Latest / Brothers Karamazov / 058 - Book Nine Chapter Four
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Chapter fifty eight of The Brothers Karamatzov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
- 0:09Speaker 1: translated by Constance Garnet. This LibriVox recording is in the
- 0:15Speaker 1: public domain recording by Tony Addison, Chapter four, the second ordeal.
- 0:27Speaker 1: You don't know how you encourage us, Dmitri Fyodorovitch by
- 0:33Speaker 1: your readiness to answer it, said Nikolay Parfenovitch, with an
- 0:38Speaker 1: animated air and obvious satisfaction beaming in his very prominent,
- 0:45Speaker 1: short sighted light gray eyes from which he had removed
- 0:49Speaker 1: his spectacles a moment before.
- 0:52Speaker 2: And you have.
- 0:54Speaker 1: Made a very just remark about the mutual confidence without
- 0:59Speaker 1: which it is sometimes positively impossible to get on in
- 1:03Speaker 1: cases of such importance, If the suspected party really hopes
- 1:08Speaker 1: and desires to defend himself and is in a position
- 1:11Speaker 1: to do so, we on our side will do everything
- 1:15Speaker 1: in our power. And you can see for yourself how
- 1:18Speaker 1: we are conducting the case. You approve, ipolit Kirolovitch, He
- 1:23Speaker 1: turned to the prosecutor. Oh, undoubtedly, replied the prosecutor. His
- 1:31Speaker 1: tone was somewhat cold compared with Nikolay Parfenovitch's impulsiveness. I
- 1:39Speaker 1: will note once for all that Nikolay Parfenovitch, who had
- 1:45Speaker 1: but lately arrived among us, had from the first felt
- 1:50Speaker 1: marked respect for Ipolit Kirillovitch, our prosecutor, and have become
- 1:57Speaker 1: almost his bosom friend. He will almost the only person
- 2:02Speaker 1: who put implicit faith in Hippolite Corolla Bitch's extraordinary talents
- 2:08Speaker 1: as a psychologist and orator and in the justice of
- 2:12Speaker 1: his grievance. He had heard of him in Petersburg. On
- 2:18Speaker 1: the other hand, a young Nikolay Parfenovitch was the only
- 2:24Speaker 1: person in the whole world whom our unappreciated prosecutor genuinely liked.
- 2:33Speaker 1: On their way to Macro, they had time to come
- 2:37Speaker 1: to an understanding about the present case. And now as
- 2:42Speaker 1: they sat at the table, the sharp witted junior caught
- 2:46Speaker 1: and interpreted every indication on his senior colleagues face half
- 2:52Speaker 1: a word, a glance.
- 2:54Speaker 2: Or a wink.
- 2:57Speaker 1: Gentlemen, only let me tell my own story and don't
- 3:01Speaker 1: interrupt me with trivial questions, and I'll tell you everything
- 3:05Speaker 1: in a moment, said mitya excitedly excellent thank you. But
- 3:14Speaker 1: before we proceed to listen to your communication, will you
- 3:18Speaker 1: allow me to inquire as to another little fact of
- 3:22Speaker 1: great interest to us. I mean the ten rubles you
- 3:27Speaker 1: borrowed yesterday at about five o'clock on the security of
- 3:32Speaker 1: your pistols from your friend payoto Ilitch Perhoutin. I pledged them, gentlemen,
- 3:41Speaker 1: I pledged them for ten roubles. What more, That's all
- 3:44Speaker 1: about it. As soon as I got back to.
- 3:47Speaker 2: Town, I pledged them.
- 3:49Speaker 1: You got back to town, then you had been out
- 3:53Speaker 1: of town. Yes, I went a journey of forty versts
- 3:57Speaker 1: into the country, didn't you know? The prosecutor and Nikolay
- 4:03Speaker 1: Parfenovitch exchanged glances. Well, how would it be if you
- 4:10Speaker 1: began your story with a systematic description of all you
- 4:15Speaker 1: did yesterday from the morning onwards? Allow us, for instance,
- 4:21Speaker 1: to inquire why you were absent from the town, and
- 4:25Speaker 1: just when you left and when you came back, all
- 4:29Speaker 1: those facts.
- 4:31Speaker 2: You should have.
- 4:32Speaker 1: Asked me like that from the beginning, cried Mitya, laughing aloud.
- 4:38Speaker 1: And if you like, we won't begin from yesterday, but
- 4:43Speaker 1: from the morning of the day before. Then you understand how,
- 4:47Speaker 1: why and where I went.
- 4:49Speaker 2: I went the day.
- 4:50Speaker 1: Before yesterday, gentlemen, to a merchant of the town called Samsonov,
- 4:55Speaker 1: to borrow three thousand roubles from him on safe security.
- 4:59Speaker 1: It was a pressing matter, gentlemen, it was a sudden necessity.
- 5:04Speaker 1: Allow me to interrupt you. The prosecutor put in politely,
- 5:09Speaker 1: Why are you in such a pressing need for just
- 5:13Speaker 1: that sum three thousand? Oh, gentlemen, you needn't go into details, how,
- 5:20Speaker 1: when and why and why? Just so much money and
- 5:23Speaker 1: not so much? And of that rigmarow why it'll run
- 5:27Speaker 1: to three volumes, and then you'll want an epilogue. Mitya
- 5:31Speaker 1: said all this with the good natured but impatient familiarity
- 5:36Speaker 1: of a man who is anxious to tell the whole
- 5:39Speaker 1: truth and is full of the best intentions. Gentlemen, he
- 5:45Speaker 1: corrected himself hurriedly. Don't be vexed with me for my restiveness.
- 5:50Speaker 1: I beg you again. Believe me once more. I feel
- 5:54Speaker 1: the greatest respect for you and understand the true position
- 5:58Speaker 1: of affairs. Don't think I'm drunk. I'm quite sober now.
- 6:04Speaker 1: And besides, being drunk would be no hindrance. It's with me,
- 6:09Speaker 1: you know, like the saying, when he is sober, he
- 6:13Speaker 1: is a fool. When he is drunk he is a
- 6:16Speaker 1: wise man.
- 6:17Speaker 2: Aha.
- 6:19Speaker 1: But I see gentlemen, it's not the proper thing to
- 6:23Speaker 1: make jokes to you till we've had an explanation. I mean,
- 6:28Speaker 1: and I've my own dignity to keep up to I
- 6:31Speaker 1: quite understand the difference for the moment. I am, after all,
- 6:36Speaker 1: in the position of a criminal and so far from
- 6:40Speaker 1: being on equal terms with you, and it's your business
- 6:43Speaker 1: to watch me. I can't expect you to pat me
- 6:46Speaker 1: on the head for what I did to go gore,
- 6:48Speaker 1: for one can't break old men's heads with impunity. I
- 6:52Speaker 1: suppose you'll put me away for him for six months
- 6:55Speaker 1: or a year perhaps, and a house of correction. I
- 6:57Speaker 1: don't know what the punishment is, but it will be
- 7:00Speaker 1: without loss of the rights of my rank, without loss
- 7:03Speaker 1: of my rank, won't it. So you see, gentlemen, I
- 7:07Speaker 1: understand the distinction between us. But you must see that
- 7:12Speaker 1: you could puzzle God himself with such questions, how did
- 7:17Speaker 1: you step, where did you step, when did you step?
- 7:21Speaker 2: And on what did you step?
- 7:24Speaker 1: I shall get mixed up if you go on like this,
- 7:27Speaker 1: and you will put it all down against me, and
- 7:29Speaker 1: what will that lead you to?
- 7:31Speaker 2: Nothing?
- 7:32Speaker 1: And even if it's nonsense, I'm talking now, let me
- 7:35Speaker 1: finish and you, gentlemen, being men of honor and refinement,
- 7:39Speaker 1: will forgive me. I'll finish by asking you, gentlemen, to
- 7:43Speaker 1: drop that conventional method of questioning. I mean, beginning from
- 7:48Speaker 1: some miserable trifle, how I got up, what I had
- 7:52Speaker 1: for breakfast, how I spat, and where I spat, and so,
- 7:56Speaker 1: distracting the attention of the criminal, suddenly him with an
- 8:01Speaker 1: overwhelming question, whom did you mad?
- 8:04Speaker 2: At?
- 8:05Speaker 1: Whom did you rub ha? That's your regulation method. That's
- 8:10Speaker 1: where all your cunning comes in. You can put peasants
- 8:15Speaker 1: up their guard like that, but not me. I know
- 8:18Speaker 1: the tricks I've been in the service to. Hah. You're
- 8:24Speaker 1: not angry, gentleman, you forgive my impertinence, he cried, looking
- 8:29Speaker 1: at them with a good nature that was almost surprising.
- 8:34Speaker 1: Its only Mitcha caramets up, you know, so you can
- 8:39Speaker 1: overlook it. It would be inexcusable in a sensible mad
- 8:43Speaker 1: but you can forgive it. In Mitya, Nikolai Parfenovitch listened
- 8:51Speaker 1: and laughed too. Though the prosecutor did not laugh. He
- 8:56Speaker 1: kept his eyes fixed keenly on Mitya, as though anxious
- 9:01Speaker 1: not to miss the least syllable the slightest movement, the
- 9:05Speaker 1: smallest twitch of any feature of his face. That's how
- 9:11Speaker 1: we have treated you from the beginning, said Nikolai Parfenovitch,
- 9:17Speaker 1: still laughing. We haven't tried to put you out by
- 9:21Speaker 1: asking how you got up in the morning and what
- 9:24Speaker 1: you had for breakfast. We began, indeed, with questions of
- 9:28Speaker 1: the greatest importance. I understand, I saw it and appreciated it,
- 9:36Speaker 1: and I appreciate still more. Your present kindness to me
- 9:40Speaker 1: an unprecedented kindness worthy of your noble hearts. We three
- 9:46Speaker 1: here are gentlemen, and let everything be on the putting
- 9:50Speaker 1: of mutual confidence between educated, well bred people who have
- 9:56Speaker 1: the common bond of noble birth and honor. In any case,
- 10:00Speaker 1: allow me to look upon you as my best friends
- 10:03Speaker 1: at this moment of my life, at this moment when
- 10:07Speaker 1: my honor is assailed. That's no offense to you, gentlemen,
- 10:11Speaker 1: is it. On the contrary, you've expressed all that so well,
- 10:17Speaker 1: Dmitri Fyodorovitch. Nikolay Parfenovitch answered with dignified approbation. And enough
- 10:26Speaker 1: of those trivial questions, gentlemen, all those tricky questions, cried
- 10:32Speaker 1: Mitya enthusiastically, or there's simply no knowing where we shall
- 10:36Speaker 1: get to is there. I will follow your sensible advice entirely,
- 10:43Speaker 1: the prosecutor interposed, addressing MITYA. I don't withdraw my question. However,
- 10:50Speaker 1: it is now vitally important for us to know exactly
- 10:54Speaker 1: why you needed that sum. I mean precisely three thousand
- 11:00Speaker 1: why I needed it, oh, for one thing, and another well,
- 11:04Speaker 1: it was to pay up a debt, A debt to
- 11:06Speaker 1: whom that I absolutely refused to answer, gentlemen, not because
- 11:13Speaker 1: I couldn't, or because I shouldn't dare, or because.
- 11:17Speaker 2: It would be damaging.
- 11:18Speaker 1: For it's all a paltry matter and absolutely trifling. But
- 11:22Speaker 1: I won't because it's a matter of principle. That's my
- 11:26Speaker 1: private lab, and I won't allow any intrusion into my
- 11:30Speaker 1: private lab. That's my principle. Your question has no bearing
- 11:34Speaker 1: on the case, and whatever has nothing to do with
- 11:37Speaker 1: the case is my private abat. I wanted to pay
- 11:41Speaker 1: a debt. I wanted to pay a debt of honor,
- 11:43Speaker 1: but to whom I won't say, allow me to make
- 11:47Speaker 1: a note of that, said the prosecutor, by all means
- 11:51Speaker 1: write down that I won't say that I won't write that.
- 11:54Speaker 1: I should think it dishonorable to say, ah, you can
- 11:57Speaker 1: write it.
- 11:58Speaker 2: You've nothing else to do with your.
- 12:01Speaker 1: Allow me to caution you, sir, and to remind you
- 12:05Speaker 1: once more if you are unaware of it. The prosecutor
- 12:09Speaker 1: began with a peculiar and stern impressiveness that you have
- 12:14Speaker 1: a perfect right not to answer the questions put to
- 12:18Speaker 1: you now, and we on our side have no right
- 12:22Speaker 1: to extort an answer from you if you decline to
- 12:25Speaker 1: give it for one reason or another. That is entirely
- 12:30Speaker 1: a matter for your personal decision. But it is our duty,
- 12:37Speaker 1: on the other hand, in such cases as the present,
- 12:41Speaker 1: to explain and set before you the degree of injury
- 12:47Speaker 1: you will be doing yourself by refusing to give this
- 12:51Speaker 1: or that piece of evidence, after which I will beg
- 12:56Speaker 1: you to continue. Gentlemen, I'm not angry, I Mitya muttered,
- 13:03Speaker 1: in a rather disconcerted tone. Well, gentlemen, you see that
- 13:10Speaker 1: Samson off to whom I went, then we will, of
- 13:14Speaker 1: course not reproduce his account of what is known to
- 13:19Speaker 1: the reader. Already Mitya was impatiently anxious not to omit
- 13:26Speaker 1: the slightest detail. At the same time, he was in
- 13:30Speaker 1: a hurry to get it over. But as he gave
- 13:33Speaker 1: his evidence, it was written down, and therefore they had
- 13:38Speaker 1: continually to pull him up. Mitya disliked this, but submitted
- 13:44Speaker 1: got angry, though still good humoredly he did it is true,
- 13:49Speaker 1: exclaim from time to time, gentlemen, that's enough to make
- 13:55Speaker 1: an angel out of patience, or jen gentlemen, it's no
- 14:01Speaker 1: good your irritating me. But even though he exclaimed, he
- 14:07Speaker 1: still persevered for a time his genially expansive mood. So
- 14:14Speaker 1: he told them how Samsonov had made a fool of
- 14:17Speaker 1: him two days before. He had completely realized by now
- 14:21Speaker 1: that he had been fooled. The sale of his watch
- 14:25Speaker 1: for six roubles to obtain money for the journey was
- 14:29Speaker 1: something new to the lawyers. They were at once greatly interested,
- 14:35Speaker 1: and even in Timeya's intense indignation, thought it necessary to
- 14:40Speaker 1: write the fact down as a secondary confirmation of the
- 14:45Speaker 1: circumstance that he had hardly a farthing in his pocket
- 14:50Speaker 1: at the time. Little by little, Mitya began to grow surly. Then,
- 14:57Speaker 1: after describing his journey to see Layagavi, the night spent
- 15:02Speaker 1: in the stifling hut and so on he came to
- 15:05Speaker 1: his return to the town. Here he began, without being
- 15:11Speaker 1: particularly urged, to give a minute account of the agonies
- 15:17Speaker 1: of jealousy he endured. On Grushenka's account, he was heard
- 15:25Speaker 1: with silent attention. They inquired particularly into the circumstance of
- 15:33Speaker 1: his having a place of ambush in Mariyah A khandavat
- 15:37Speaker 1: Yaepner's house at the back of Fyodor Pavlovitch's garden to
- 15:42Speaker 1: keep watch on Grushenka, and of Smerdyakovs bringing him information.
- 15:48Speaker 1: They laid particular stress on this and noted it down.
- 15:54Speaker 1: Of his jealousy, he spoke warmly and at length, and
- 15:59Speaker 1: though inwardly ashamed at exposing his most intimate feelings to
- 16:05Speaker 1: public ignominy, so to speak, he evidently overcame his shame
- 16:11Speaker 1: in order to tell the truth. The frigid severity with
- 16:17Speaker 1: which the investigating lawyer, and still more the prosecutor stared
- 16:22Speaker 1: intently at him as he told his story, disconcerted him
- 16:27Speaker 1: at last considerably. That boy Nikolai Popenovitch, to whom I
- 16:37Speaker 1: was talking nonsense about women only a few days ago,
- 16:41Speaker 1: and that sickly prosecutor are not worth my telling this too,
- 16:47Speaker 1: he reflected mournfully, it's ignominious, be patient, humble, hold by peace.
- 16:54Speaker 1: He wound up his reflections with that line, but he
- 16:58Speaker 1: pulled himself together to go again. When he came to
- 17:02Speaker 1: telling of his visit to Madame Hohlakov, he regained his
- 17:06Speaker 1: spirits and even wished to tell a little anecdote of
- 17:10Speaker 1: that lady, which had nothing to do with the case,
- 17:14Speaker 1: But the investigating lawyer stopped him, and civilly suggested that
- 17:19Speaker 1: he should pass on to more essential matters. At last,
- 17:24Speaker 1: when he described his despair and told them how when
- 17:28Speaker 1: he left Madame Hohlakov's he thought that he'd get three
- 17:32Speaker 1: thousand if he had to murder someone to do it,
- 17:36Speaker 1: they stopped him again and noted down that he had
- 17:40Speaker 1: meant to murder someone. Mitya let them write it without protest.
- 17:47Speaker 1: At last, he reached the point in his story when
- 17:50Speaker 1: he learned that Grushenka had deceived him and had returned
- 17:54Speaker 1: from Samsonov's as soon as he left her there, though
- 17:58Speaker 1: she had said that she would stay there till midnight.
- 18:02Speaker 1: If I didn't kill Fenya, then gentlemen, it was only
- 18:05Speaker 1: because I hadn't time broke from him suddenly at that
- 18:09Speaker 1: point in his story, that too, was carefully written down.
- 18:16Speaker 1: Mitya waited gloomily and was beginning to tell how he
- 18:20Speaker 1: ran into his father's garden when the investigating lawyer suddenly
- 18:25Speaker 1: stopped him, and, opening the big portfolio that lay on
- 18:30Speaker 1: the sofa beside him, he brought out the brass puzzle.
- 18:36Speaker 1: Do you recognize this object, he asked, showing it to Mitya. Oh, yes,
- 18:43Speaker 1: he laughed gloomily. Of course I recognize it.
- 18:47Speaker 2: Let me have a look at a damn it.
- 18:49Speaker 1: Never mind, you have forgotten to mention it, observed the
- 18:54Speaker 1: investigating lawyer. Hang it all. I shouldn't have concealed it
- 18:58Speaker 1: from you. Do you suppose I could have managed without it?
- 19:03Speaker 2: It simply escape my memory.
- 19:06Speaker 1: Be so good as to tell us precisely how you
- 19:11Speaker 1: came to arm yourself with it. Certainly I will be
- 19:15Speaker 1: so good, gentleman. And Mitya described how he took the
- 19:21Speaker 1: pestle and ran. But what object had you in view
- 19:26Speaker 1: in arming yourself with such a weapon?
- 19:29Speaker 2: What object? No object?
- 19:31Speaker 1: I just picked it up and ran off. What for
- 19:35Speaker 1: if you had no object? Mitya's rough flared up. He
- 19:40Speaker 1: looked intently at the boy and smiled gloomily and malignantly.
- 19:46Speaker 1: He was feeling more and more ashamed at having told
- 19:50Speaker 1: such people the story of his jealousy. Soul, sincerely and
- 19:54Speaker 1: spontaneous mate, bather that Pesel broke from him suddenly, but
- 20:00Speaker 1: still ought to keep off dogs. Oh, because it was
- 20:04Speaker 1: dark in case anything turned up. But have you ever,
- 20:09Speaker 1: on previous occasions taken a weapon with you when you
- 20:13Speaker 1: went out, since you're afraid of the dark. Oh, damn
- 20:18Speaker 1: it all, gentlemen, there's positively no talking to you, cried Mitya,
- 20:25Speaker 1: exasperated beyond endurance, and turning to the secretary Crimson with anger,
- 20:32Speaker 1: he said quickly, with a note of fury in his voice.
- 20:36Speaker 2: Right down at once, at once.
- 20:39Speaker 1: But I snatched up the puzzle to go and kill
- 20:41Speaker 1: my father by oh door Pablovitch, by hitting him on
- 20:44Speaker 1: the head with it. Well, now are you satisfied, gentlemen,
- 20:48Speaker 1: I am mind's relieved, he said, glaring defiantly at the lawyers.
- 20:55Speaker 1: We quite understand that you made that statement just now
- 21:00Speaker 1: through exasperation with us and the questions we put to you,
- 21:05Speaker 1: which you considered trivial, though they are in fact essential.
- 21:11Speaker 1: The prosecutor remarked dryly in reply. Well, upon my word, gentlemen, yes,
- 21:20Speaker 1: I took the pestle. What does one pick things up
- 21:24Speaker 1: for at such moments? I don't know what for. I
- 21:28Speaker 1: snatched it up and ran. That's all but to me, gentlemen,
- 21:33Speaker 1: pass on, or I declare, I won't tell you any more.
- 21:38Speaker 1: He sat with his elbows on the table and his
- 21:42Speaker 1: head in his hand. He sat sideways to them and
- 21:46Speaker 1: gazed at the wall, struggling against a feeling of nausea.
- 21:52Speaker 1: He had, in fact, an awful inclination to get up
- 21:56Speaker 1: and declare that. He wouldn't say another word, not if
- 22:00Speaker 1: you hanged me for it. You see, gentlemen, he said
- 22:05Speaker 1: at last, with difficulty controlling himself. You see, I listen
- 22:09Speaker 1: to you and am haunted by a dream. It's a
- 22:13Speaker 1: dream I have sometimes, you know, I often dream it.
- 22:16Speaker 1: It's always the same that someone is hunting me, someone.
- 22:20Speaker 2: I'm awfully afraid of.
- 22:21Speaker 1: That he's hunting me in the dark, in the night,
- 22:24Speaker 1: tracking me, and I hide somewhere from him, behind a
- 22:27Speaker 1: door or cupboard, hide in a degrading way. And the
- 22:31Speaker 1: worst of it is, he always knows where I am,
- 22:35Speaker 1: but he pretends not to know where I am on purpose,
- 22:38Speaker 1: to prolong my agony, to enjoy my terror. That's just
- 22:42Speaker 1: what you're doing now, It's just like that. Is that
- 22:47Speaker 1: the sort of thing you dream about? Inquired the prosecutor.
- 22:51Speaker 2: Yes it is.
- 22:53Speaker 1: Don't you want to write it down? Said Mitya with
- 22:57Speaker 1: a distorted smile. No, so, no need to write it down.
- 23:03Speaker 1: But still you do have curious dreams. It's not a
- 23:07Speaker 1: question of dreams, now, gentlemen, this is realism, this is
- 23:11Speaker 1: real life.
- 23:12Speaker 2: I'm a wolf and you're the hunters. Well hunt him down.
- 23:17Speaker 1: You are wrong to make such comparisons, began Nikolay Parfenovitch
- 23:23Speaker 1: with extraordinary softness.
- 23:25Speaker 2: No I'm not wrong, not at all.
- 23:29Speaker 1: Mitya flared up again. Though his outburst of wrath had
- 23:33Speaker 1: obviously relieved his heart, he grew more good, humored at
- 23:38Speaker 1: every word. You may not trust a criminal or a
- 23:42Speaker 1: man on triald tortured by your questions, but an honorable man,
- 23:47Speaker 1: the honorable.
- 23:48Speaker 2: Impulses of the heart. I say that boldly.
- 23:51Speaker 3: No that you must believe you have no right indeed,
- 23:56Speaker 3: but be silent, heart, be patient, humble, ol thy peace.
- 24:06Speaker 2: Well shall I go on? He broke off gloomily.
- 24:12Speaker 1: If you'll be so kind, answered Nikolay Parfenovitch, end of
- 24:19Speaker 1: chapter fifty eight,