A peasant legend! Capital! Whip up the left, Andrey!’