11 The Brothers Karamazov
from the preliminary inquiry, you used on that evening to
rub your lumbago, in the hope of curing it?’
Grigory looked blankly at the questioner, and after a
brief silence muttered, ‘There was saffron in it.’
‘Nothing but saffron? Don’t you remember any other in-
gredient?’
‘There was milfoil in it, too.’
‘And pepper perhaps?’ Fetyukovitch queried.
‘Yes, there was pepper, too.’
‘Etcetera. And all dissolved in vodka?’
‘In spirit.’
There was a faint sound of laughter in the court.
‘You see, in spirit. After rubbing your back, I believe, you
drank what was left in the bottle with a certain pious prayer,
only known to your wife?’
‘I did.’
‘Did you drink much? Roughly speaking, a wine-glass or
two?’
‘It might have been a tumbler-full.’
‘A tumbler-full, even. Perhaps a tumbler and a half?’
Grigory did not answer. He seemed to see what was
meant.
‘A glass and a half of neat spirit — is not at all bad, don’t
you think? You might see the gates of heaven open, not only
the door into the garden?’
Grigory remained silent. There was another laugh in the
court. The President made a movement.
‘Do you know for a fact,’ Fetyukovitch persisted, ‘wheth-
er you were awake or not when you saw the open door?’