Chapter 11 eleven

eleven This conversation, which lasted nearly another hour, clearly made a deep impression on Andrey Yefimitch.From then on he began to go to this room every day.He went in the morning and in the afternoon, and at dusk he could be seen talking to Ivan Dmitri.At first Ivan Dmitri avoided him, suspected him of evil intentions, and expressed his displeasure openly, but as he got to know him well, his rigidity gave way to indulgent sarcasm. Soon rumors were circulating in the hospital that the physician Andrey Yefimitch was frequently visiting the sixth ward.Neither the doctor, nor Nikita, nor the nurses could understand why he was there, why he sat there for hours, what he talked about, and he never prescribed medicine.His behavior was so queer that Mikhail Averyanitch often did not see him when he went to his house, which had never happened before.Daryushka wondered even more why the doctor did not drink beer at the prescribed time, and sometimes even delayed coming to dinner.

One day, it was already at the end of June, the doctor Hobotov came to see Andrey Yefimitch on business, and finding him not at home, he went to look for him in the yard.At this time, someone told him that the old doctor had gone to see a mental patient.Hobotov went into the side room, stood in the outer room, and heard the following conversation: "We'll never talk, and you can't convince me of your story," said Ivan Dmitry angrily. "You don't understand real life, you never suffer, you just look like a I live on other people's pain like a leech. I have been suffering every day since I was born. So I want to say frankly: I think I am better than you in every way, better than you. You are not worthy Come and teach me."

① Ant mites, annelids, suck the blood of humans and animals. "It is not at all my intention to ask you to agree with my beliefs," said Andrey Yefimitch calmly, regretting that the other party did not want to understand him. "That is not the problem, my friend. It is not that you suffer and I do not." Suffering. Suffering and joy are temporary, let's not talk about them, let them be. The problem is that you and I are both thinking, and we think of each other as good thinking and reasoning people, no matter how different our views are, but this Connected us. If you could know, my friend, how much I loathe the ubiquitous arrogance, mediocrity, and ignorance, and what a pleasure it is to talk to you every time! You have a brain, and I admire you. "

Hobotov opened the door a little and looked into the sick room.Ivan Dmyri, wearing a peaked hat, was sitting side by side with the physician Andrey Yefimitch on the bed.The lunatic grimaced, shivered, and nervously wrapped up the patient's gown from time to time.The doctor bowed his head and sat motionless, his face was flushed with a helpless and sad expression.Hobotov shrugged his shoulders, smiled grimly, and exchanged glances with Nikita, who also shrugged. The next day, Hobotov came to the side house with the doctor.The two stood in the front room and eavesdropped. "It seems that our old man has become dizzy!"

"Lord, forgive us sinners!" sighed the dignified Sergei Sergeyitch, carefully walking around the puddles so as not to stain his polished shoes, "Honestly, my dear Yev Genny Fedoritch, I expected this!"