Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 11 She betrayed Mitya, but she betrayed herself, too. And no
sooner had she given full expression to her feelings than the
tension of course was over and she was overwhelmed with
shame. Hysterics began again: she fell on the floor, sob-
bing and screaming. She was carried out. At that moment
Grushenka, with a wail, rushed towards Mitya before they
had time to prevent her.
‘Mitya,’ she wailed, ‘your serpent has destroyed you!
There, she has shown you what she is!’ she shouted to the
judges, shaking with anger. At a signal from the President
they seized her and tried to remove her from the court. She
wouldn’t allow it. She fought and struggled to get back to
Mitya. Mitya uttered a cry and struggled to get to her. He
was overpowered.
Yes, I think the ladies who came to see the spectacle must
have been satisfied — the show had been a varied one. Then
I remember the Moscow doctor appeared on the scene. I
believe the President had previously sent the court usher to
arrange for medical aid for Ivan. The doctor announced to
the court that the sick man was suffering from a dangerous
attack of brain fever, and that he must be at once removed.
In answer to questions from the prosecutor and the coun-
sel for the defence he said that the patient had come to him
of his own accord the day before yesterday and that he had
warned him that he had such an attack coming on, but he
had not consented to be looked after. ‘He was certainly not
in a normal state of mind: he told me himself that he saw
visions when he was awake, that he met several persons in
the street, who were dead, and that Satan visited him ev-