The Brothers Karamazov
He only sent word the day before, through a friend, to his
brother Dmitri, that he loved him and expected him to keep
his promise. Dmitri wondered, for he could not remember
what he had promised, but he answered by letter that he
would do his utmost not to let himself be provoked ‘by vile-
ness,’ but that, although he had a deep respect for the elder
and for his brother Ivan, he was convinced that the meeting
was either a trap for him or an unworthy farce.
‘Nevertheless I would rather bite out my tongue than be
lacking in respect to the sainted man whom you reverence
so highly,’ he wrote in conclusion. Alyosha was not greatly
cheered by the letter.