The Brothers Karamazovtime you went to your brother”; she tore herself away from
him suddenly.
‘How can I leave you like this?’ said Alyosha, almost in
alarm.
‘Go to your brother, the prison will be shut; go, here’s
your hat. Give my love to Mitya, go, go!’
And she almost forcibly pushed Alyosha out of the door.
He looked at her with pained surprise, when he was sud-
denly aware of a letter in his right hand, a tiny letter folded
up tight and sealed. He glanced at it and instantly read the
address, ‘To Ivan Fyodorovitch Karamazov.’ He looked
quickly at Lise. Her face had become almost menacing.
‘Give it to him, you must give it to him!’ she ordered him,
trembling and beside herself. ‘To-day, at once, or I’ll poison
myself! That’s why I sent for you.’
And she slammed the door quickly. The bolt clicked.
Alyosha put the note in his pocket and went straight down-
stairs, without going back to Madame Hohlakov; forgetting
her, in fact. As soon as Alyosha had gone, Lise unbolted
the door, opened it a little, put her finger in the crack and
slammed the door with all her might, pinching her finger.
Ten seconds after, releasing her finger, she walked softly,
slowly to her chair, sat up straight in it and looked intently
at her blackened finger and at the blood that oozed from
under the nail. Her lips were quivering and she kept whis-
pering rapidly to herself:
‘I am a wretch, wretch, wretch, wretch!’