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Reprieve and Execution 131to draw the face? Is it to be only the face? What sort of a face is it?”“It’s practically the minute before death,” Myshkin beganwith perfect readiness, carried away by his memories and to allappearance instantly forgetting everything else. “That momentwhen he has just mounted the ladder and has just stepped ontothe scaffold. Then he glanced in my direction. I looked at his faceand I understood it all…But how can one describe it? I wish, Ido wish that you or someone would paint it. It would be best ifit were you. I thought at the time that a picture of it would dogood. You know one has to imagine everything that has beenbefore – everything, everything. He has been in prison awaitingexecution for a week at least; he has been reckoning on theusual formalities, on the sentence being forwarded somewherefor signature and not coming back again for a week. But now bysome chance the formalities were completed early. At five o’clockin the morning he was asleep. It was at the end of October; atfive o’clock it was still cold and dark. The superintendent of theprison came in quietly with the guard and touched him carefullyon the shoulder. He sat up, leaning on his elbow, saw the light,and asked ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘The execution is at ten o’clock.’ Hewas half awake and couldn’t take it in, and began objecting thatthe sentence wouldn’t be ready for a week. But when he was fullyawake he left off protesting and was silent – so I was told. Thenhe said, ‘But it’s hard it should be so sudden’…And again he wassilent and wouldn’t say anything more. The next three or fourhours are spent on the usual things: seeing the priest, breakfastat which he is given wine, coffee, and beef (isn’t that a mockery?Only think how cruel it is! Yet on the other hand, would youbelieve it, these innocent people act in good faith and are convincedthat it’s humane); then the toilet (do you know what acriminal’s toilet is?); and at last they take him through the town