0 The Brothers Karamazov

Chapter 2

The Injured Foot

T

HE first of these things was at the house of Madame

Hohlakov, and he hurried there to get it over as quickly

as possible and not be too late for Mitya. Madame Hohlakov

had been slightly ailing for the last three weeks: her foot had

for some reason swollen up, and though she was not in bed,

she lay all day half-reclining on the couch in her boudoir,

in a fascinating but decorous deshabille. Alyosha had once

noted with innocent amusement that, in spite of her illness,

Madame Hohlakov had begun to be rather dressy — top-

knots, ribbons, loose wrappers had made their appearance,

and he had an inkling of the reason, though he dismissed

such ideas from his mind as frivolous. During the last two

months the young official, Perhotin, had become a regular

visitor at the house.

Alyosha had not called for four days and he was in haste

to go straight to Lise, as it was with her he had to speak,

for Lise had sent a maid to him the previous day specially

asking him to come to her ‘about something very impor-

tant,’ a request which, for certain reasons, had interest for

Alyosha. But while the maid went to take his name in to