The Brothers Karamazov

Chapter 5

A Sudden Resolution

S

HE was sitting in the kitchen with her grandmother;

they were both just going to bed. Relying on Nazar Iva-

novitch, they had not locked themselves in. Mitya ran in,

pounced on Fenya and seized her by the throat.

‘Speak at once! Where is she? With whom is she now, at

Mokroe?’ he roared furiously.

Both the women squealed.

‘Aie! I’ll tell you. Aie! Dmitri Fyodorovitch, darling, I’ll

tell you everything directly, I won’t hide anything,’ gabbled

Fenya, frightened to death; ‘she’s gone to Mokroe, to her of-

ficer.’

‘What officer?’ roared Mitya.

‘To her officer, the same one she used to know, the one

who threw her over five years ago,’ cackled Fenya, as fast as

she could speak.

Mitya withdrew the hands with which he was squeez-

ing her throat. He stood facing her, pale as death, unable to

utter a word, but his eyes showed that he realised it all, all,

from the first word, and guessed the whole position. Poor

Fenya was not in a condition at that moment to observe