against Him; He hasn’t given promotion, He hasn’t bestowed the order of merit! Eh, you are a set!”
Alyosha gazed a long while with his eyes half closed at Rakitin, and there was a sudden gleam in his eyes … but not of anger with Rakitin.
“I am not rebelling against my God; I simply ‘don’t accept His world.’ ” Alyosha suddenly smiled a forced smile.
“How do you mean, you don’t accept the world?” Rakitin thought a moment over his answer. “What idiocy is this?”
Alyosha did not answer.
“Come, enough nonsense, now to business. Have you had anything to eat today?”
“I don’t remember. … I think I have.”
“You need keeping up, to judge by your face. It makes one sorry to look at you. You didn’t sleep all night either, I hear, you had a meeting in there. And then all this bobbery afterwards. Most likely you’ve had nothing to