The Brothers Karamazov

Chapter 5

So Be It! So Be It!

T

HE elder’s absence from his cell had lasted for about

twenty-five minutes. It was more than half-past twelve,

but Dmitri, on whose account they had all met there, had

still not appeared. But he seemed almost to be forgotten, and

when the elder entered the cell again, he found his guests

engaged in eager conversation. Ivan and the two monks

took the leading share in it. Miusov, too, was trying to take

a part, and apparently very eagerly, in the conversation. But

he was unsuccessful in this also. He was evidently in the

background, and his remarks were treated with neglect,

which increased his irritability. He had had intellectual en-

counters with Ivan before and he could not endure a certain

carelessness Ivan showed him.

‘Hitherto at least I have stood in the front ranks of all that

is progressive in Europe, and here the new generation posi-

tively ignores us,’ he thought.

Fyodor Pavlovitch, who had given his word to sit still

and be quiet, had actually been quiet for some time, but he

watched his neighbour Miusov with an ironical little smile,

obviously enjoying his discomfiture. He had been waiting