Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com ‘Ah, that’s lucky,’ cried Alyosha. ‘Then I shall see her here.
She told me yesterday to be sure to come and see her to-
day.’
‘I know, I know all. I’ve heard exactly what happened
yesterday- and the atrocious behaviour of that — creature.
C’est tragique, and if I’d been in her place I don’t know what
I should have done. And your brother Dmitri Fyodorovitch,
what do you think of him? — my goodness! Alexey Fyodo-
rovitch, I am forgetting, only fancy; your brother is in there
with her, not that dreadful brother who was so shocking
yesterday, but the other, Ivan Fyodorovitch, he is sitting
with her talking; they are having a serious conversation. If
you could only imagine what’s passing between them now
— it’s awful, I tell you it’s lacerating, it’s like some incred-
ible tale of horror. They are ruining their lives for no reason
anyone can see. They both recognise it and revel in it. I’ve
been watching for you! I’ve been thirsting for you! It’s too
much for me. that’s the worst of it. I’ll tell you all about it
presently, but now I must speak of something else, the most
important thing — I had quite forgotten what’s most im-
portant. Tell me, why has Lise been in hysterics? As soon as
she heard you were here, she began to be hysterical!’
‘Maman, it’s you who are hysterical now, not I,’ Lise’s
voice carolled through a tiny crack of the door at the side.
Her voice sounded as though she wanted to laugh, but was
doing her utmost to control it. Alyosha at once noticed the
crack, and no doubt Lise was peeping through it, but that
he could not see.
‘And no wonder, Lise, no wonder... your caprices will