|
||||||||
her? Do you understand that, friend and brother, you pious and humble novice? Do you understand why this infamy must be and is permitted? Without it, I am told, man could not have existed on earth, for he could not have known good and evil. Why should he know that diabolical good and evil when it costs so much? Why, the whole world of knowledge is not worth that childs prayer to dear, kind God! I say nothing of the sufferings of grown-up people, they have eaten the apple, damn them, and the devil take them all! But these little ones! I am making you suffer, Alyosha, you are not yourself. Ill leave off if you like. Never mind. I want to suffer too, muttered Alyosha. One picture, only one more, because its so curious, so characteristic, and I have only just read it in some collection of Russian antiquities. Ive forgotten the name. I must look it up. It was in the darkest days of serfdom at the beginning of the century, and long live the Liberator of the People! There was in those days a general of aristocratic connections, the owner of great estates, one of those mensomewhat exceptional, I believe, even thenwho, retiring from the service into a life of leisure, are convinced that theyve earned absolute power over the lives of their subjects. There were such men then. So our general, settled on his property of two thousand souls, lives in pomp, and domineers over his poor neighbours as though they were dependents and buffoons. He has kennels of hundreds of hounds and nearly a hundred dog-boysall mounted, and in uniform. One day a serf boy, a little child of eight, threw a stone in play and hurt the paw of the generals favourite hound. Why is my favourite dog lame? He is told that the boy threw a stone that hurt the dogs paw. So you did it. The general looked the child up and down. Take him. He was takentaken from his mother and kept shut up all night. Early that morning the general comes out on horseback, with the hounds, his dependents, dog-boys, and huntsmen, all mounted around him in full hunting parade. The servants are summoned for their edification, and in front of them all stands the mother of the child. The child is brought from the lock-up. Its a gloomy cold, foggy autumn day, a capital day for hunting. The general orders the child to be undressed; the child is stripped naked. He shivers, numb with terror, not daring to cry. Make him run, commands the general. Run! run! shout the dog-boys. The boy runs. At him! yells the general, and he sets the whole pack of hounds on the child. The hounds catch him, and tear him to pieces before his mothers eyes! I believe the general was afterwards declared incapable of administering his estates. Wellwhat did he deserve? To be shot? To be shot for the satisfaction of our moral feelings? Speak, Alyosha! To be shot, murmured Alyosha, lifting his eyes to Ivan with a pale, twisted smile. Bravo! cried Ivan delighted. If even you say so Youre a pretty monk! So there is a little devil sitting in your heart, Alyosha Karamazov! What I said was absurd, but Thats just the point that but! cried Ivan. Let me tell you, novice, that the absurd is only too necessary on earth. The world stands on absurdities, and perhaps nothing would have come to pass in it without them. We know what we know! What do you know? I understand nothing, Ivan went on, as though in delirium. I dont want to understand anything now. I want to stick to the fact. I made up my mind long ago not to understand. If I try to understand anything, I shall be false to the fact and I have determined to stick to the fact. Why are you trying me? Alyosha cried, with sudden distress. Will you say what you mean at last? Of course, I will; thats what Ive been leading up to. You are dear to me, I dont want to let you go, and I wont give you up to your Zossima. Ivan for a minute was silent, his face became all at once very sad. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Copyright: All texts on Bibliomania are © Bibliomania.com Ltd, and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission. See our FAQ for more details. | ||||||||