Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com Ivanovna’s in the greatest embarrassment; now he felt noth-
ing of the kind. On the contrary, he was hastening there
as though expecting to find guidance from her. Yet to give
her this message was obviously more difficult than before.
The matter of the three thousand was decided irrevocably,
and Dmitri, feeling himself dishonoured and losing his last
hope, might sink to any depth. He had, moreover, told him
to describe to Katerina Ivanovna the scene which had just
taken place with his father.
It was by now seven o’clock, and it was getting dark as
Alyosha entered the very spacious and convenient house
in the High Street occupied by Katerina Ivanovna. Aly-
osha knew that she lived with two aunts. One of them, a
woman of little education, was that aunt of her half-sister
Agafya Ivanovna who had looked after her in her father’s
house when she came from boarding-school. The other
aunt was a Moscow lady of style and consequence, though
in straitened circumstances. It was said that they both gave
way in everything to Katerina Ivanovna, and that she only
kept them with her as chaperons. Katerina Ivanovna herself
gave way to no one but her benefactress, the general’s wid-
ow, who had been kept by illness in Moscow, and to whom
she was obliged to write twice a week a full account of all
her doings.
When Alyosha entered the hall and asked the maid who
opened the door to him to take his name up, it was evi-
dent that they were already aware of his arrival. Possibly he
had been noticed from the window. At least, Alyosha heard
a noise, caught the sound of flying footsteps and rustling