第10章

\'You\'vebeensobusyto-day,ArkadyIvanovitch,youhaveforgottentowindthediningroomclock,\'shesaid。AllthosesevenyearsI\'vewoundthatclockeveryweek,andifIforgotitshewouldalwaysremindme。ThenextdayIsetoffonmywayhere。Igotoutatthestationatdaybreak;I\'dbeenasleep,tiredout,withmyeyeshalfopen,Iwasdrinkingsomecoffee。IlookedupandtherewassuddenlyMarfaPetrovnasittingbesidemewithapackofcardsinherhands。

\'ShallItellyourfortuneforthejourney,ArkadyIvanovitch?\'Shewasagreathandattellingfortunes。Ishallneverforgivemyselffornotaskingherto。Iranawayinafright,and,besides,thebellrang。Iwassittingto-day,feelingveryheavyafteramiserabledinnerfromacookshop;Iwassittingsmoking,allofasuddenMarfaPetrovnaagain。Shecameinverysmartinanewgreensilkdresswithalongtrain。\'Goodday,ArkadyIvanovitch!Howdoyoulikemydress?Aniskacan\'tmakelikethis。\'(Aniskawasadressmakerinthecountry,oneofourformerserfgirlswhohadbeentrainedinMoscow,aprettywench。)Shestoodturningroundbeforeme。Ilookedatthedress,andthenIlookedcarefully,verycarefully,atherface。\'Iwonderyoutroubletocometomeaboutsuchtrifles,MarfaPetrovna。\'\'Goodgracious,youwon\'tletonedisturbyouaboutanything!\'ToteaseherIsaid,\'Iwanttogetmarried,MarfaPetrovna。\'\'That\'sjustlikeyou,ArkadyIvanovitch;itdoesyouverylittlecredittocomelookingforabridewhenyou\'vehardlyburiedyourwife。Andifyoucouldmakeagoodchoice,atleast,butI

knowitwon\'tbeforyourhappinessorhers,youwillonlybealaughing-stocktoallgoodpeople。\'Thenshewentoutandhertrainseemedtorustle。Isn\'titnonsense,eh？”

“Butperhapsyouaretellinglies？”Raskolnikovputin。

“Irarelylie,“answeredSvidrigailovthoughtfully,apparentlynotnoticingtherudenessofthequestion。

“Andinthepast,haveyoueverseenghostsbefore？”

“Y-yes,Ihaveseenthem,butonlyonceinmylife,sixyearsago。I

hadaserf,Filka;justafterhisburialIcalledoutforgetting\'Filka,mypipe!\'Hecameinandwenttothecupboardwheremypipeswere。Isatstillandthought\'heisdoingitoutofrevenge,\'becausewehadaviolentquarreljustbeforehisdeath。\'Howdareyoucomeinwithaholeinyourelbow,\'Isaid。\'Goaway,youscamp!\'Heturnedandwentout,andnevercameagain。Ididn\'ttellMarfaPetrovnaatthetime。Iwantedtohaveaservicesungforhim,butIwasashamed。“

“Youshouldgotoadoctor。“

“IknowIamnotwell,withoutyourtellingme,thoughIdon\'tknowwhat\'swrong;IbelieveIamfivetimesasstrongasyouare。I

didn\'taskyouwhetheryoubelievethatghostsareseen,butwhetheryoubelievethattheyexist。“

“No,Iwon\'tbelieveit！”Raskolnikovcried,withpositiveanger。

“Whatdopeoplegenerallysay？”mutteredSvidrigailov,asthoughspeakingtohimself,lookingasideandbowinghishead：“Theysay,\'Youareill,sowhatappearstoyouisonlyunrealfantasy。\'Butthat\'snotstrictlylogical。Iagreethatghostsonlyappeartothesick,butthatonlyprovesthattheyareunabletoappearexcepttothesick,notthattheydon\'texist。“

“Nothingofthesort,“Raskolnikovinsistedirritably。

“No?Youdon\'tthinkso？”Svidrigailovwenton,lookingathimdeliberately。“Butwhatdoyousaytothisargument(helpmewithit)：

ghostsareasitwereshredsandfragmentsofotherworlds,thebeginningofthem。Amaninhealthhas,ofcourse,noreasontoseethem,becauseheisaboveallamanofthisearthandisboundforthesakeofcompletenessandordertoliveonlyinthislife。Butassoonasoneisill,assoonasthenormalearthlyorderoftheorganismisbroken,onebeginstorealisethepossibilityofanotherworld;andthemoreseriouslyilloneis,thecloserbecomesone\'scontactwiththatotherworld,sothatassoonasthemandieshestepsstraightintothatworld。Ithoughtofthatlongago。Ifyoubelieveinafuturelife,youcouldbelieveinthat,too。“

“Idon\'tbelieveinafuturelife,“saidRaskolnikov。

Svidrigailovsatlostinthought。

“Andwhatifthereareonlyspidersthere,orsomethingofthatsort,“hesaidsuddenly。

“Heisamadman,“thoughtRaskolnikov。

“Wealwaysimagineeternityassomethingbeyondourconception,somethingvast,vast!Butwhymustitbevast?Insteadofallthat,whatifit\'sonelittleroom,likeabathhouseinthecountry,blackandgrimyandspidersineverycorner,andthat\'salleternityis?I

sometimesfancyitlikethat。“

“Canitbeyoucanimaginenothingjusterandmorecomfortingthanthat？”Raskolnikovcried,withafeelingofanguish。

“Juster?Andhowcanwetell,perhapsthatisjust,anddoyouknowit\'swhatIwouldcertainlyhavemadeit,“answeredSvidrigailov,withavaguesmile。

ThishorribleanswersentacoldchillthroughRaskolnikov。

Svidrigailovraisedhishead,lookedathim,andsuddenlybeganlaughing。

“Onlythink,“hecried,“halfanhouragowehadneverseeneachother,weregardedeachotherasenemies;thereisamatterunsettledbetweenus;we\'vethrownitaside,andawaywe\'vegoneintotheabstract!Wasn\'tIrightinsayingthatwewerebirdsofafeather？”

“Kindlyallowme,“Raskolnikovwentonirritably,“toaskyoutoexplainwhyyouhavehonouredmewithyourvisit……and……andIaminahurry,Ihavenotimetowaste。Iwanttogoout。“

“Byallmeans,byallmeans。Yoursister,AvdotyaRomanovna,isgoingtobemarriedtoMr。Luzhin,PyotrPetrovitch？”

“Canyourefrainfromanyquestionaboutmysisterandfrommentioninghername?Ican\'tunderstandhowyoudareutterhernameinmypresence,ifyoureallyareSvidrigailov。“

“Why,butI\'vecomeheretospeakabouther;howcanIavoidmentioningher？”

“Verygood,speak,butmakehaste。“

“IamsurethatyoumusthaveformedyourownopinionofthisMr。

Luzhin,whoisaconnectionofminethroughmywife,ifyouhaveonlyseenhimforhalfanhour,orheardanyfactsabouthim。HeisnomatchforAvdotyaRomanovna。IbelieveAvdotyaRomanovnaissacrificingherselfgenerouslyandimprudentlyforthesakeof……

forthesakeofherfamily。IfanciedfromallIhadheardofyouthatyouwouldbeverygladifthematchcouldbebrokenoffwithoutthesacrificeofworldlyadvantages。NowIknowyoupersonally,Iamconvincedofit。“

“Allthisisverynaive……excuseme,Ishouldhavesaidimpudentonyourpart,“saidRaskolnikov。

“YoumeantosaythatIamseekingmyownends。Don\'tbeuneasy,RodionRomanovitch,ifIwereworkingformyownadvantage,Iwouldnothavespokenoutsodirectly。Iamnotquiteafool。Iwillconfesssomethingpsychologicallycuriousaboutthat：justnow,defendingmyloveforAvdotyaRomanovna,IsaidIwasmyselfthevictim。Well,letmetellyouthatI\'venofeelingoflovenow,nottheslightest,sothatIwondermyselfindeed,forIreallydidfeelsomething……“

“Throughidlenessanddepravity,“Raskolnikovputin。

“Icertainlyamidleanddepraved,butyoursisterhassuchqualitiesthatevenIcouldnothelpbeingimpressedbythem。Butthat\'sallnonsense,asIseemyselfnow。“

“Haveyouseenthatlong？”

“Ibegantobeawareofitbefore,butwasonlyperfectlysureofitthedaybeforeyesterday,almostatthemomentIarrivedinPetersburg。IstillfanciedinMoscow,though,thatIwascomingtotrytogetAvdotyaRomanovna\'shandandtocutoutMr。Luzhin。“

“Excusemeforinterruptingyou;kindlybebrief,andcometotheobjectofyourvisit。Iaminahurry,Iwanttogoout……“

“Withthegreatestpleasure。Onarrivinghereanddeterminingonacertain……journey,Ishouldliketomakesomenecessarypreliminaryarrangements。Ileftmychildrenwithanaunt;theyarewellprovidedfor;andtheyhavenoneedofmepersonally。AndanicefatherIshouldmake,too!IhavetakennothingbutwhatMarfaPetrovnagavemeayearago。That\'senoughforme。Excuseme,Iamjustcomingtothepoint。Beforethejourneywhichmaycomeoff,I

wanttosettleMr。Luzhin,too。It\'snotthatIdetesthimsomuch,butitwasthroughhimIquarrelledwithMarfaPetrovnawhenIlearnedthatshehaddishedupthismarriage。IwantnowtoseeAvdotyaRomanovnathroughyourmediation,andifyoulikeinyourpresence,toexplaintoherthatinthefirstplaceshewillnevergainanythingbutharmfromMr。Luzhin。Thenbeggingherpardonforallpastunpleasantness,tomakeherapresentoftenthousandroublesandsoassisttherupturewithMr。Luzhin,arupturetowhichIbelievesheisherselfnotdisinclined,ifshecouldseethewaytoit。“

“Youarecertainlymad,“criedRaskolnikovnotsomuchangeredasastonished。“Howdareyoutalklikethat！”

“Iknewyouwouldscreamatme;butinthefirstplace,thoughI

amnotrich,thistenthousandroublesisperfectlyfree;Ihaveabsolutelynoneedforit。IfAvdotyaRomanovnadoesnotacceptit,Ishallwasteitinsomemorefoolishway。That\'sthefirstthing。

Secondly,myconscienceisperfectlyeasy;Imaketheofferwithnoulteriormotive。Youmaynotbelieveit,butintheendAvdotyaRomanovnaandyouwillknow。Thepointis,thatIdidactuallycauseyoursister,whomIgreatlyrespect,sometroubleandunpleasantness,andso,sincerelyregrettingit,Iwant-nottocompensate,nottorepayherfortheunpleasantness,butsimplytodosomethingtoheradvantage,toshowthatIamnot,afterall,privilegedtodonothingbutharm。Iftherewereamillionthfractionofselfinterestinmyoffer,Ishouldnothavemadeitsoopenly;andIshouldnothaveofferedhertenthousandonly,whenfiveweeksagoIofferedhermore,Besides,Imay,perhaps,verysoonmarryayounglady,andthataloneoughttopreventsuspicionofanydesignonAvdotyaRomanovna。Inconclusion,letmesaythatinmarryingMr。Luzhin,sheistakingmoneyjustthesame,onlyfromanotherman。Don\'tbeangry,RodionRomanovitch,thinkitovercoollyandquietly。“

Svidrigailovhimselfwasexceedinglycoolandquietashewassayingthis。

“Ibegyoutosaynomore,“saidRaskolnikov。“Inanycasethisisunpardonableimpertinence。“

“Notintheleast。Thenamanmaydonothingbutharmtohisneighbourinthisworld,andispreventedfromdoingthetiniestbitofgoodbytrivialconventionalformalities。That\'sabsurd。IfIdied,forinstance,andleftthatsumtoyoursisterinmywill,surelyshewouldn\'trefuseit？”

“Verylikelyshewould。“

“Oh,no,indeed。However,ifyourefuseit,sobeit,thoughtenthousandroublesisacapitalthingtohaveonoccasion。InanycaseI

begyoutorepeatwhatIhavesaidtoAvdotyaRomanovna。“

“No,Iwon\'t。“

“Inthatcase,RodionRomanovitch,Ishallbeobligedtotryandseehermyselfandworryherbydoingso。“

“AndifIdotellher,willyounottrytoseeher？”

“Idon\'tknowreallywhattosay。Ishouldlikeverymuchtoseeheroncemore。“

“Don\'thopeforit。“

“I\'msorry。Butyoudon\'tknowme。Perhapswemaybecomebetterfriends。“

“Youthinkwemaybecomefriends？”

“Andwhynot？”Svidrigailovsaid,smiling。Hestoodupandtookhishat。“Ididn\'tquiteintendtodisturbyouandIcameherewithoutreckoningonit……thoughIwasverymuchstruckbyyourfacethismorning。“

“Wheredidyouseemethismorning？”Raskolnikovaskeduneasily。

“Isawyoubychance……Ikeptfancyingthereissomethingaboutyoulikeme……Butdon\'tbeuneasy。Iamnotintrusive;Iusedtogetonallrightwithcard-sharpers,andIneverboredPrinceSvirbey,agreatpersonagewhoisadistantrelationofmine,andIcouldwriteaboutRaphael\'sMadonnainMadamPrilukov\'salbum,andIneverleftMarfaPetrovna\'ssideforsevenyears,andIusedtostaythenightatViazemsky\'shouseintheHayMarketintheolddays,andImaygoupinaballoonwithBerg,perhaps。“

“Oh,allright。Areyoustartingsoononyourtravels,mayIask？”

“Whattravels？”

“Why,onthat\'journey\';youspokeofityourself。“

“Ajourney?Oh,yes。Ididspeakofajourney。Well,that\'sawidesubject……ifonlyyouknewwhatyouareasking,“headded,andgaveasudden,loud,shortlaugh。“PerhapsI\'llgetmarriedinsteadofthejourney。They\'remakingamatchforme。“

“Here？”

“Yes。“

“Howhaveyouhadtimeforthat？”

“ButIamveryanxioustoseeAvdotyaRomanovnaonce。Iearnestlybegit。Well,good-byeforthepresent。Oh,yes,Ihaveforgottensomething。Tellyoursister,RodionRomanovitch,thatMarfaPetrovnarememberedherinherwillandleftherthreethousandrubles。

That\'sabsolutelycertain。MarfaPetrovnaarrangeditaweekbeforeherdeath,anditwasdoneinmypresence。AvdotyaRomanovnawillbeabletoreceivethemoneyintwoorthreeweeks。“

“Areyoutellingthetruth？”

“Yes,tellher。Well,yourservant。Iamstayingverynearyou。“

Ashewentout,SvidrigailovranupagainstRazumihininthedoorway。

ChapterTwoITWASnearlyeighto\'clock。ThetwoyoungmenhurriedtoBakaleyev\'s,toarrivebeforeLuzhin。

“Why,whowasthat？”askedRazumihin,assoonastheywereinthestreet。

“ItwasSvidrigailov,thatlandownerinwhosehousemysisterwasinsultedwhenshewastheirgoverness。Throughhispersecutingherwithhisattentions,shewasturnedoutbyhiswife,MarfaPetrovna。

ThisMarfaPetrovnabeggedDounia\'sforgivenessafterwards,andshe\'sjustdiedsuddenly。Itwasofherweweretalkingthismorning。Idon\'tknowwhyI\'mafraidofthatman。Hecamehereatonceafterhiswife\'sfuneral。Heisverystrange,andisdeterminedondoingsomething……WemustguardDouniafromhim……that\'swhatI

wantedtotellyou,doyouhear？”

“Guardher!WhatcanhedotoharmAvdotyaRomanovna?Thankyou,Rodya,forspeakingtomelikethat……Wewill,wewillguardher。

Wheredoeshelive？”

“Idon\'tknow。“

“Whydidn\'tyouask?Whatapity!I\'llfindout,though。“

“Didyouseehim？”askedRaskolnikovafterapause。

“Yes,Inoticedhim,Inoticedhimwell。“

“Youdidreallyseehim?Yousawhimclearly？”Raskolnikovinsisted。

“Yes,Irememberhimperfectly,Ishouldknowhiminathousand;I

haveagoodmemoryforfaces。“

Theyweresilentagain。

“Hm!……that\'sallright,“mutteredRaskolnikov。“Doyouknow,I

fancied……Ikeepthinkingthatitmayhavebeenanhallucination。“

“Whatdoyoumean?Idon\'tunderstandyou。“

“Well,youallsay,“Raskolnikovwenton,twistinghismouthintoasmile,“thatIammad。IthoughtjustnowthatperhapsIreallyammad,andhaveonlyseenaphantom。“

“Whatdoyoumean？”

“Why,whocantell?PerhapsIamreallymad,andperhapseverythingthathappenedallthesedaysmaybeonlyimagination。“

“Ach,Rodya,youhavebeenupsetagain!……Butwhatdidhesay,whatdidhecomefor？”

Raskolnikovdidnotanswer。Razumihinthoughtaminute。

“Nowletmetellyoumystory,“hebegan,“Icametoyou,youwereasleep。ThenwehaddinnerandthenIwenttoPorfiry\'s,Zametovwasstillwithhim。Itriedtobegin,butitwasnouse。Icouldn\'tspeakintherightway。Theydon\'tseemtounderstandandcan\'tunderstand,butarenotabitashamed。IdrewPorfirytothewindow,andbegantalkingtohim,butitwasstillnouse。HelookedawayandIlookedaway。AtlastIshookmyfistinhisuglyface,andtoldhimasacousinI\'dbrainhim。Hemerelylookedatme,Icursedandcameaway。Thatwasall。Itwasverystupid。ToZametovIdidn\'tsayaword。But,yousee,IthoughtI\'dmadeamessofit,butasI

wentdownstairsabrilliantideastruckme：whyshouldwetrouble?

Ofcourseifyouwereinanydangeroranything,butwhyneedyoucare?Youneedn\'tcareahangforthem。Weshallhavealaughatthemafterwards,andifIwereinyourplaceI\'dmystifythemmorethanever。Howashamedthey\'llbeafterwards!Hangthem!Wecanthrashthemafterwards,butlet\'slaughatthemnow！”

“Tobesure,“answeredRaskolnikov。“Butwhatwillyousayto-morrow？”hethoughttohimself。Strangetosay,tillthatmomentithadneveroccurredtohimtowonderwhatRazumihinwouldthinkwhenheknew。Ashethoughtit,Raskolnikovlookedathim。Razumihin\'saccountofhisvisittoPorfiryhadverylittleinterestforhim,somuchhadcomeandgonesincethen。

InthecorridortheycameuponLuzhin;hehadarrivedpunctuallyateight,andwaslookingforthenumber,sothatallthreewentintogetherwithoutgreetingorlookingatoneanother。Theyoungmenwalkedinfirst,whilePyotrPetrovitch,forgoodmanners,lingeredalittleinthepassage,takingoffhiscoat。PulcheriaAlexandrovnacameforwardatoncetogreethiminthedoorway,Douniawaswelcomingherbrother。PyotrPetrovitchwalkedinandquiteamiably,thoughwithredoubleddignity,bowedtotheladies。Helooked,however,asthoughhewerealittleputoutandcouldnotyetrecoverhimself。

PulcheriaAlexandrovna,whoseemedalsoalittleembarrassed,hastenedtomakethemallsitdownattheroundtablewhereasamovarwasboiling。DouniaandLuzhinwerefacingoneanotheronoppositesidesofthetable。RazumihinandRaskolnikovwerefacingPulcheriaAlexandrovna,RazumihinwasnexttoLuzhinandRaskolnikovwasbesidehissister。

Amoment\'ssilencefollowed。PyotrPetrovitchdeliberatelydrewoutacambrichandkerchiefreekingofscentandblewhisnosewithanairofabenevolentmanwhofelthimselfslighted,andwasfirmlyresolvedtoinsistonanexplanation。Inthepassagetheideahadoccurredtohimtokeeponhisovercoatandwalkaway,andsogivethetwoladiesasharpandemphaticlessonandmakethemfeelthegravityoftheposition。Buthecouldnotbringhimselftodothis。

Besides,hecouldnotendureuncertaintyandhewantedanexplanation：

ifhisrequesthadbeensoopenlydisobeyed,therewassomethingbehindit,andinthatcaseitwasbettertofinditoutbeforehand;

itrestedwithhimtopunishthemandtherewouldalwaysbetimeforthat。

“Itrustyouhadafavourablejourney,“heinquiredofficiallyofPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“Oh,very,PyotrPetrovitch。“

“Iamgratifiedtohearit。AndAvdotyaRomanovnaisnotoverfatiguedeither？”

“Iamyoungandstrong,Idon\'tgettired,butitwasagreatstrainformother,“answeredDounia。

“That\'sunavoidable;ournationalrailwaysareofterriblelength。

\'MotherRussia,\'astheysay,isavastcountry……Inspiteofallmydesiretodoso,Iwasunabletomeetyouyesterday。ButItrustallpassedoffwithoutinconvenience？”

“Oh,no,PyotrPetrovitch,itwasallterriblydisheartening,“

PulcheriaAlexandrovnahastenedtodeclarewithpeculiarintonation,“andifDmitriProkofitchhadnotbeensentus,IreallybelievebyGodHimself,weshouldhavebeenutterlylost。Here,heis!DmitriProkofitchRazumihin,“sheadded,introducinghimtoLuzhin。

“Ihadthepleasure……yesterday,“mutteredPyotrPetrovitchwithahostileglancesidelongatRazumihin;thenhescowledandwassilent。

PyotrPetrovitchbelongedtothatclassofpersons,onthesurfaceverypoliteinsociety,whomakeagreatpointofpunctiliousness,butwho,directlytheyarecrossedinanything,arecompletelydisconcerted,andbecomemorelikesacksofflourthanelegantandlivelymenofsociety。Againallwassilent;Raskolnikovwasobstinatelymute,AvdotyaRomanovnawasunwillingtoopentheconversationtoosoon。Razumihinhadnothingtosay,soPulcheriaAlexandrovnawasanxiousagain。

“MarfaPetrovnaisdead,haveyouheard？”shebeganhavingrecoursetoherleadingitemofconversation。

“Tobesure,Iheardso。Iwasimmediatelyinformed,andIhavecometomakeyouacquaintedwiththefactthatArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailovsetoffinhasteforPetersburgimmediatelyafterhiswife\'sfuneral。SoatleastIhaveexcellentauthorityforbelieving。“

“ToPetersburg?here？”Douniaaskedinalarmandlookedathermother。

“Yes,indeed,anddoubtlessnotwithoutsomedesign,havinginviewtherapidityofhisdeparture,andallthecircumstancesprecedingit。“

“Goodheavens!won\'theleaveDouniainpeaceevenhere？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“IimaginethatneitheryounorAvdotyaRomanovnahaveanygroundsforuneasiness,unless,ofcourse,youareyourselvesdesirousofgettingintocommunicationwithhim。FormypartIamonmyguard,andamnowdiscoveringwhereheislodging。“

“Oh,PyotrPetrovitch,youwouldnotbelievewhatafrightyouhavegivenme,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnawenton。“I\'veonlyseenhimtwice,butIthoughthimterrible,terrible!IamconvincedthathewasthecauseofMarfaPetrovna\'sdeath。“

“It\'simpossibletobecertainaboutthat。Ihavepreciseinformation。Idonotdisputethathemayhavecontributedtoacceleratethecourseofeventsbythemoralinfluence,sotosay,oftheaffront;butastothegeneralconductandmoralcharacteristicsofthatpersonage,Iaminagreementwithyou。Idonotknowwhetherheiswelloffnow,andpreciselywhatMarfaPetrovnalefthim;thiswillbeknowntomewithinaveryshortperiod;butnodoubthereinPetersburg,ifhehasanypecuniaryresources,hewillrelapseatonceintohisoldways。Heisthemostdepraved,andabjectlyviciousspecimenofthatclassofmen。IhaveconsiderablereasontobelievethatMarfaPetrovna,whowassounfortunateastofallinlovewithhimandtopayhisdebtseightyearsago,wasofservicetohimalsoinanotherway。Solelybyherexertionsandsacrifices,acriminalcharge,involvinganelementoffantasticandhomicidalbrutalityforwhichhemightwellhavebeensentencedtoSiberia,washushedup。That\'sthesortofmanheis,ifyoucaretoknow。“

“Goodheavens！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Raskolnikovlistenedattentively。

“Areyouspeakingthetruthwhenyousaythatyouhavegoodevidenceofthis？”Douniaaskedsternlyandemphatically。

“IonlyrepeatwhatIwastoldinsecretbyMarfaPetrovna。Imustobservethatfromthelegalpointofviewthecasewasfarfromclear。

Therewas,andIbelievestillis,livinghereawomancalledResslich,aforeigner,wholentsmallsumsofmoneyatinterest,anddidothercommissions,andwiththiswomanSvidrigailovhadforalongwhilecloseandmysteriousrelations。Shehadarelation,anieceI

believe,livingwithher,adeafanddumbgirloffifteen,orperhapsnotmorethanfourteen。Resslichhatedthisgirl,andgrudgedhereverycrust;sheusedtobeathermercilessly。Onedaythegirlwasfoundhanginginthegarret。Attheinquesttheverdictwassuicide。Aftertheusualproceedingsthematterended,but,lateron,informationwasgiventhatthechildhadbeen……cruellyoutragedbySvidrigailov。Itistrue,thiswasnotclearlyestablished,theinformationwasgivenbyanotherGermanwomanofloosecharacterwhosewordcouldnotbetrusted;nostatementwasactuallymadetothepolice,thankstoMarfaPetrovna\'smoneyandexertions;itdidnotgetbeyondgossip。Andyetthestoryisaverysignificantone。Youheard,nodoubt,AvdotyaRomanovna,whenyouwerewiththemthestoryoftheservantPhilipwhodiedofilltreatmenthereceivedsixyearsago,beforetheabolitionofserfdom。“

“IheardonthecontrarythatthisPhiliphangedhimself。“

“Quiteso,butwhatdrovehim,orratherperhapsdisposedhim,tosuicide,wasthesystematicpersecutionandseverityofMr。

Svidrigailov。“

“Idon\'tknowthat,“answeredDounia,dryly。“IonlyheardaqueerstorythatPhilipwasasortofhypochondriac,asortofdomesticphilosopher,theservantsusedtosay,\'hereadhimselfsilly,\'andthathehangedhimselfpartlyonaccountofMr。Svidrigailov\'smockeryofhimandnothisblows。WhenIwastherehebehavedwelltotheservants,andtheywereactuallyfondofhim,thoughtheycertainlydidblamehimforPhilip\'sdeath。“

“Iperceive,AvdotyaRomanovna,thatyouseemdisposedtoundertakehisdefenceallofasudden,“Luzhinobserved,twistinghislipsintoanambiguoussmile,“there\'snodoubtthatheisanastuteman,andinsinuatingwhereladiesareconcerned,ofwhichMarfaPetrovna,whohasdiedsostrangely,isaterribleinstance。Myonlydesirehasbeentobeofservicetoyouandyourmotherwithmyadvice,inviewoftherenewedeffortswhichmaycertainlybeanticipatedfromhim。Formypartit\'smyfirmconviction,thathewillendinadebtor\'sprisonagain。MarfaPetrovnahadnottheslightestintentionofsettlinganythingsubstantialonhim,havingregardforhischildren\'sinterests,and,ifshelefthimanything,itwouldonlybethemerestsufficiency,somethinginsignificantandephemeral,whichwouldnotlastayearforamanofhishabits。“

“PyotrPetrovitch,Ibegyou,“saidDounia,“saynomoreofMr。

Svidrigailov。Itmakesmemiserable。“

“Hehasjustbeentoseeme,“saidRaskolnikov,breakinghissilenceforthefirsttime。

Therewereexclamationsfromall,andtheyallturnedtohim。EvenPyotrPetrovitchwasroused。

“Anhourandahalfago,hecameinwhenIwasasleep,wakedme,andintroducedhimself,“Raskolnikovcontinued。“Hewasfairlycheerfulandatease,andquitehopesthatweshallbecomefriends。Heisparticularlyanxiousbytheway,Dounia,foraninterviewwithyou,atwhichheaskedmetoassist。Hehasapropositiontomaketoyou,andhetoldmeaboutit。Hetoldme,too,thataweekbeforeherdeathMarfaPetrovnaleftyouthreethousandroublesinherwill,Dounia,andthatyoucanreceivethemoneyveryshortly。“

“ThankGod！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna,crossingherself。“Prayforhersoul,Dounia！”

“It\'safact！”brokefromLuzhin。

“Tellus,whatmore？”DouniaurgedRaskolnikov。

“Thenhesaidthathewasn\'trichandalltheestatewaslefttohischildrenwhoarenowwithanaunt,thenthathewasstayingsomewherenotfarfromme,butwhere,Idon\'tknow,Ididn\'task……“

“Butwhat,whatdoeshewanttoproposetoDounia？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovnainafright。“Didhetellyou？”

“Yes。“

“Whatwasit？”

“I\'lltellyouafterwards。“

Raskolnikovceasedspeakingandturnedhisattentiontohistea。

PyotrPetrovitchlookedathiswatch。

“Iamcompelledtokeepabusinessengagement,andsoIshallnotbeinyourway,“headdedwithanairofsomepiqueandhebegangettingup。

“Don\'tgo,PyotrPetrovitch,“saidDounia,“youintendedtospendtheevening。Besides,youwroteyourselfthatyouwantedtohaveanexplanationwithmother。“

“Preciselyso,AvdotyaRomanovna,“PyotrPetrovitchansweredimpressively,sittingdownagain,butstillholdinghishat。“I

certainlydesiredanexplanationwithyouandyourhonouredmotheruponaveryimportantpointindeed。ButasyourbrothercannotspeakopenlyinmypresencetosomeproposalsofMr。Svidrigailov,I,too,donotdesireandamnotabletospeakopenly……inthepresenceofothers……ofcertainmattersofthegreatestgravity。Moreover,mymostweightyandurgentrequesthasbeendisregarded……“

Assuminganaggrievedair,Luzhinrelapsedintodignifiedsilence。

“Yourrequestthatmybrothershouldnotbepresentatourmeetingwasdisregardedsolelyatmyinstance,“saidDounia。“Youwrotethatyouhadbeeninsultedbymybrother;Ithinkthatthismustbeexplainedatonce,andyoumustbereconciled。AndifRodyareallyhasinsultedyou,thenheshouldandwillapologise。“

PyotrPetrovitchtookastrongerline。

“Thereareinsults,AvdotyaRomanovna,whichnogood-willcanmakeusforget。Thereisalineineverythingwhichitisdangeroustooverstep;andwhenithasbeenoverstepped,thereisnoreturn。“

“Thatwasn\'twhatIwasspeakingofexactly,PyotrPetrovitch,“

Douniainterruptedwithsomeimpatience。“Pleaseunderstandthatourwholefuturedependsnowonwhetherallthisisexplainedandsetrightassoonaspossible。ItellyoufranklyatthestartthatI

cannotlookatitinanyotherlight,andifyouhavetheleastregardforme,allthisbusinessmustbeendedto-day,howeverhardthatmaybe。Irepeatthatifmybrotheristoblamehewillaskyourforgiveness。“

“Iamsurprisedatyourputtingthequestionlikethat,“saidLuzhin,gettingmoreandmoreirritated。“Esteeming,andsotosay,adoringyou,Imayatthesametime,verywellindeed,beabletodislikesomememberofyourfamily。ThoughIlayclaimtothehappinessofyourhand,Icannotacceptdutiesincompatiblewith……“

“Ah,don\'tbesoreadytotakeoffence,PyotrPetrovitch,“Douniainterruptedwithfeeling,“andbethesensibleandgenerousmanIhavealwaysconsidered,andwishtoconsider,youtobe。I\'vegivenyouagreatpromise,Iamyourbetrothed。Trustmeinthismatterand,believeme,Ishallbecapableofjudgingimpartially。Myassumingthepartofjudgeisasmuchasurpriseformybrotherasforyou。WhenIinsistedonhiscomingtoourinterviewto-dayafteryourletter,ItoldhimnothingofwhatImeanttodo。Understandthat,ifyouarenotreconciled,Imustchoosebetweenyou-itmustbeeitheryouorhe。Thatishowthequestionrestsonyoursideandonhis。Idon\'twanttobemistakeninmychoice,andImustnotbe。ForyoursakeI

mustbreakoffwithmybrother,formybrother\'ssakeImustbreakoffwithyou。Icanfindoutforcertainnowwhetherheisabrothertome,andIwanttoknowit;andofyou,whetherIamdeartoyou,whetheryouesteemme,whetheryouarethehusbandforme。“

“AvdotyaRomanovna,“Luzhindeclaredhuffily,“yourwordsareoftoomuchconsequencetome;Iwillsaymore,theyareoffensiveinviewofthepositionIhavethehonourtooccupyinrelationtoyou。Tosaynothingofyourstrangeandoffensivesettingmeonalevelwithanimpertinentboy,youadmitthepossibilityofbreakingyourpromisetome。Yousay\'youorhe,\'showingtherebyofhowlittleconsequenceI

aminyoureyes……Icannotletthispassconsideringtherelationshipand……theobligationsexistingbetweenus。“

“What！”criedDounia,flushing。“Isetyourinterestbesideallthathashithertobeenmostpreciousinmylife,whathasmadeupthewholeofmylife,andhereyouareoffendedatmymakingtoolittleaccountofyou。“

Raskolnikovsmiledsarcastically,Razumihinfidgeted,butPyotrPetrovitchdidnotacceptthereproof;onthecontrary,ateverywordhebecamemorepersistentandirritable,asthoughherelishedit。

“Loveforthefuturepartnerofyourlife,foryourhusband,oughttooutweighyourloveforyourbrother,“hepronouncedsententiously,“andinanycaseIcannotbeputonthesamelevel……AlthoughIsaidsoemphaticallythatIwouldnotspeakopenlyinyourbrother\'spresence,nevertheless,Iintendnowtoaskyourhonouredmotherforanecessaryexplanationonapointofgreatimportancecloselyaffectingmydignity。Yourson,“heturnedtoPulcheriaAlexandrovna,“yesterdayinthepresenceofMr。Razsudkin(or……Ithinkthat\'sit?excusemeIhaveforgottenyoursurname,“hebowedpolitelytoRazumihin)“insultedmebymisrepresentingtheideaIexpressedtoyouinaprivateconversation,drinkingcoffee,thatis,thatmarriagewithapoorgirlwhohashadexperienceoftroubleismoreadvantageousfromtheconjugalpointofviewthanwithonewhohaslivedinluxury,sinceitismoreprofitableforthemoralcharacter。Yoursonintentionallyexaggeratedthesignificanceofmywordsandmadethemridiculous,accusingmeofmaliciousintentions,and,asfarasIcouldsee,relieduponyourcorrespondencewithhim。Ishallconsidermyselfhappy,PulcheriaAlexandrovna,ifitispossibleforyoutoconvincemeofanoppositeconclusion,andtherebyconsideratelyreassureme。KindlyletmeknowinwhattermspreciselyyourepeatedmywordsinyourlettertoRodionRomanovitch。“

“Idon\'tremember,“falteredPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“IrepeatedthemasIunderstoodthem。Idon\'tknowhowRodyarepeatedthemtoyou,perhapsheexaggerated。“

“Hecouldnothaveexaggeratedthem,exceptatyourinstigation。“

“PyotrPetrovitch,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnadeclaredwithdignity,“theproofthatDouniaandIdidnottakeyourwordsinaverybadsenseisthefactthatwearehere。“

“Good,mother,“saidDouniaapprovingly。

“Thenthisismyfaultagain,“saidLuzhin,aggrieved。

“Well,PyotrPetrovitch,youkeepblamingRodion,butyouyourselfhavejustwrittenwhatwasfalseabouthim,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnaadded,gainingcourage。

“Idon\'trememberwritinganythingfalse。“

“Youwrote,“Raskolnikovsaidsharply,notturningtoLuzhin,“thatIgavemoneyyesterdaynottothewidowofthemanwhowaskilled,aswasthefact,buttohisdaughter(whomIhadneverseentillyesterday)。Youwrotethistomakedissensionbetweenmeandmyfamily,andforthatobjectaddedcoarseexpressionsabouttheconductofagirlwhomyoudon\'tknow。Allthatismeanslander。“

“Excuseme,sir,“saidLuzhin,quiveringwithfury。“Ienlargeduponyourqualitiesandconductinmylettersolelyinresponsetoyoursister\'sandmother\'sinquirieshowIfoundyouandwhatimpressionyoumadeonme。Asforwhatyou\'vealludedtoinmyletter,besogoodastopointoutonewordoffalsehood,show,thatis,thatyoudidn\'tthrowawayyourmoney,andthattherearenotworthlesspersonsinthatfamily,howeverunfortunate。“

“Tomythinking,youwithallyourvirtuesarenotworththelittlefingerofthatunfortunategirlatwhomyouthrowstones。“

“Wouldyougosofarthenastoletherassociatewithyourmotherandsister？”

“Ihavedonesoalready,ifyoucaretoknow。Imadehersitdownto-daywithmotherandDounia。“

“Rodya！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Douniacrimsoned,Razumihinknittedhisbrows。Luzhinsmiledwithloftysarcasm。

“Youmayseeforyourself,AvdotyaRomanovna,“hesaid,“whetheritispossibleforustoagree。Ihopenowthatthisquestionisatanend,onceandforall。Iwillwithdraw,thatImaynothinderthepleasuresoffamilyintimacy,andthediscussionofsecrets。“Hegotupfromhischairandtookhishat。“Butinwithdrawing,IventuretorequestthatforthefutureImaybesparedsimilarmeetings,and,sotosay,compromises。Iappealparticularlytoyou,honouredPulcheriaAlexandrovna,onthissubject,themoreasmyletterwasaddressedtoyouandtonooneelse。“

PulcheriaAlexandrovnawasalittleoffended。

“Youseemtothinkwearecompletelyunderyourauthority,PyotrPetrovitch。Douniahastoldyouthereasonyourdesirewasdisregarded,shehadthebestintentions。Andindeedyouwriteasthoughyouwerelayingcommandsuponme。Arewetoconsidereverydesireofyoursasacommand?Letmetellyouonthecontrarythatyououghttoshowparticulardelicacyandconsiderationforusnow,becausewehavethrownupeverything,andhavecomehererelyingonyou,andsoweareinanycaseinasenseinyourhands。“

“Thatisnotquitetrue,PulcheriaAlexandrovna,especiallyatthepresentmoment,whenthenewshascomeofMarfaPetrovna\'slegacy,whichseemsindeedveryapropos,judgingfromthenewtoneyoutaketome,“headdedsarcastically。

“Judgingfromthatremark,wemaycertainlypresumethatyouwerereckoningonourhelplessness,“Douniaobservedirritably。

“ButnowinanycaseIcannotreckononit,andIparticularlydesirenottohinderyourdiscussionofthesecretproposalsofArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailov,whichhehasentrustedtoyourbrotherandwhichhave,Iperceive,agreatandpossiblyaveryagreeableinterestforyou。“

“Goodheavens！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

Razumihincouldnotsitstillonhischair。

“Aren\'tyouashamednow,sister？”askedRaskolnikov。

“Iamashamed,Rodya,“saidDounia。“PyotrPetrovitch,goaway,“sheturnedtohim,whitewithanger。

PyotrPetrovitchhadapparentlynotatallexpectedsuchaconclusion。Hehadtoomuchconfidenceinhimself,inhispowerandinthehelplessnessofhisvictims。Hecouldnotbelieveitevennow。

Heturnedpale,andhislipsquivered。

“AvdotyoRomanovna,ifIgooutofthisdoornow,aftersuchadismissal,then,youmayreckononit,Iwillnevercomeback。

Considerwhatyouaredoing。Mywordisnottobeshaken。“

“Whatinsolence！”criedDounia,springingupfromherseat。“Idon\'twantyoutocomebackagain。“

“What!Sothat\'showitstands！”criedLuzhin,utterlyunabletothelastmomenttobelieveintheruptureandsocompletelythrownoutofhisreckoningnow。“Sothat\'showitstands!Butdoyouknow,AvdotyaRomanovna,thatImightprotest？”

“Whatrighthaveyoutospeaktoherlikethat？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaintervenedhotly。“Andwhatcanyouprotestabout?Whatrightshaveyou?AmItogivemyDouniatoamanlikeyou?Goaway,leaveusaltogether!Wearetoblameforhavingagreedtoawrongaction,andIaboveall……“

“Butyouhaveboundme,PulcheriaAlexandrovna,“Luzhinstormedinafrenzy,“byyourpromise,andnowyoudenyitand……besides……Ihavebeenledonaccountofthatintoexpenses……“

ThislastcomplaintwassocharacteristicofPyotrPetrovitch,thatRaskolnikov,palewithangerandwiththeeffortofrestrainingit,couldnothelpbreakingintolaughter。ButPulcheriaAlexandrovnawasfurious。

“Expenses?Whatexpenses?Areyouspeakingofourtrunk?Buttheconductorbroughtitfornothingforyou。Mercyonus,wehaveboundyou!Whatareyouthinkingabout,PyotrPetrovitch,itwasyouboundus,handandfoot,notwe！”

“Enough,mother,nomoreplease,“AvdotyaRomanovnaimplored。“PyotrPetrovitch,dobekindandgo！”

“Iamgoing,butonelastword,“hesaid,quiteunabletocontrolhimself。“YourmammaseemstohaveentirelyforgottenthatImadeupmymindtotakeyou,sotospeak,afterthegossipofthetownhadspreadalloverthedistrictinregardtoyourreputation。

Disregardingpublicopinionforyoursakeandreinstatingyourreputation,Icertainlymightverywellreckononafittingreturn,andmightindeedlookforgratitudeonyourpart。Andmyeyeshaveonlynowbeenopened!IseemyselfthatImayhaveactedvery,veryrecklesslyindisregardingtheuniversalverdict……“

“Doesthefellowwanthisheadsmashed？”criedRazumihin,jumpingup。

“Youareameanandspitefulman！”criedDounia。

“Notaword!Notamovement！”criedRaskolnikov,holdingRazumihinback;thengoingcloseuptoLuzhin,“Kindlyleavetheroom！”hesaidquietlyanddistinctly,“andnotawordmoreor……“

PyotrPetrovitchgazedathimforsomesecondswithapalefacethatworkedwithanger,thenheturned,wentout,andrarelyhasanymancarriedawayinhisheartsuchvindictivehatredashefeltagainstRaskolnikov。Him,andhimalone,heblamedforeverything。Itisnoteworthythatashewentdownstairshestillimaginedthathiscasewasperhapsnotutterlylost,andthat,sofarastheladieswereconcerned,allmight“verywellindeed“besetrightagain。

ChapterThreeTHEFACTwasthatuptothelastmomenthehadneverexpectedsuchanending;hehadbeenoverbearingtothelastdegree,neverdreamingthattwodestituteanddefencelesswomencouldescapefromhiscontrol。Thisconvictionwasstrengthenedbyhisvanityandconceit,aconceittothepointoffatuity。PyotrPetrovitch,whohadmadehiswayupfrominsignificance,wasmorbidlygiventoself-admiration,hadthehighestopinionofhisintelligenceandcapacities,andsometimesevengloatedinsolitudeoverhisimageintheglass。Butwhathelovedandvaluedaboveallwasthemoneyhehadamassedbyhislabour,andbyallsortsofdevices：thatmoneymadehimtheequalofallwhohadbeenhissuperiors。

WhenhehadbitterlyremindedDouniathathehaddecidedtotakeherinspiteofevilreport,PyotrPetrovitchhadspokenwithperfectsincerityandhad,indeed,feltgenuinelyindignantatsuch“blackingratitude。“Andyet,whenhemadeDouniahisoffer,hewasfullyawareofthegroundlessnessofallthegossip。ThestoryhadbeeneverywherecontradictedbyMarfaPetrovna,andwasbythendisbelievedbyallthetownspeople,whowerewarminDounia\'adefence。Andhewouldnothavedeniedthatheknewallthatatthetime。YethestillthoughthighlyofhisownresolutioninliftingDouniatohislevelandregardeditassomethingheroic。InspeakingofittoDounia,hehadletoutthesecretfeelinghecherishedandadmired,andhecouldnotunderstandthatothersshouldfailtoadmireittoo。HehadcalledonRaskolnikovwiththefeelingsofabenefactorwhoisabouttoreapthefruitsofhisgooddeedsandtohearagreeableflattery。Andashewentdownstairsnow,heconsideredhimselfmostundeservedlyinjuredandunrecognised。

Douniawassimplyessentialtohim;todowithoutherwasunthinkable。Formanyyearshehadvoluptuousdreamsofmarriage,buthehadgoneonwaitingandamassingmoney。Hebroodedwithrelish,inprofoundsecret,overtheimageofagirl-virtuous,poor(shemustbepoor),veryyoung,verypretty,ofgoodbirthandeducation,verytimid,onewhohadsufferedmuch,andwascompletelyhumbledbeforehim,onewhowouldallherlifelookonhimashersaviour,worshiphim,admirehimandonlyhim。Howmanyscenes,howmanyamorousepisodeshehadimaginedonthisseductiveandplayfultheme,whenhisworkwasover!And,behold,thedreamofsomanyyearswasallbutrealised;thebeautyandeducationofAvdotyaRomanovnahadimpressedhim;herhelplesspositionhadbeenagreatallurement;inherhehadfoundevenmorethanhedreamedof。Herewasagirlofpride,character,virtue,ofeducationandbreedingsuperiortohisown(hefeltthat),andthiscreaturewouldbeslavishlygratefulallherlifeforhisheroiccondescension,andwouldhumbleherselfinthedustbeforehim,andhewouldhaveabsolute,unboundedpoweroverher!……Notlongbefore,hehad,too,afterlongreflectionandhesitation,madeanimportantchangeinhiscareerandwasnowenteringonawidercircleofbusiness。Withthischangehischerisheddreamsofrisingintoahigherclassofsocietyseemedlikelytoberealised……Hewas,infact,determinedtotryhisfortuneinPetersburg。Heknewthatwomencoulddoaverygreatdeal。Thefascinationofacharming,virtuous,highlyeducatedwomanmightmakehiswayeasier,mightdowondersinattractingpeopletohim,throwinganaureoleroundhim,andnoweverythingwasinruins!Thissuddenhorribleruptureaffectedhimlikeaclapofthunder;itwaslikeahideousjoke,anabsurdity。Hehadonlybeenatinybitmasterful,hadnoteventimetospeakout,hadsimplymadeajoke,beencarriedaway-andithadendedsoseriously。And,ofcourse,too,hedidloveDouniainhisownway;healreadypossessedherinhisdreams-andallatonce!No!Thenextday,theverynextday,itmustallbesetright,smoothedover,settled。Aboveallhemustcrushthatconceitedmilksopwhowasthecauseofitall。WithasickfeelinghecouldnothelprecallingRazumihintoo,but,hesoonreassuredhimselfonthatscore;asthoughafellowlikethatcouldbeputonalevelwithhim!ThemanhereallydreadedinearnestwasSvidrigailov……Hehad,inshort,agreatdealtoattendto-

“No,I,Iammoretoblamethananyone！”saidDounia,kissingandembracinghermother。“Iwastemptedbyhismoney,butonmyhonour,brother,Ihadnoideahewassuchabaseman。IfIhadseenthroughhimbefore,nothingwouldhavetemptedme!Don\'tblameme,brother！”

“Godhasdeliveredus!Godhasdeliveredus！”PulcheriaAlexandrovnamuttered,buthalfconsciously,asthoughscarcelyabletorealisewhathadhappened。

Theywereallrelieved,andinfiveminutestheywerelaughing。OnlynowandthenDouniaturnedwhiteandfrowned,rememberingwhathadpassed。PulcheriaAlexandrovnawassurprisedtofindthatshe,too,wasglad：shehadonlythatmorningthoughtrupturewithLuzhinaterriblemisfortune。Razumihinwasdelighted。Hedidnotyetdaretoexpresshisjoyfully,buthewasinafeverofexcitementasthoughaton-weighthadfallenoffhisheart。Nowhehadtherighttodevotehislifetothem,toservethem……Anythingmighthappennow!Buthefeltafraidtothinkoffurtherpossibilitiesanddarednotlethisimaginationrange。ButRaskolnikovsatstillinthesameplace,almostsullenandindifferent。ThoughhehadbeenthemostinsistentongettingridofLuzhin,heseemednowtheleastconcernedatwhathadhappened。Douniacouldnothelpthinkingthathewasstillangrywithher,andPulcheriaAlexandrovnawatchedhimtimidly。

“WhatdidSvidrigailovsaytoyou？”saidDounia,approachinghim。

“Yes,yes！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

Raskolnikovraisedhishead。

“Hewantstomakeyouapresentoftenthousandroublesandhedesirestoseeyouonceinmypresence。“

“Seeher!Onnoaccount！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“Andhowdareheofferhermoney！”

ThenRaskolnikovrepeated(ratherdrily)hisconversationwithSvidrigailov,omittinghisaccountoftheghostlyvisitationsofMarfaPetrovna,wishingtoavoidallunnecessarytalk。

“Whatanswerdidyougivehim？”askedDounia。

“AtfirstIsaidIwouldnottakeanymessagetoyou。Thenhesaidthathewoulddohisutmosttoobtainaninterviewwithyouwithoutmyhelp。Heassuredmethathispassionforyouwasapassinginfatuation,nowhehasnofeelingforyou。Hedoesn\'twantyoutomarryLuzhin……Histalkwasaltogetherrathermuddled。“

“Howdoyouexplainhimtoyourself,Rodya?Howdidhestrikeyou？”

“ImustconfessIdon\'tquiteunderstandhim。Heoffersyoutenthousand,andyetsaysheisnotwelloff。Hesaysheisgoingaway,andintenminutesheforgetshehassaidit。Thenhesaysishegoingtobemarriedandhasalreadyfixedonthegirl……Nodoubthehasamotive,andprobablyabadone。Butit\'soddthatheshouldbesoclumsyaboutitifhehadanydesignsagainstyou……Ofcourse,I

refusedthismoneyonyouraccount,onceforall。Altogether,I

thoughthimverystrange……Onemightalmostthinkhewasmad。ButImaybemistaken;thatmayonlybethepartheassumes。ThedeathofMarfaPetrovnaseemstohavemadeagreatimpressiononhim。“

“Godresthersoul,“exclaimedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“Ishallalways,alwaysprayforher!Whereshouldwebenow,Dounia,withoutthisthreethousand!It\'sasthoughithadfallenfromheaven!Why,Rodya,thismorningwehadonlythreeroublesinourpocketandDouniaandIwerejustplanningtopawnherwatch,soastoavoidborrowingfromthatmanuntilheofferedhelp。“

DouniaseemedstrangelyimpressedbySvidrigailov\'soffer。Shestillstoodmeditating。

“Hehasgotsometerribleplan,“shesaidinahalfwhispertoherself,almostshuddering。

Raskolnikovnoticedthisdisproportionateterror。

“IfancyIshallhavetoseehimmorethanonceagain,“hesaidtoDounia。

“Wewillwatchhim!Iwilltrackhimout！”criedRazumihin,vigorously。“Iwon\'tlosesightofhim。Rodyahasgivenmeleave。Hesaidtomehimselfjustnow。\'Takecareofmysister。\'Willyougivemeleave,too,AvdotyaRomanovna？”

Douniasmiledandheldoutherhand,butthelookofanxietydidnotleaveherface。PulcheriaAlexandrovnagazedathertimidly,butthethreethousandroubleshadobviouslyasoothingeffectonher。

Aquarterofanhourlater,theywereallengagedinalivelyconversation。EvenRaskolnikovlistenedattentivelyforsometime,thoughhedidnottalk。Razumihinwasthespeaker。

“Andwhy,whyshouldyougoaway？”heflowedonecstatically。“Andwhatareyoutodoinalittletown?Thegreatthingis,youareallheretogetherandyouneedoneanother-youdoneedoneanother,believeme。Foratime,anyway……TakemeintopartnershipandI

assureyouwe\'llplanacapitalenterprise。Listen!I\'llexplainitallindetailtoyou,thewholeproject!Itallflashedintomyheadthismorning,beforeanythinghadhappened……Itellyouwhat;I

haveanuncle,Imustintroducehimtoyou(amostaccommodatingandrespectableoldman)。Thisunclehasgotacapitalofathousandroubles,andhelivesonhispensionandhasnoneedofthatmoney。

Forthelasttwoyearshehasbeenbotheringmetoborrowitfromhimandpayhimsixpercent。interest。Iknowwhatthatmeans;hesimplywantstohelpme。LastyearIhadnoneedofit,butthisyearIresolvedtoborrowitassoonashearrived。Thenyoulendmeanotherthousandofyourthreeandwehaveenoughforastart,sowe\'llgointopartnership,andwhatarewegoingtodo？”

ThenRazumihinbegantounfoldhisproject,andheexplainedatlengththatalmostallourpublishersandbooksellersknownothingatallofwhattheyareselling,andforthatreasontheyareusuallybadpublishers,andthatanydecentpublicationspayasaruleandgiveaprofit,sometimesaconsiderableone。Razumihinhad,indeed,beendreamingofsettingupasapublisher。Forthelasttwoyearshehadbeenworkinginpublishers\'offices,andknewthreeEuropeanlanguageswell,thoughhehadtoldRaskolnikovsixdaysbeforethathewas“schwach“inGermanwithanobjectofpersuadinghimtotakehalfhistranslationandhalfthepaymentforit。Hehadtoldalie,then,andRaskolnikovknewhewaslying。

“Why,whyshouldweletourchanceslipwhenwehaveoneofthechiefmeansofsuccess-moneyofourown！”criedRazumihinwarmly。“Ofcoursetherewillbealotofwork,butwewillwork,you,AvdotyaRomanovna,I,Rodion……Yougetasplendidprofitonsomebooksnowadays!Andthegreatpointofthebusinessisthatweshallknowjustwhatwantstranslating,andweshallbetranslating,publishing,learningallatonce。IcanbeofusebecauseIhaveexperience。FornearlytwoyearsI\'vebeenscuttlingaboutamongthepublishers,andnowIknoweverydetailoftheirbusiness。Youneednotbeasainttomakepots,believeme!Andwhy,whyshouldweletourchanceslip!Why,Iknow-andIkeptthesecret-twoorthreebookswhichonemightgetahundredroublessimplyforthinkingoftranslatingandpublishing。Indeed,andIwouldnottakefivehundredfortheveryideaofoneofthem。Andwhatdoyouthink?IfIweretotellapublisher,Idaresayhe\'dhesitate-theyaresuchblockheads!Andasforthebusinessside,printing,paper,selling,youtrusttome,Iknowmywayabout。We\'llbegininasmallwayandgoontoalarge。Inanycaseitwillgetusourlivingandweshallgetbackourcapital。“

Dounia\'seyesshone。

“Ilikewhatyouaresaying,DmitriProkofitch！”shesaid。

“Iknownothingaboutit,ofcourse,“putinPulcheriaAlexandrovna,“itmaybeagoodidea,butagainGodknows。It\'snewanduntried。

Ofcourse,wemustremainhereatleastforatime。“ShelookedatRodya。

“Whatdoyouthink,brother？”saidDounia。

“Ithinkhe\'sgotaverygoodidea,“heanswered。“Ofcourse,it\'stoosoontodreamofapublishingfirm,butwecertainlymightbringoutfiveorsixbooksandbesureofsuccess。Iknowofonebookmyselfwhichwouldbesuretogowell。Andasforhisbeingabletomanageit,there\'snodoubtaboutthateither。Heknowsthebusiness……Butwecantalkitoverlater……“

“Hurrah！”criedRazumihin。“Now,stay,there\'saflathereinthishouse,belongingtothesameowner。It\'saspecialflatapart,notcommunicatingwiththeselodgings。It\'sfurnished,rentmoderate,threerooms。Supposeyoutakethemtobeginwith。I\'llpawnyourwatchto-morrowandbringyouthemoney,andeverythingcanbearrangedthen。Youcanallthreelivetogether,andRodyawillbewithyou。Butwhereareyouoffto,Rodya？”

“What,Rodya,youaregoingalready？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaaskedindismay。

“Atsuchaminute？”criedRazumihin。

Dounialookedatherbrotherwithincredulouswonder。Heheldhiscapinhishand,hewaspreparingtoleavethem。

“Onewouldthinkyouwereburyingmeorsayinggood-byeforever,“

hesaidsomewhatoddly。Heattemptedtosmile,butitdidnotturnoutasmile。“Butwhoknows,perhapsitisthelasttimeweshallseeeachother……“heletslipaccidentally。Itwaswhathewasthinking,anditsomehowwasutteredaloud。

“Whatisthematterwithyou？”criedhismother。

“Whereareyougoing,Rodya？”askedDouniaratherstrangely。

“Oh,I\'mquiteobligedto……“heansweredvaguely,asthoughhesitatingwhathewouldsay。Buttherewasalookofsharpdeterminationinhiswhiteface。

“Imeanttosay……asIwascominghere……Imeanttotellyou,mother,andyou,Dounia,thatitwouldbebetterforustopartforatime。Ifeelill,Iamnotatpeace……Iwillcomeafterwards,I

willcomeofmyself……whenit\'spossible,Irememberyouandloveyou……Leaveme,leavemealone。Idecidedthisevenbefore……I\'mabsolutelyresolvedonit。Whatevermaycometome,whetherIcometoruinornot,Iwanttobealone。Forgetmealtogether,it\'sbetter。

Don\'tinquireaboutme。WhenIcan,I\'llcomeofmyselfor……I\'llsendforyou。Perhapsitwillallcomeback,butnowifyouloveme,givemeup……elseIshallbegintohateyou,Ifeelit……Good-bye！”

“GoodGod！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Bothhismotherandhissisterwereterriblyalarmed。Razumihinwasalso。

“Rodya,Rodya,bereconciledwithus!Letusbeasbefore！”criedhispoormother。

Heturnedslowlytothedoorandslowlywentoutoftheroom。Douniaovertookhim。

“Brother,whatareyoudoingtomother？”shewhispered,hereyesflashingwithindignation。

Helookeddullyather。

“Nomatter,Ishallcome……I\'mcoming,“hemutteredinanundertone,asthoughnotfullyconsciousofwhathewassaying,andhewentoutoftheroom。

“Wicked,heartlessegoist！”criedDounia。

“Heisinsane,butnotheartless。Heismad!Don\'tyouseeit?

You\'reheartlessafterthat！”Razumihinwhisperedinherear,squeezingherhandtightly。“Ishallbebackdirectly,“heshoutedtothehorror-strickenmother,andheranoutoftheroom。

Raskolnikovwaswaitingforhimattheendofthepassage。

“Iknewyouwouldrunafterme,“hesaid。“Gobacktothem-bewiththem……bewiththemto-morrowandalways……I……perhapsI

shallcome……ifIcan。Good-bye。“

Andwithoutholdingouthishandhewalkedaway。

“Butwhereareyougoing?Whatareyoudoing?What\'sthematterwithyou?Howcanyougoonlikethis？”Razumihinmuttered,athiswits\'

end。

Raskolnikovstoppedoncemore。

“Onceforall,neveraskmeaboutanything。Ihavenothingtotellyou。Don\'tcometoseeme。MaybeI\'llcomehere……Leaveme,butdon\'tleavethem。Doyouunderstandme？”

Itwasdarkinthecorridor,theywerestandingnearthelamp。Foraminutetheywerelookingatoneanotherinsilence。Razumihinrememberedthatminuteallhislife。Raskolnikov\'sburningandintenteyesgrewmorepenetratingeverymoment,piercingintohissoul,intohisconsciousness。SuddenlyRazumihinstarted。Somethingstrange,asitwere,passedbetweenthem……Someidea,somehintasitwere,slipped,somethingawful,hideous,andsuddenlyunderstoodonbothsides……Razumihinturnedpale。

“Doyouunderstandnow？”saidRaskolnikov,hisfacetwitchingnervously。“Goback,gotothem,“hesaidsuddenly,andturningquickly,hewentoutofthehouse。

IwillnotattempttodescribehowRazumihinwentbacktotheladies,howhesoothedthem,howheprotestedthatRodyaneededrestinhisillness,protestedthatRodyawassuretocome,thathewouldcomeeveryday,thathewasvery,verymuchupset,thathemustnotbeirritated,thathe,Razumihin,wouldwatchoverhim,wouldgethimadoctor,thebestdoctor,aconsultation……InfactfromthateveningRazumihintookhisplacewiththemasasonandabrother。

ChapterFourRASKOLNIKOVWENTstraighttothehouseonthecanalbankwhereSonialived。Itwasanoldgreenhouseofthreestoreys。HefoundtheporterandobtainedfromhimvaguedirectionsastothewhereaboutsofKapernaumov,thetailor。Havingfoundinthecornerofthecourtyardtheentrancetothedarkandnarrowstaircase,hemountedtothesecondfloorandcameoutintoagallerythatranroundthewholesecondstoreyovertheyard。Whilehewaswanderinginthedarkness,uncertainwheretoturnforKapernaumov\'sdoor,adooropenedthreepacesfromhim;hemechanicallytookholdofit。

“Whoisthere？”awoman\'svoiceaskeduneasily。

“It\'sI……cometoseeyou,“answeredRaskolnikovandhewalkedintothetinyentry。

Onabrokenchairstoodacandleinabatteredcoppercandlestick。

“It\'syou!Goodheavens！”criedSoniaweaklyandshestoodrootedtothespot。

“Whichisyourroom?Thisway？”andRaskolnikov,tryingnottolookather,hastenedin。

AminutelaterSonia,too,cameinwiththecandle,setdownthecandlestickand,completelydisconcerted,stoodbeforehiminexpressiblyagitatedandapparentlyfrightenedbyhisunexpectedvisit。Thecolourrushedsuddenlytoherpalefaceandtearscameintohereyes……Shefeltsickandashamedandhappy,too……Raskolnikovturnedawayquicklyandsatonachairbythetable。Hescannedtheroominarapidglance。

Itwasalargebutexceedinglow-pitchedroom,theonlyoneletbytheKapernaumovs,towhoseroomsacloseddoorledinthewallontheleft。Intheoppositesideontherighthandwallwasanotherdoor,alwayskeptlocked。Thatledtothenextflat,whichformedaseparatelodging。Sonia\'sroomlookedlikeabarn;itwasaveryirregularquadrangleandthisgaveitagrotesqueappearance。Awallwiththreewindowslookingoutontothecanalranaslantsothatonecornerformedaveryacuteangle,anditwasdifficulttoseeinitwithoutverystronglight。Theothercornerwasdisproportionatelyobtuse。Therewasscarcelyanyfurnitureinthebigroom：inthecornerontherightwasabedstead,besideit,nearestthedoor,achair。Aplain,dealtablecoveredbyablueclothstoodagainstthesamewall,closetothedoorintotheotherflat。Tworush-bottomchairsstoodbythetable。Ontheoppositewallneartheacuteanglestoodasmallplainwoodenchestofdrawerslooking,asitwere,lostinadesert。Thatwasalltherewasintheroom。Theyellow,scratchedandshabbywall-paperwasblackinthecorners。Itmusthavebeendampandfulloffumesinthewinter。Therewaseverysignofpoverty;eventhebedsteadhadnocurtain。

Sonialookedinsilenceathervisitor,whowassoattentivelyandunceremoniouslyscrutinisingherroom,andevenbeganatlasttotremblewithterror,asthoughshewasstandingbeforeherjudgeandthearbiterofherdestinies。

“Iamlate……eleven,isn\'tit？”heasked,stillnotliftinghiseyes。

“Yes,“mutteredSonia,“oh,yes,itis,“sheadded,hastily,asthoughinthatlayhermeansofescape。“Mylandlady\'sclockhasjuststruck……Ihearditmyself……“

“I\'vecometoyouforthelasttime,“Raskolnikovwentongloomily,althoughthiswasthefirsttime。“Imayperhapsnotseeyouagain……“

“Areyou……goingaway？”

“Idon\'tknow……to-morrow……“

“ThenyouarenotcomingtoKaterinaIvanovnato-morrow？”Sonia\'svoiceshook。

“Idon\'tknow。Ishallknowto-morrowmorning……Nevermindthat：

I\'vecometosayoneword……“

Heraisedhisbroodingeyestoherandsuddenlynoticedthathewassittingdownwhileshewasallthewhilestandingbeforehim。

“Whyareyoustanding?Sitdown,“hesaidinachangedvoice,gentleandfriendly。

Shesatdown。Helookedkindlyandalmostcompassionatelyather。

“Howthinyouare!Whatahand!Quitetransparent,likeadeadhand。“

Hetookherhand。Soniasmiledfaintly。

“Ihavealwaysbeenlikethat,“shesaid。

“Evenwhenyoulivedathome？”

“Yes。“

“Ofcourse,youwere,“headdedabruptlyandtheexpressionofhisfaceandthesoundofhisvoicechangedagainsuddenly。

Helookedroundhimoncemore。

“YourentthisroomfromtheKapernaumovs？”

“Yes……“

“Theylivethere,throughthatdoor？”

“Yes……Theyhaveanotherroomlikethis。“

“Allinoneroom？”

“Yes。“

“Ishouldbeafraidinyourroomatnight,“heobservedgloomily。

“Theyareverygoodpeople,verykind,“answeredSonia,whostillseemedbewildered,“andallthefurniture,everything……everythingistheirs。Andtheyareverykindandthechildren,too,oftencometoseeme。“

“Theyallstammer,don\'tthey？”

“Yes……Hestammersandhe\'slame。Andhiswife,too……It\'snotexactlythatshestammers,butshecan\'tspeakplainly。Sheisaverykindwoman。Andheusedtobeahouseserf。Andtherearesevenchildren……andit\'sonlytheeldestonethatstammersandtheothersaresimplyill……buttheydon\'tstammer……Butwheredidyouhearaboutthem？”sheaddedwithsomesurprise。

“Yourfathertoldme,then。Hetoldmeallaboutyou……Andhowyouwentoutatsixo\'clockandcamebackatnineandhowKaterinaIvanovnakneltdownbyyourbed。“

Soniawasconfused。

“IfanciedIsawhimto-day,“shewhisperedhesitatingly。

“Whom？”

“Father。Iwaswalkinginthestreet,outthereatthecorner,aboutteno\'clockandheseemedtobewalkinginfront。Itlookedjustlikehim。IwantedtogotoKaterinaIvanovna……“

“Youwerewalkinginthestreets？”

“Yes,“Soniawhisperedabruptly,againovercomewithconfusionandlookingdown。

“KaterinaIvanovnausedtobeatyou,Idaresay？”

“Ohno,whatareyousaying?No！”Sonialookedathimalmostwithdismay。

“Youloveher,then？”

“Loveher?Ofcourse！”saidSoniawithplaintiveemphasis,andsheclaspedherhandsindistress。“Ah,youdon\'t……Ifyouonlyknew!

Yousee,sheisquitelikeachild……Hermindisquiteunhinged,yousee……fromsorrow。Andhowcleversheusedtobe……howgenerous……

howkind!Ah,youdon\'tunderstand,youdon\'tunderstand！”

Soniasaidthisasthoughindespair,wringingherhandsinexcitementanddistress。Herpalecheeksflushed,therewasalookofanguishinhereyes。Itwasclearthatshewasstirredtotheverydepths,thatshewaslongingtospeak,tochampion,toexpresssomething。Asortofinsatiablecompassion,ifonemaysoexpressit,wasreflectedineveryfeatureofherface。

“Beatme!howcanyou?Goodheavens,beatme!Andifshedidbeatme,whatthen?Whatofit?Youknownothing,nothingaboutit……

Sheissounhappy……ah,howunhappy!Andill……Sheisseekingrighteousness,sheispure。Shehassuchfaiththattheremustberighteousnesseverywhereandsheexpectsit……Andifyouweretotortureher,shewouldn\'tdowrong。Shedoesn\'tseethatit\'simpossibleforpeopletoberighteousandsheisangryatit。Likeachild,likeachild。Sheisgood！”

“Andwhatwillhappentoyou？”

Sonialookedathiminquiringly。

“Theyareleftonyourhands,yousee。Theywereallonyourhandsbefore,though……Andyourfathercametoyoutobegfordrink。Well,howwillitbenow？”

“Idon\'tknow,“Soniaarticulatedmournfully。

“Willtheystaythere？”

“Idon\'tknow……Theyareindebtforthelodging,butthelandlady,Ihear,saidto-daythatshewantedtogetridofthem,andKaterinaIvanovnasaysthatshewon\'tstayanotherminute。“

“Howisitsheissobold?Shereliesuponyou？”

“Oh,no,don\'ttalklikethat……Weareone,welivelikeone。“

Soniawasagitatedagainandevenangry,asthoughacanaryorsomeotherlittlebirdweretobeangry。“Andwhatcouldshedo?What,whatcouldshedo？”shepersisted,gettinghotandexcited。“Andhowshecriedto-day!Hermindisunhinged,haven\'tyounoticedit?Atoneminutesheisworryinglikeachildthateverythingshouldberightto-morrow,thelunchandallthat……Thensheiswringingherhands,spittingblood,weeping,andallatonceshewillbeginknockingherheadagainstthewall,indespair。Thenshewillbecomfortedagain。Shebuildsallherhopesonyou;shesaysthatyouwillhelphernowandthatshewillborrowalittlemoneysomewhereandgotohernativetownwithmeandsetupaboardingschoolforthedaughtersofgentlemenandtakemetosuperintendit,andwewillbeginanewsplendidlife。Andshekissesandhugsme,comfortsme,andyouknowshehassuchfaith,suchfaithinherfancies!Onecan\'tcontradicther。Andallthedaylongshehasbeenwashing,cleaning,mending。Shedraggedthewashtubintotheroomwithherfeeblehandsandsankonthebed,gaspingforbreath。WewentthismorningtotheshopstobuyshoesforPolenkaandLidafortheirsarequitewornout。Onlythemoneywe\'dreckonedwasn\'tenough,notnearlyenough。Andshepickedoutsuchdearlittleboots,forshehastaste,youdon\'tknow。Andthereintheshopsheburstoutcryingbeforetheshopmenbecauseshehadn\'tenough……Ah,itwassadtoseeher……“

“Well,afterthatIcanunderstandyourlivinglikethis,“

Raskolnikovsaidwithabittersmile。

“Andaren\'tyousorryforthem?Aren\'tyousorry？”Soniaflewathimagain。“Why,Iknow,yougaveyourlastpennyyourself,thoughyou\'dseennothingofit,andifyou\'dseeneverything,ohdear!Andhowoften,howoftenI\'vebroughthertotears!Onlylastweek!Yes,I!

Onlyaweekbeforehisdeath。Iwascruel!AndhowoftenI\'vedoneit!

Ah,I\'vebeenwretchedatthethoughtofitallday！”

Soniawrungherhandsasshespokeatthepainofrememberingit。

“Youwerecruel？”

“Yes,I-I。Iwenttoseethem,“shewenton,weeping,“andfathersaid,\'readmesomething,Sonia,myheadaches,readtome,here\'sabook。\'HehadabookhehadgotfromAndreySemyonovitchLebeziatnikov,helivesthere,healwaysusedtogetholdofsuchfunnybooks。AndIsaid,\'Ican\'tstay,\'asIdidn\'twanttoread,andI\'dgoneinchieflytoshowKaterinaIvanovnasomecollars。