第16章

Sometimesshestealsalookatmethatpositivelyscorchesme。HerfaceislikeRaphael\'sMadonna。Youknow,theSistineMadonna\'sfacehassomethingfantasticinit,thefaceofmournfulreligiousecstasy。

Haven\'tyounoticedit?Well,she\'ssomethinginthatline。Thedayafterwe\'dbeenbetrothed,Iboughtherpresentstothevalueoffifteenhundredroubles-asetofdiamondsandanotherofpearlsandasilverdressing-caseaslargeasthis,withallsortsofthingsinit,sothatevenmyMadonna\'sfaceglowed。Isatheronmyknee,yesterday,andIsupposerathertoounceremoniously-sheflushedcrimsonandthetearsstarted,butshedidn\'twanttoshowit。Wewereleftalone,shesuddenlyflungherselfonmyneck(forthefirsttimeofherownaccord),putherlittlearmsroundme,kissedme,andvowedthatshewouldbeanobedient,faithful,andgoodwife,wouldmakemehappy,woulddevoteallherlife,everyminuteofherlife,wouldsacrificeeverything,everything,andthatallsheasksinreturnismyrespect,andthatshewants\'nothing,nothingmorefromme,nopresents。\'You\'lladmitthattohearsuchaconfession,alone,fromanangelofsixteeninamuslinfrock,withlittlecurls,withaflushofmaidenshynessinhercheeksandtearsofenthusiasminhereyesisratherfascinating!Isn\'titfascinating?

It\'sworthpayingfor,isn\'tit?Well……listen,we\'llgotoseemybetrothed,onlynotjustnow！”

“Thefactisthismonstrousdifferenceinageanddevelopmentexcitesyoursensuality!Willyoureallymakesuchamarriage？”

“Why,ofcourse。Everyonethinksofhimself,andhelivesmostgailywhoknowsbesthowtodeceivehimself。Ha-ha!Butwhyareyousokeenaboutvirtue?Havemercyonme,mygoodfriend。Iamasinfulman。Ha-ha-ha！”

“ButyouhaveprovidedforthechildrenofKaterinaIvanovna。

Though……thoughyouhadyourownreasons……Iunderstanditallnow。“

“Iamalwaysfondofchildren,veryfondofthem,“laughedSvidrigailov。“Icantellyouonecuriousinstanceofit。ThefirstdayIcamehereIvisitedvarioushaunts,aftersevenyearsIsimplyrushedatthem。YouprobablynoticethatIamnotinahurrytorenewacquaintancewithmyoldfriends。IshalldowithoutthemaslongasIcan。Doyouknow,whenIwaswithMarfaPetrovnainthecountry,Iwashauntedbythethoughtoftheseplaceswhereanyonewhoknowshiswayaboutcanfindagreatdeal。Yes,uponmysoul!

Thepeasantshavevodka,theeducatedyoungpeople,shutoutfromactivity,wastethemselvesinimpossibledreamsandvisionsandarecrippledbytheories;Jewshavesprungupandareamassingmoney,andalltherestgivethemselvesuptodebauchery。Fromthefirsthourthetownreekedofitsfamiliarodours。Ichancedtobeinafrightfulden-Ilikemydensdirty-itwasadance,socalled,andtherewasacancansuchasIneversawinmyday。Yes,thereyouhaveprogress。AllofasuddenIsawalittlegirlofthirteen,nicelydressed,dancingwithaspecialistinthatline,withanotheronevis-a-vis。Hermotherwassittingonachairbythewall。Youcan\'tfancywhatacancanthatwas!Thegirlwasashamed,blushed,atlastfeltinsulted,andbegantocry。Herpartnerseizedherandbeganwhirlingherroundandperformingbeforeher;everyonelaughedand-I

likeyourpublic,eventhecancanpublic-theylaughedandshouted,\'Servesherright-servesherright!Shouldn\'tbringchildren!\'

Well,it\'snotmybusinesswhetherthatconsolingreflectionwaslogicalornot。Iatoncefixedonmyplan,satdownbythemother,andbeganbysayingthatItoowasastrangerandthatpeopleherewereill-bredandthattheycouldn\'tdistinguishdecentfolksandtreatthemwithrespect,gavehertounderstandthatIhadplentyofmoney,offeredtotakethemhomeinmycarriage。Itookthemhomeandgottoknowthem。Theywerelodginginamiserablelittleholeandhadonlyjustarrivedfromthecountry。Shetoldmethatsheandherdaughtercouldonlyregardmyacquaintanceasanhonour。Ifoundoutthattheyhadnothingoftheirownandhadcometotownuponsomelegalbusiness。Iprofferedmyservicesandmoney。Ilearntthattheyhadgonetothedancingsaloonbymistake,believingthatitwasagenuinedancingclass。Iofferedtoassistintheyounggirl\'seducationinFrenchanddancing。Myofferwasacceptedwithenthusiasmasanhonour-andwearestillfriendly……Ifyoulike,we\'llgoandseethem,onlynotjustnow。“

“Stop!Enoughofyourvile,nastyanecdotes,depravedvile,sensualman！”

“Schiller,youarearegularSchiller!Olavertuva-t-ellesenicher?ButyouknowIshalltellyouthesethingsonpurpose,forthepleasureofhearingyouroutcries！”

“Idaresay。IcanseeIamridiculousmyself,“mutteredRaskolnikovangrily。

Svidrigailovlaughedheartily;finallyhecalledPhilip,paidhisbill,andbegangettingup。

“Isay,butIamdrunk,assezcause,“hesaid。“It\'sbeenapleasure。“

“Ishouldratherthinkitmustbeapleasure！”criedRaskolnikov,gettingup。“Nodoubtitisapleasureforaworn-outprofligatetodescribesuchadventureswithamonstrousprojectofthesamesortinhismind-especiallyundersuchcircumstancesandtosuchamanasme……It\'sstimulating！”

“Well,ifyoucometothat,“Svidrigailovanswered,scrutinisingRaskolnikovwithsomesurprise,“ifyoucometothat,youareathoroughcynicyourself。You\'veplentytomakeyouso,anyway。Youcanunderstandagreatdeal……andyoucandoagreatdealtoo。Butenough。Isincerelyregretnothavinghadmoretalkwithyou,butI

shan\'tlosesightofyou……Onlywaitabit。“

Svidrigailovwalkedoutoftherestaurant。Raskolnikovwalkedoutafterhim。Svidrigailovwasnothoweververydrunk,thewinehadaffectedhimforamoment,butitwaspassingoffeveryminute。Hewaspreoccupiedwithsomethingofimportanceandwasfrowning。Hewasapparentlyexcitedanduneasyinanticipationofsomething。HismannertoRaskolnikovhadchangedduringthelastfewminutes,andhewasruderandmoresneeringeverymoment。Raskolnikovnoticedallthis,andhetoowasuneasy。HebecameverysuspiciousofSvidrigailovandresolvedtofollowhim。

Theycameoutontothepavement。

“Yougototheright,andItotheleft,orifyoulike,theotherway。Onlyadieu,monplaisir,maywemeetagain。“

AndhewalkedtotherighttowardstheHayMarket。

ChapterFiveRASKOLNIKOVwalkedafterhim。

“What\'sthis？”criedSvidrigailovturninground,“IthoughtI

said……“

“ItmeansthatIamnotgoingtolosesightofyounow。“

“What？”

Bothstoodstillandgazedatoneanother,asthoughmeasuringtheirstrength。

“Fromallyourhalftipsystories,“Raskolnikovobservedharshly,“I

ampositivethatyouhavenotgivenupyourdesignsonmysister,butarepursuingthemmoreactivelythanever。Ihavelearntthatmysisterreceivedaletterthismorning。Youhavehardlybeenabletositstillallthistime……Youmayhaveunearthedawifeontheway,butthatmeansnothing。Ishouldliketomakecertainmyself。“

Raskolnikovcouldhardlyhavesaidhimselfwhathewantedandofwhathewishedtomakecertain。

“Uponmyword!I\'llcallthepolice！”

“Callaway！”

Againtheystoodforaminutefacingeachother。AtlastSvidrigailov\'sfacechanged。HavingsatisfiedhimselfthatRaskolnikovwasnotfrightenedathisthreat,heassumedamirthfulandfriendlyair。

“Whatafellow!Ipurposelyrefrainedfromreferringtoyouraffair,thoughIamdevouredbycuriosity。It\'safantasticaffair。I\'veputitofftillanothertime,butyou\'reenoughtorousethedead……

Well,letusgo,onlyIwarnyoubeforehandIamonlygoinghomeforamoment,togetsomemoney;thenIshalllockuptheflat,takeacabandgotospendtheeveningattheIslands。Now,nowareyougoingtofollowme？”

“I\'mcomingtoyourlodgings,nottoseeyoubutSofyaSemyonovna,tosayI\'msorrynottohavebeenatthefuneral。“

“That\'sasyoulike,butSofyaSemyonovnaisnotathome。Shehastakenthethreechildrentoanoldladyofhighrank,thepatronessofsomeorphanasylums,whomIusedtoknowyearsago。IcharmedtheoldladybydepositingasumofmoneywithhertoprovideforthethreechildrenofKaterinaIvanovnaandsubscribingtotheinstitutionaswell。ItoldhertoothestoryofSofyaSemyonovnainfulldetail,suppressingnothing。Itproducedanindescribableeffectonher。That\'swhySofyaSemyonovnahasbeeninvitedtocallto-dayattheX。Hotelwheretheladyisstayingforthetime。“

“Nomatter,I\'llcomeallthesame。“

“Asyoulike,it\'snothingtome,butIwon\'tcomewithyou;hereweareathome。Bytheway,IamconvincedthatyouregardmewithsuspicionjustbecauseIhaveshownsuchdelicacyandhavenotsofartroubledyouwithquestions……youunderstand?Itstruckyouasextraordinary;Idon\'tmindbettingit\'sthat。Well,itteachesonetoshowdelicacy！”

“Andtolistenatdoors！”

“Ah,that\'sit,isit？”laughedSvidrigailov。“Yes,Ishouldhavebeensurprisedifyouhadletthatpassafterallthathashappened。

Ha-ha!ThoughIdidunderstandsomethingofthepranksyouhadbeenuptoandweretellingSofyaSemyonovnaabout,whatwasthemeaningofit?PerhapsIamquitebehindthetimesandcan\'tunderstand。Forgoodness\'sake,explainit,mydearboy。Expoundthelatesttheories！”

“Youcouldn\'thaveheardanything。You\'remakingitallup！”

“ButI\'mnottalkingaboutthat(thoughIdidhearsomething)。No,I\'mtalkingofthewayyoukeepsighingandgroaningnow。TheSchillerinyouisinrevolteverymoment,andnowyoutellmenottolistenatdoors。Ifthat\'showyoufeel,goandinformthepolicethatyouhadthismischance;youmadealittlemistakeinyourtheory。Butifyouareconvincedthatonemustn\'tlistenatdoors,butonemaymurderoldwomenatone\'spleasure,you\'dbetterbeofftoAmericaandmakehaste。Run,youngman!Theremaystillbetime。I\'mspeakingsincerely。Haven\'tyouthemoney?I\'llgiveyouthefare。“

“I\'mnotthinkingofthatatall,“Raskolnikovinterruptedwithdisgust。

“Iunderstand(butdon\'tputyourselfout,don\'tdiscussitifyoudon\'twantto)。Iunderstandthequestionsyouareworryingover-

moralones,aren\'tthey?Dutiesofcitizenandman?Laythemallaside。Theyarenothingtoyounow,ha-ha!You\'llsayyouarestillamanandacitizen。Ifsoyououghtnottohavegotintothiscoil。

It\'snousetakingupajobyouarenotfitfor。Well,you\'dbettershootyourself,ordon\'tyouwantto？”

“Youseemtryingtoenrageme,tomakemeleaveyou。“

“Whataqueerfellow!Buthereweare。Welcometothestaircase。Yousee,that\'sthewaytoSofyaSemyonovna。Look,thereisnooneathome。Don\'tyoubelieveme?AskKapernaumov。Sheleavesthekeywithhim。HereisMadamedeKapernaumovherself。Hey,what?Sheisratherdeaf。Hasshegoneout?Where?Didyouhear?Sheisnotinandwon\'tbetilllateintheeveningprobably。Well,cometomyroom;youwantedtocomeandseeme,didn\'tyou?Hereweare。MadameResslich\'snotathome。Sheisawomanwhoisalwaysbusy,anexcellentwomanIassureyou……Shemighthavebeenofusetoyouifyouhadbeenalittlemoresensible。Now,see!Itakethisfivepercent。bondoutofthebureau-seewhatalotI\'vegotofthemstill-

thisonewillbeturnedintocashto-day。Imustn\'twasteanymoretime。Thebureauislocked,theflatislocked,andhereweareagainonthestairs。Shallwetakeacab?I\'mgoingtotheIslands。

Wouldyoulikealift?I\'lltakethiscarriage。Ah,yourefuse?Youaretiredofit!Comeforadrive!Ibelieveitwillcomeontorain。Nevermind,we\'llputdownthehood……“

Svidrigailovwasalreadyinthecarriage。Raskolnikovdecidedthathissuspicionswereatleastforthatmomentunjust。WithoutansweringawordheturnedandwalkedbacktowardstheHayMarket。IfhehadonlyturnedroundonhiswayhemighthaveseenSvidrigailovgetoutnotahundredpacesoff,dismissthecabandwalkalongthepavement。Buthehadturnedthecornerandcouldseenothing。

IntensedisgustdrewhimawayfromSvidrigailov。

“TothinkthatIcouldforoneinstanthavelookedforhelpfromthatcoarsebrute,thatdepravedsensualistandblackguard！”hecried。

Raskolnikov\'sjudgmentwasutteredtoolightlyandhastily：therewassomethingaboutSvidrigailovwhichgavehimacertainoriginal,evenamysteriouscharacter。Asconcernedhissister,RaskolnikovwasconvincedthatSvidrigailovwouldnotleaveherinpeace。Butitwastootiresomeandunbearabletogoonthinkingandthinkingaboutthis。

Whenhewasalone,hehadnotgonetwentypacesbeforehesank,asusual,intodeepthought。Onthebridgehestoodbytherailingandbegangazingatthewater。Andhissisterwasstandingclosebyhim。

Hemetherattheentrancetothebridge,butpassedbywithoutseeingher。Douniahadnevermethimlikethisinthestreetbeforeandwasstruckwithdismay。Shestoodstillanddidnotknowwhethertocalltohimornot。SuddenlyshesawSvidrigailovcomingquicklyfromthedirectionoftheHayMarket。

Heseemedtobeapproachingcautiously。Hedidnotgoontothebridge,butstoodasideonthepavement,doingallhecouldtoavoidRaskolnikov\'sseeinghim。HehadobservedDouniaforsometimeandhadbeenmakingsignstoher。Shefanciedhewassignallingtobeghernottospeaktoherbrother,buttocometohim。

ThatwaswhatDouniadid。ShestolebyherbrotherandwentuptoSvidrigailov。

“Letusmakehasteaway,“Svidrigailovwhisperedtoher,“Idon\'twantRodionRomanovitchtoknowofourmeeting。ImusttellyouI\'vebeensittingwithhimintherestaurantcloseby,wherehelookedmeupandIhadgreatdifficultyingettingridofhim。Hehassomehowheardofmylettertoyouandsuspectssomething。Itwasn\'tyouwhotoldhim,ofcourse,butifnotyou,whothen？”

“Well,we\'veturnedthecornernow,“Douniainterrupted,“andmybrotherwon\'tseeus。IhavetotellyouthatIamgoingnofurtherwithyou。Speaktomehere。Youcantellitallinthestreet。“

“Inthefirstplace,Ican\'tsayitinthestreet;secondly,youmusthearSofyaSemyonovnatoo;and,thirdly,Iwillshowyousomepapers……Ohwell,ifyouwon\'tagreetocomewithme,Ishallrefusetogiveanyexplanationandgoawayatonce。ButIbegyounottoforgetthataverycurioussecretofyourbelovedbrother\'sisentirelyinmykeeping。“

Douniastoodstill,hesitating,andlookedatSvidrigailovwithsearchingeyes。

“Whatareyouafraidof？”heobservedquietly。“Thetownisnotthecountry。AndeveninthecountryyoudidmemoreharmthanIdidyou。“

“HaveyoupreparedSofyaSemyonovna？”

“No,Ihavenotsaidawordtoherandamnotquitecertainwhethersheisathomenow。Butmostlikelysheis。Shehasburiedherstepmotherto-day：sheisnotlikelytogovisitingonsuchaday。ForthetimeIdon\'twanttospeaktoanyoneaboutitandIhalfregrethavingspokentoyou。Theslightestindiscretionisasbadasbetrayalinathinglikethis。Ilivethereinthathouse,wearecomingtoit。

That\'stheporterofourhouse-heknowsmeverywell;yousee,he\'sbowing;heseesI\'mcomingwithaladyandnodoubthehasnoticedyourfacealreadyandyouwillbegladofthatifyouareafraidofmeandsuspicious。Excusemyputtingthingssocoarsely。Ihaven\'taflattomyself;SofyaSemyonovna\'sroomisnexttomine-shelodgesinthenextflat。Thewholefloorisletoutinlodgings。Whyareyoufrightenedlikeachild?AmIreallysoterrible？”

Svidrigailov\'slipsweretwistedinacondescendingsmile;buthewasinnosmilingmood。Hisheartwasthrobbingandhecouldscarcelybreathe。Hespokeratherloudtocoverhisgrowingexcitement。ButDouniadidnotnoticethispeculiarexcitement,shewassoirritatedbyhisremarkthatshewasfrightenedofhimlikeachildandthathewassoterribletoher。

“ThoughIknowthatyouarenotaman……ofhonour,Iamnotintheleastafraidofyou。Leadtheway,“shesaidwithapparentcomposure,butherfacewasverypale。

SvidrigailovstoppedatSonia\'sroom。

“Allowmetoinquirewhethersheisathome……Sheisnot。Howunfortunate!ButIknowshemaycomequitesoon。Ifshe\'sgoneout,itcanonlybetoseealadyabouttheorphans。Theirmotherisdead……I\'vebeenmeddlingandmakingarrangementsforthem。IfSofyaSemyonovnadoesnotcomebackintenminutes,Iwillsendhertoyou,to-dayifyoulike。Thisismyflat。Thesearemytworooms。

MadameResslich,mylandlady,hasthenextroom。Now,lookthisway。I

willshowyoumychiefpieceofevidence：thisdoorfrommybedroomleadsintotwoperfectlyemptyrooms,whicharetolet。Heretheyare……Youmustlookintothemwithsomeattention。“

Svidrigailovoccupiedtwofairlylargefurnishedrooms。Douniawaslookingabouthermistrustfully,butsawnothingspecialinthefurnitureorpositionoftherooms。Yettherewassomethingtoobserve,forinstance,thatSvidrigailov\'sflatwasexactlybetweentwosetsofalmostuninhabitedapartments。Hisroomswerenotentereddirectlyfromthepassage,butthroughthelandlady\'stwoalmostemptyrooms。Unlockingadoorleadingoutofhisbedroom,SvidrigailovshowedDouniathetwoemptyroomsthatweretolet。

Douniastoppedinthedoorway,notknowingwhatshewascalledtolookupon,butSvidrigailovhastenedtoexplain。

“Lookhere,atthissecondlargeroom。Noticethatdoor,it\'slocked。Bythedoorstandsachair,theonlyoneinthetworooms。I

broughtitfrommyroomssoastolistenmoreconveniently。JusttheothersideofthedoorisSofyaSemyonovna\'stable;shesattheretalkingtoRodionRomanovitch。AndIsatherelisteningontwosuccessiveevenings,fortwohourseachtime-andofcourseIwasabletolearnsomething,whatdoyouthink？”

“Youlistened？”

“Yes,Idid。Nowcomebacktomyroom;wecan\'tsitdownhere。“

HebroughtAvdotyaRomanovnabackintohissitting-roomandofferedherachair。Hesatdownattheoppositesideofthetable,atleastsevenfeetfromher,butprobablytherewasthesameglowinhiseyeswhichhadoncefrightenedDouniasomuch。Sheshudderedandoncemorelookedaboutherdistrustfully。Itwasaninvoluntarygesture;sheevidentlydidnotwishtobetrayheruneasiness。ButthesecludedpositionofSvidrigailov\'slodginghadsuddenlystruckher。Shewantedtoaskwhetherhislandladyatleastwereathome,butpridekeptherfromasking。Moreover,shehadanothertroubleinherheartincomparablygreaterthanfearforherself。Shewasingreatdistress。

“Hereisyourletter,“shesaid,layingitonthetable。“Canitbetruewhatyouwrite?Youhintatacrimecommitted,yousay,bymybrother。Youhintatittooclearly;youdaren\'tdenyitnow。I

musttellyouthatI\'dheardofthisstupidstorybeforeyouwroteanddon\'tbelieveawordofit。It\'sadisgustingandridiculoussuspicion。Iknowthestoryandwhyandhowitwasinvented。Youcanhavenoproofs。Youpromisedtoproveit。Speak!ButletmewarnyouthatIdon\'tbelieveyou!Idon\'tbelieveyou！”

Douniasaidthis,speakinghurriedly,andforaninstantthecolourrushedtoherface。

“Ifyoudidn\'tbelieveit,howcouldyouriskcomingalonetomyrooms?Whyhaveyoucome?Simplyfromcuriosity？”

“Don\'ttormentme。Speak,speak！”

“There\'snodenyingthatyouareabravegirl。Uponmyword,I

thoughtyouwouldhaveaskedMr。Razumihintoescortyouhere。Buthewasnotwithyounoranywherenear。Iwasonthelook-out。It\'sspiritedofyou,itprovesyouwantedtospareRodionRomanovitch。Buteverythingisdivineinyou……Aboutyourbrother,whatamItosaytoyou?You\'vejustseenhimyourself。Whatdidyouthinkofhim？”

“Surelythat\'snottheonlythingyouarebuildingon？”

“No,notonthat,butonhisownwords。HecamehereontwosuccessiveeveningstoseeSofyaSemyonovna。I\'veshownyouwheretheysat。Hemadeafullconfessiontoher。Heisamurderer。Hekilledanoldwoman,apawnbroker,withwhomhehadpawnedthingshimself。Hekilledhersistertoo,apedlarwomancalledLizaveta,whohappenedtocomeinwhilehewasmurderinghersister。Hekilledthemwithanaxehebroughtwithhim。Hemurderedthemtorobthemandhedidrobthem。Hetookmoneyandvariousthings……Hetoldallthis,wordforword,toSofyaSemyonovna,theonlypersonwhoknowshissecret。

Butshehashadnosharebywordordeedinthemurder;shewasashorrifiedatitasyouarenow。Don\'tbeanxious,shewon\'tbetrayhim。“

“Itcannotbe,“mutteredDounia,withwhitelips。Shegaspedforbreath。“Itcannotbe。Therewasnottheslightestcause,nosortofground……It\'salie,alie！”

“Herobbedher,thatwasthecause,hetookmoneyandthings。It\'struethatbyhisownadmissionhemadenouseofthemoneyorthings,buthidthemunderastone,wheretheyarenow。Butthatwasbecausehedarednotmakeuseofthem。“

“Buthowcouldhesteal,rob?Howcouldhedreamofit？”criedDounia,andshejumpedupfromthechair。“Why,youknowhim,andyou\'veseenhim,canhebeathief？”

SheseemedtobeimploringSvidrigailov;shehadentirelyforgottenherfear。

“Therearethousandsandmillionsofcombinationsandpossibilities,AvdotyaRomanovna。Athiefstealsandknowsheisascoundrel,butI\'veheardofagentlemanwhobrokeopenthemail。Whoknows,verylikelyhethoughthewasdoingagentlemanlything!OfcourseIshouldnothavebelieveditmyselfifI\'dbeentoldofitasyouhave,butIbelievemyownears。HeexplainedallthecausesofittoSofyaSemyonovnatoo,butshedidnotbelieveherearsatfirst,yetshebelievedherowneyesatlast。“

“What……werethecauses？”

“It\'salongstory,AvdotyaRomanovna。Here\'s……howshallItellyou?-Atheoryofasort,thesameonebywhichIforinstanceconsiderthatasinglemisdeedispermissibleiftheprincipalaimisright,asolitarywrongdoingandhundredsofgooddeeds!It\'sgallingtoo,ofcourse,forayoungmanofgiftsandoverweeningpridetoknowthatifhehad,forinstance,apaltrythreethousand,hiswholecareer,hiswholefuturewouldbedifferentlyshapedandyetnottohavethatthreethousand。Addtothat,nervousirritabilityfromhunger,fromlodginginahole,fromrags,fromavividsenseofthecharmofhissocialpositionandhissister\'sandmother\'spositiontoo。Aboveall,vanity,prideandvanity,thoughgoodnessknowshemayhavegoodqualitiestoo……Iamnotblaminghim,pleasedon\'tthinkit;besides,it\'snotmybusiness。Aspeciallittletheorycameintoo-atheoryofasort-dividingmankind,yousee,intomaterialandsuperiorpersons,thatispersonstowhomthelawdoesnotapplyowingtotheirsuperiority,whomakelawsfortherestofmankind,thematerial,thatis。It\'sallrightasatheory,unetheoriecommeuneautre。Napoleonattractedhimtremendously,thatis,whataffectedhimwasthatagreatmanymenofgeniushavenothesitatedatwrongdoing,buthaveoversteppedthelawwithoutthinkingaboutit。Heseemstohavefanciedthathewasageniustoo-thatis,hewasconvincedofitforatime。Hehassufferedagreatdealandisstillsufferingfromtheideathathecouldmakeatheory,butwasincapableofboldlyoversteppingthelaw,andsoheisnotamanofgenius。Andthat\'shumiliatingforayoungmanofanypride,inourdayespecially……“

“Butremorse?Youdenyhimanymoralfeelingthen?Ishelikethat？”

“Ah,AvdotyaRomanovna,everythingisinamuddlenow;notthatitwaseverinverygoodorder。Russiansingeneralarebroadintheirideas,AvdotyaRomanovna,broadliketheirlandandexceedinglydisposedtothefantastic,thechaotic。Butit\'samisfortunetobebroadwithoutaspecialgenius。Doyourememberwhatalotoftalkwehadtogetheronthissubject,sittingintheeveningsontheterraceaftersupper?Why,youusedtoreproachmewithbreadth!Whoknows,perhapsweweretalkingattheverytimewhenhewaslyingherethinkingoverhisplan。Therearenosacredtraditionsamongstus,especiallyintheeducatedclass,AvdotyaRomanovna。Atthebestsomeonewillmakethemupsomehowforhimselfoutofbooksorfromsomeoldchronicle。Butthoseareforthemostpartthelearnedandalloldfogeys,sothatitwouldbealmostill-bredinamanofsociety。Youknowmyopinionsingeneral,though。Ineverblameanyone。Idonothingatall,Ipersevereinthat。Butwe\'vetalkedofthismorethanoncebefore。Iwassohappyindeedastointerestyouinmyopinions……Youareverypale,AvdotyaRomanovna。“

“Iknowhistheory。Ireadthatarticleofhisaboutmentowhomallispermitted。Razumihinbroughtittome。“

“Mr。Razumihin?Yourbrother\'sarticle?Inamagazine?Istheresuchanarticle?Ididn\'tknow。Itmustbeinteresting。Butwhereareyougoing,AvdotyaRomanovna？”

“IwanttoseeSofyaSemyonovna,“Douniaarticulatedfaintly。“HowdoIgotoher?Shehascomein,perhaps。Imustseeheratonce。

Perhapsshe……“

AvdotyaRomanovnacouldnotfinish。Herbreathliterallyfailedher。

“SofyaSemyonovnawillnotbebacktillnight,atleastIbelievenot。Shewastohavebeenbackatonce,butifnot,thenshewillnotbeintillquitelate。“

“Ah,thenyouarelying!Isee……youwerelying……lyingallthetime……Idon\'tbelieveyou!Idon\'tbelieveyou！”criedDounia,completelylosingherhead。

Almostfainting,shesankontoachairwhichSvidrigailovmadehastetogiveher。

“AvdotyaRomanovna,whatisit?Controlyourself!Hereissomewater。Drinkalittle……“

Hesprinkledsomewateroverher。Douniashudderedandcametoherself。

“Ithasactedviolently,“Svidrigailovmutteredtohimself,frowning。“AvdotyaRomanovna,calmyourself!Believeme,hehasfriends。Wewillsavehim。Wouldyoulikemetotakehimabroad?I

havemoney,Icangetaticketinthreedays。Andasforthemurder,hewilldoallsortsofgooddeedsyet,toatoneforit。Calmyourself。Hemaybecomeagreatmanyet。Well,howareyou?Howdoyoufeel？”

“Cruelman!Tobeabletojeeratit!Letmego……“

“Whereareyougoing？”

“Tohim。Whereishe?Doyouknow?Whyisthisdoorlocked?Wecameinatthatdoorandnowitislocked。Whendidyoumanagetolockit？”

“Wecouldn\'tbeshoutingallovertheflatonsuchasubject。Iamfarfromjeering;it\'ssimplythatI\'msickoftalkinglikethis。

Buthowcanyougoinsuchastate?Doyouwanttobetrayhim?Youwilldrivehimtofury,andhewillgivehimselfup。Letmetellyou,heisalreadybeingwatched;theyarealreadyonhistrack。Youwillsimplybegivinghimaway。Waitalittle：Isawhimandwastalkingtohimjustnow。Hecanstillbesaved。Waitabit,sitdown;letusthinkitovertogether。Iaskedyoutocomeinordertodiscussitalonewithyouandtoconsideritthoroughly。Butdositdown！”

“Howcanyousavehim?Canhereallybesaved？”

Douniasatdown。Svidrigailovsatdownbesideher。

“Italldependsonyou,onyou,onyoualone,“hebeginwithglowingeyes,almostinawhisperandhardlyabletoutterthewordsforemotion。

Douniadrewbackfromhiminalarm。Hetoowastremblingallover。

“You……onewordfromyou,andheissaved。I……I\'llsavehim。I

havemoneyandfriends。I\'llsendhimawayatonce。I\'llgetapassport,twopassports,oneforhimandoneforme。Ihavefriends……

capablepeople……Ifyoulike,I\'lltakeapassportforyou……foryourmother……WhatdoyouwantwithRazumihin?Iloveyoutoo……

Iloveyoubeyondeverything……Letmekissthehemofyourdress,letme,letme……Theveryrustleofitistoomuchforme。Tellme,\'dothat,\'andI\'lldoit。I\'lldoeverything。Iwilldotheimpossible。Whatyoubelieve,Iwillbelieve。I\'lldoanything-

anything!Don\'t,don\'tlookatmelikethat。Doyouknowthatyouarekillingme?……“

Hewasalmostbeginningtorave……Somethingseemedsuddenlytogotohishead。Douniajumpedupandrushedtothedoor。

“Openit!Openit！”shecalled,shakingthedoor。“Openit!Istherenoonethere？”

Svidrigailovgotupandcametohimself。Hisstilltremblinglipsslowlybrokeintoanangrymockingsmile。

“Thereisnooneathome,“hesaidquietlyandemphatically。“Thelandladyhasgoneout,andit\'swasteoftimetoshoutlikethat。

Youareonlyexcitingyourselfuselessly。“

“Whereisthekey?Openthedooratonce,atonce,baseman！”

“Ihavelostthekeyandcannotfindit。“

“Thisisanoutrage,“criedDounia,turningpaleasdeath。Sherushedtothefurthestcorner,whereshemadehastetobarricadeherselfwithalittletable。

Shedidnotscream,butshefixedhereyesonhertormentorandwatchedeverymovementhemade。

Svidrigailovremainedstandingattheotherendoftheroomfacingher。Hewaspositivelycomposed,atleastinappearance,buthisfacewaspaleasbefore。Themockingsmiledidnotleavehisface。

“Youspokeofoutragejustnow,AvdotyaRomanovna。InthatcaseyoumaybesureI\'vetakenmeasures。SofyaSemyonovnaisnotathome。TheKapernaumovsarefaraway-therearefivelockedroomsbetween。IamatleasttwiceasstrongasyouareandIhavenothingtofear,besides。Foryoucouldnotcomplainafterwards。Yousurelywouldnotbewillingactuallytobetrayyourbrother?Besides,noonewouldbelieveyou。Howshouldagirlhavecomealonetovisitasolitarymaninhislodgings?Sothatevenifyoudosacrificeyourbrother,youcouldprovenothing。Itisverydifficulttoproveanassault,AvdotyaRomanovna。“

“Scoundrel！”whisperedDouniaindignantly。

“Asyoulike,butobserveIwasonlyspeakingbywayofageneralproposition。It\'smypersonalconvictionthatyouareperfectlyright-

violenceishateful。Ionlyspoketoshowyouthatyouneedhavenoremorseevenif……youwerewillingtosaveyourbrotherofyourownaccord,asIsuggesttoyou。Youwouldbesimplysubmittingtocircumstances,toviolence,infact,ifwemustusethatword。Thinkaboutit。Yourbrother\'sandyourmother\'sfateareinyourhands。I

willbeyourslave……allmylife……Iwillwaithere。“

SvidrigailovsatdownonthesofaabouteightstepsfromDounia。Shehadnottheslightestdoubtnowofhisunbendingdetermination。

Besides,sheknewhim。Suddenlyshepulledoutofherpocketarevolver,cockeditandlaiditinherhandonthetable。Svidrigailovjumpedup。

“Aha!Sothat\'sit,isit？”hecried,surprisedbutsmilingmaliciously。“Well,thatcompletelyalterstheaspectofaffairs。

You\'vemadethingswonderfullyeasierforme,AvdotyaRomanovna。Butwheredidyougettherevolver?WasitMr。Razumihin?Why,it\'smyrevolver,anoldfriend!AndhowI\'vehuntedforit!TheshootinglessonsI\'vegivenyouinthecountryhavenotbeenthrownaway。“

“It\'snotyourrevolver,itbelongedtoMarfaPetrovna,whomyoukilled,wretch!Therewasnothingofyoursinherhouse。ItookitwhenIbegantosuspectwhatyouwerecapableof。Ifyoudaretoadvanceonestep,IswearI\'llkillyou。“Shewasfrantic。

“Butyourbrother?Iaskfromcuriosity,“saidSvidrigailov,stillstandingwherehewas。

“Inform,ifyouwantto!Don\'tstir!Don\'tcomenearer!I\'llshoot!Youpoisonedyourwife,Iknow;youareamurdereryourself！”

Sheheldtherevolverready。

“AreyousopositiveIpoisonedMarfaPetrovna？”

“Youdid!Youhintedityourself!youtalkedtomeofpoison……I

knowyouwenttogetit……youhaditinreadiness……Itwasyourdoing……Itmusthavebeenyourdoing……Scoundrel！”

“Evenifthatweretrue,itwouldhavebeenforyoursake……youwouldhavebeenthecause。“

“Youarelying!Ihatedyoualways,always……“

“Oho,AvdotyaRomanovna!Youseemtohaveforgottenhowyousoftenedtomeintheheatofpropaganda。Isawitinyoureyes。Doyourememberthatmoonlightnight,whenthenightingalewassinging？”

“That\'salie,“therewasaflashoffuryinDounia\'seyes,“that\'salieandalibel！”

“Alie?Well,ifyoulike,it\'salie。Imadeitup。Womenoughtnottoberemindedofsuchthings,“hesmiled。“Iknowyouwillshoot,youprettywildcreature。Well,shootaway！”

Douniaraisedtherevolver,anddeadlypale,gazedathim,measuringthedistanceandawaitingthefirstmovementonhispart。Herlowerlipwaswhiteandquiveringandherbigblackeyesflashedlikefire。Hehadneverseenhersohandsome。Thefireglowinginhereyesatthemomentsheraisedtherevolverseemedtokindlehimandtherewasapangofanguishinhisheart。Hetookastepforwardandashotrangout。Thebulletgrazedhishairandflewintothewallbehind。Hestoodstillandlaughedsoftly。

“Thewasphasstungme。Sheaimedstraightatmyhead。What\'sthis?Blood？”hepulledouthishandkerchieftowipetheblood,whichflowedinathinstreamdownhisrighttemple。Thebulletseemedtohavejustgrazedtheskin。

DounialoweredtherevolverandlookedatSvidrigailovnotsomuchinterrorasinasortofwildamazement。Sheseemednottounderstandwhatshewasdoingandwhatwasgoingon。

“Well,youmissed!Fireagain,I\'llwait,“saidSvidrigailovsoftly,stillsmiling,butgloomily。“Ifyougoonlikethat,Ishallhavetimetoseizeyoubeforeyoucockagain。“

Douniastarted,quicklycockedthepistolandagainraisedit。

“Letmebe,“shecriedindespair。“IswearI\'llshootagain。I……

I\'llkillyou。“

“Well……atthreepacesyoucanhardlyhelpit。Butifyoudon\'t……then。“Hiseyesflashedandhetooktwostepsforward。Douniashotagain：itmissedfire。

“Youhaven\'tloadeditproperly。Nevermind,youhaveanotherchargethere。Getitready,I\'llwait。“

Hestoodfacingher,twopacesaway,waitingandgazingatherwithwilddetermination,withfeverishlypassionate,stubborn,seteyes。Douniasawthathewouldsoonerdiethanlethergo。“And……

now,ofcourseshewouldkillhim,attwopaces！”Suddenlysheflungawaytherevolver。

“She\'sdroppedit！”saidSvidrigailovwithsurprise,andhedrewadeepbreath。Aweightseemedtohaverolledfromhisheart-perhapsnotonlythefearofdeath;indeedhemayscarcelyhavefeltitatthatmoment。Itwasthedeliverancefromanotherfeeling,darkerandmorebitter,whichhecouldnothimselfhavedefined。

HewenttoDouniaandgentlyputhisarmroundherwaist。Shedidnotresist,but,tremblinglikealeaf,lookedathimwithsupplianteyes。Hetriedtosaysomething,buthislipsmovedwithoutbeingabletoutterasound。

“Letmego,“Douniaimplored。Svidrigailovshuddered。Hervoicenowwasquitedifferent。

“Thenyoudon\'tloveme？”heaskedsoftly。Douniashookherhead。

“And……andyoucan\'t?Never？”hewhisperedindespair。

“Never！”

Therefollowedamomentofterrible,dumbstruggleintheheartofSvidrigailov。Helookedatherwithanindescribablegaze。Suddenlyhewithdrewhisarm,turnedquicklytothewindowandstoodfacingit。

Anothermomentpassed。

“Here\'sthekey。“

Hetookitoutoftheleftpocketofhiscoatandlaiditonthetablebehindhim,withoutturningorlookingatDounia。

“Takeit!Makehaste！”

Helookedstubbornlyoutofthewindow。Douniawentuptothetabletotakethekey。

“Makehaste!Makehaste！”repeatedSvidrigailov,stillwithoutturningormoving。Butthereseemedaterriblesignificanceinthetoneofthat“makehaste。“

Douniaunderstoodit,snatchedupthekey,flewtothedoor,unlockeditquicklyandrushedoutoftheroom。Aminutelater,besideherself,sheranoutontothecanalbankinthedirectionofX。

Bridge。

Svidrigailovremainedthreeminutesstandingatthewindow。Atlastheslowlyturned,lookedabouthimandpassedhishandoverhisforehead。Astrangesmilecontortedhisface,apitiful,sad,weaksmile,asmileofdespair。Theblood,whichwasalreadygettingdry,smearedhishand。Helookedangrilyatit,thenwettedatowelandwashedhistemple。TherevolverwhichDouniahadflungawaylaynearthedoorandsuddenlycaughthiseye。Hepickeditupandexaminedit。

Itwasalittlepocketthree-barrelrevolverofold-fashionedconstruction。Therewerestilltwochargesandonecapsuleleftinit。

Itcouldbefiredagain。Hethoughtalittle,puttherevolverinhispocket,tookhishatandwentout。

ChapterSixHESPENTthateveningtillteno\'clock,goingfromonelowhaunttoanother。Katiatooturnedupandsanganotherguttersong,howacertain“villainandtyrant“-

“begankissingKatia。“-

SvidrigailovtreatedKatiaandtheorgan-grinderandsomesingersandthewaitersandtwolittleclerks。Hewasparticularlydrawntotheseclerksbythefactthattheybothhadcrookednoses,onebenttotheleftandtheothertotheright。Theytookhimfinallytoapleasuregarden,wherehepaidfortheirentrance。Therewasonelankythree-year-oldpinetreeandthreebushesinthegarden,besidesa“Vauxhall,“whichwasinrealityadrinking-barwhereteatoowasserved,andtherewereafewgreentablesandchairsstandingroundit。Achorusofwretchedsingersandadrunken,butexceedinglydepressedGermanclownfromMunichwitharednoseentertainedthepublic。Theclerksquarreledwithsomeotherclerksandafightseemedimminent。Svidrigailovwaschosentodecidethedispute。Helistenedtothemforaquarterofanhour,buttheyshoutedsoloudthattherewasnopossibilityofunderstandingthem。TheonlyfactthatseemedcertainwasthatoneofthemhadstolensomethingandhadevensucceededinsellingitonthespottoaJew,butwouldnotsharethespoilwithhiscompanion。FinallyitappearedthatthestolenobjectwasateaspoonbelongingtotheVauxhall。Itwasmissedandtheaffairbegantoseemtroublesome。Svidrigailovpaidforthespoon,gotup,andwalkedoutofthegarden。Itwasaboutsixo\'clock。Hehadnotdrunkadropofwineallthistimeandhadorderedteamoreforthesakeofappearancesthananything。

Itwasadarkandstiflingevening。Threateningstorm-cloudscameovertheskyaboutteno\'clock。Therewasaclapofthunder,andtheraincamedownlikeawaterfall。Thewaterfellnotindrops,butbeatontheearthinstreams。Therewereflashesoflightningeveryminuteandeachflashlastedwhileonecouldcountfive。

Drenchedtotheskin,hewenthome,lockedhimselfin,openedthebureau,tookoutallhismoneyandtoreuptwoorthreepapers。

Then,puttingthemoneyinhispocket,hewasabouttochangehisclothes,but,lookingoutofthewindowandlisteningtothethunderandtherain,hegaveuptheidea,tookuphishatandwentoutoftheroomwithoutlockingthedoor。HewentstraighttoSonia。Shewasathome。

Shewasnotalone：thefourKapernaumovchildrenwerewithher。

Shewasgivingthemtea。ShereceivedSvidrigailovinrespectfulsilence,lookingwonderinglyathissoakingclothes。Thechildrenallranawayatonceinindescribableterror。

SvidrigailovsatdownatthetableandaskedSoniatositbesidehim。Shetimidlypreparedtolisten。

“ImaybegoingtoAmerica,SofyaSemyonovna,“saidSvidrigailov,“andasIamprobablyseeingyouforthelasttime,Ihavecometomakesomearrangements。Well,didyouseetheladyto-day?Iknowwhatshesaidtoyou,youneednottellme。“(Soniamadeamovementandblushed。)“Thosepeoplehavetheirownwayofdoingthings。Astoyoursistersandyourbrother,theyarereallyprovidedforandthemoneyassignedtothemI\'veputintosafekeepingandhavereceivedacknowledgments。Youhadbettertakechargeofthereceipts,incaseanythinghappens。Here,takethem!Well,nowthat\'ssettled。Herearethree5percent。bondstothevalueofthreethousandroubles。

Takethoseforyourself,entirelyforyourself,andletthatbestrictlybetweenourselves,sothatnooneknowsofit,whateveryouhear。Youwillneedthemoney,fortogoonlivingintheoldway,SofyaSemyonovna,isbad,andbesidesthereisnoneedforitnow。“

“Iamsomuchindebtedtoyou,andsoarethechildrenandmystepmother,“saidSoniahurriedly,“andifI\'vesaidsolittle……

pleasedon\'tconsider……“

“That\'senough!that\'senough！”

“Butasforthemoney,ArkadyIvanovitch,Iamverygratefultoyou,butIdon\'tneeditnow。Icanalwaysearnmyownliving。Don\'tthinkmeungrateful。Ifyouaresocharitable,thatmoney……“

“It\'sforyou,foryou,SofyaSemyonovna,andpleasedon\'twastewordsoverit。Ihaven\'ttimeforit。Youwillwantit。RodionRomanovitchhastwoalternatives：abulletinthebrainorSiberia。“

(Sonialookedwildlyathim,andstarted。)“Don\'tbeuneasy,IknowallaboutitfromhimselfandIamnotagossip;Iwon\'ttellanyone。

Itwasgoodadvicewhenyoutoldhimtogivehimselfupandconfess。

Itwouldbemuchbetterforhim。Well,ifitturnsouttobeSiberia,hewillgoandyouwillfollowhim。That\'sso,isn\'tit?

Andifso,you\'llneedmoney。You\'llneeditforhim,doyouunderstand?Givingittoyouisthesameasmygivingittohim。

Besides,youpromisedAmaliaIvanovnatopaywhat\'sowing。Iheardyou。Howcanyouundertakesuchobligationssoheedlessly,SofyaSemyonovna?ItwasKaterinaIvanovna\'sdebtandnotyours,soyououghtnottohavetakenanynoticeoftheGermanwoman。Youcan\'tgetthroughtheworldlikethat。Ifyouareeverquestionedaboutme-to-morroworthedayafteryouwillbeasked-don\'tsayanythingaboutmycomingtoseeyounowanddon\'tshowthemoneytoanyoneorsayawordaboutit。Well,nowgood-bye。“(Hegotup。)“MygreetingstoRodionRomanovitch。Bytheway,you\'dbetterputthemoneyforthepresentinMr。Razumihin\'skeeping。YouknowMr。

Razumihin?Ofcourseyoudo。He\'snotabadfellow。Takeittohimto-morrowor……whenthetimecomes。Andtillthen,hideitcarefully。“

SoniatoojumpedupfromherchairandlookedindismayatSvidrigailov。Shelongedtospeak,toaskaquestion,butforthefirstmomentsshedidnotdareanddidnotknowhowtobegin。

“Howcanyou……howcanyoubegoingnow,insuchrain？”

“Why,bestartingforAmerica,andbestoppedbyrain!Ha,ha!

Good-bye,SofyaSemyonovna,mydear!Liveandlivelong,youwillbeofusetoothers。Bytheway……tellMr。RazumihinIsendmygreetingstohim。TellhimArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailovsendshisgreetings。

Besureto。“

Hewentout,leavingSoniainastateofwonderinganxietyandvagueapprehension。

Itappearedafterwardsthatonthesameevening,attwentypasteleven,hemadeanotherveryeccentricandunexpectedvisit。Therainstillpersisted。Drenchedtotheskin,hewalkedintothelittleflatwheretheparentsofhisbetrothedlived,inThirdStreetinVassilyevskyIsland。Heknockedsometimebeforehewasadmitted,andhisvisitatfirstcausedgreatperturbation;butSvidrigailovcouldbeveryfascinatingwhenheliked,sothatthefirst,andindeedveryintelligentsurmiseofthesensibleparentsthatSvidrigailovhadprobablyhadsomuchtodrinkthathedidnotknowwhathewasdoingvanishedimmediately。ThedecrepitfatherwaswheeledintoseeSvidrigailovbythetenderandsensiblemother,whoasusualbegantheconversationwithvariousirrelevantquestions。

Sheneveraskedadirectquestion,butbeganbysmilingandrubbingherhandsandthen,ifshewereobligedtoascertainsomething-forinstance,whenSvidrigailovwouldliketohavethewedding-shewouldbeginbyinterestedandalmosteagerquestionsaboutParisandthecourtlifethere,andonlybydegreesbroughttheconversationroundtoThirdStreet。Onotheroccasionsthishadofcoursebeenveryimpressive,butthistimeArkadyIvanovitchseemedparticularlyimpatient,andinsistedonseeinghisbetrothedatonce,thoughhehadbeeninformedtobeginwiththatshehadalreadygonetobed。Thegirlofcourseappeared。

SvidrigailovinformedheratoncethathewasobligedbyveryimportantaffairstoleavePetersburgforatime,andthereforebroughtherfifteenthousandroublesandbeggedheracceptthemasapresentfromhim,ashehadlongbeenintendingtomakeherthistriflingpresentbeforetheirwedding。Thelogicalconnectionofthepresentwithhisimmediatedepartureandtheabsolutenecessityofvisitingthemforthatpurposeinpouringrainatmidnightwasnotmadeclear。Butitallwentoffverywell;eventheinevitableejaculationsofwonderandregret,theinevitablequestionswereextraordinarilyfewandrestrained。Ontheotherhand,thegratitudeexpressedwasmostglowingandwasreinforcedbytearsfromthemostsensibleofmothers。Svidrigailovgotup,laughed,kissedhisbetrothed,pattedhercheek,declaredhewouldsooncomeback,andnoticinginhereyes,togetherwithchildishcuriosity,asortofearnestdumbinquiry,reflectedandkissedheragain,thoughhefeltsincereangerinwardlyatthethoughtthathispresentwouldbeimmediatelylockedupinthekeepingofthemostsensibleofmothers。Hewentaway,leavingthemallinastateofextraordinaryexcitement,butthetendermamma,speakingquietlyinahalfwhisper,settledsomeofthemostimportantoftheirdoubts,concludingthatSvidrigailovwasagreatman,amanofgreataffairsandconnectionsandofgreatwealth-therewasnoknowingwhathehadinhismind。Hewouldstartoffonajourneyandgiveawaymoneyjustasthefancytookhim,sothattherewasnothingsurprisingaboutit。Ofcourseitwasstrangethathewaswetthrough,butEnglishmen,forinstance,areevenmoreeccentric,andallthesepeopleofhighsocietydidn\'tthinkofwhatwassaidofthemanddidn\'tstandonceremony。Possibly,indeed,hecamelikethatonpurposetoshowthathewasnotafraidofanyone。Aboveall,notawordshouldbesaidaboutit,forGodknowswhatmightcomeofit,andthemoneymustbelockedup,anditwasmostfortunatethatFedosya,thecook,hadnotleftthekitchen。Andaboveallnotawordmustbesaidtothatoldcat,MadameResslich,andsoonandsoon。Theysatupwhisperingtilltwoo\'clock,butthegirlwenttobedmuchearlier,amazedandrathersorrowful。

Svidrigailovmeanwhile,exactlyatmidnight,crossedthebridgeonthewaybacktothemainland。Therainhadceasedandtherewasaroaringwind。Hebeganshivering,andforonemomenthegazedattheblackwatersoftheLittleNevawithalookofspecialinterest,eveninquiry。Buthesoonfeltitverycold,standingbythewater;heturnedandwenttowardsY。Prospect。Hewalkedalongthatendlessstreetforalongtime,almosthalfanhour,morethanoncestumblinginthedarkonthewoodenpavement,butcontinuallylookingforsomethingontherightsideofthestreet。Hehadnoticedpassingthroughthisstreetlatelythattherewasahotelsomewheretowardstheend,builtofwood,butfairlylarge。anditsnameherememberedwassomethinglikeAdrianople。Hewasnotmistaken：

thehotelwassoconspicuousinthatGod-forsakenplacethathecouldnotfailtoseeiteveninthedark。Itwasalong,blackenedwoodenbuilding,andinspiteofthelatehourtherewerelightsinthewindowsandsignsoflifewithin。Hewentinandaskedaraggedfellowwhomethiminthecorridorforaroom。Thelatter,scanningSvidrigailov,pulledhimselftogetherandledhimatoncetoacloseandtinyroominthedistance,attheendofthecorridor,underthestairs。Therewasnoother,allwereoccupied。Theraggedfellowlookedinquiringly。

“Istheretea？”askedSvidrigailov。

“Yes,sir。“

“Whatelseisthere？”

“Veal,vodka,savouries。“

“Bringmeteaandveal。“

“Andyouwantnothingelse？”heaskedwithapparentsurprise。

“Nothing,nothing。“

Theraggedmanwentaway,completelydisillusioned。

“Itmustbeaniceplace,“thoughtSvidrigailov。“HowwasitI

didn\'tknowit?IexpectIlookasifIcamefromacafechantantandhavehadsomeadventureontheway。Itwouldbeinterestingtoknowwhostayedhere。“

Helightedthecandleandlookedattheroommorecarefully。Itwasaroomsolow-pitchedthatSvidrigailovcouldnotonlyjuststandupinit;ithadonewindow;thebed,whichwasverydirty,andtheplainstainedchairandtablealmostfilleditup。Thewallslookedasthoughtheyweremadeofplanks,coveredwithshabbypaper,sotornanddustythatthepatternwasindistinguishable,thoughthegeneralcolour-yellow-couldstillbemadeout。Oneofthewallswascutshortbytheslopingceiling,thoughtheroomwasnotanattic,butjustunderthestairs。

Svidrigailovsetdownthecandle,satdownonthebedandsankintothought。Butastrangepersistentmurmurwhichsometimesrosetoashoutinthenextroomattractedhisattention。Themurmurhadnotceasedfromthemomentheenteredtheroom。Helistened：someonewasupbraidingandalmosttearfullyscolding,butheheardonlyonevoice。

Svidrigailovgotup,shadedthelightwithhishandandatoncehesawlightthroughacrackinthewall;hewentupandpeepedthrough。Theroom,whichwassomewhatlargerthanhis,hadtwooccupants。Oneofthem,averycurly-headedmanwitharedinflamedface,wasstandingintheposeofanorator,withouthiscoat,withhislegswideaparttopreservehisbalance,andsmitinghimselfonthebreast。Hereproachedtheotherwithbeingabeggar,withhavingnostandingwhatever。Hedeclaredthathehadtakentheotheroutofthegutterandhecouldturnhimoutwhenheliked,andthatonlythefingerofProvidenceseesitall。Theobjectofhisreproacheswassittinginachair,andhadtheairofamanwhowantsdreadfullytosneeze,butcan\'t。Hesometimesturnedsheepishandbefoggedeyesonthespeaker,butobviouslyhadnottheslightestideawhathewastalkingaboutandscarcelyheardit。Acandlewasburningdownonthetable;therewerewineglasses,anearlyemptybottleofvodka,breadandcucumber,andglasseswiththedregsofstaletea。Aftergazingattentivelyatthis,Svidrigailovturnedawayindifferentlyandsatdownonthebed。

Theraggedattendant,returningwiththetea,couldnotresistaskinghimagainwhetherhedidn\'twantanythingmore,andagainreceivinganegativereply,finallywithdrew。Svidrigailovmadehastetodrinkaglassofteatowarmhimself,butcouldnoteatanything。Hebegantofeelfeverish。Hetookoffhiscoatand,wrappinghimselfintheblanket,laydownonthebed。Hewasannoyed。“Itwouldhavebeenbettertobewellfortheoccasion,“hethoughtwithasmile。Theroomwasclose,thecandleburntdimly,thewindwasroaringoutside,heheardamousescratchinginthecornerandtheroomsmeltofmiceandofleather。Helayinasortofreverie：onethoughtfollowedanother。Hefeltalongingtofixhisimaginationonsomething。“Itmustbeagardenunderthewindow,“hethought。“There\'sasoundoftrees。HowIdislikethesoundoftreesonastormynight,inthedark!Theygiveoneahorridfeeling。“HerememberedhowhehaddislikeditwhenhepassedPetrovskyParkjustnow。ThisremindedhimofthebridgeovertheLittleNevaandhefeltcoldagainashehadwhenstandingthere。“Ineverhavelikedwater,“hethought,“eveninalandscape,“andhesuddenlysmiledagainatastrangeidea：“Surelynowallthesequestionsoftasteandcomfortoughtnottomatter,butI\'vebecomemoreparticular,likeananimalthatpicksoutaspecialplace……forsuchanoccasion。I

oughttohavegoneintothePetrovskyPark!Isupposeitseemeddark,cold,ha-ha!AsthoughIwereseekingpleasantsensations!……Bytheway,whyhaven\'tIputoutthecandle？”heblewitout。“They\'vegonetobednextdoor,“hethought,notseeingthelightatthecrack。

“Well,now,MarfaPetrovna,nowisthetimeforyoutoturnup;it\'sdark,andtheverytimeandplaceforyou。Butnowyouwon\'tcome！”

Hesuddenlyrecalledhow,anhourbeforecarryingouthisdesignonDounia,hehadrecommendedRaskolnikovtotrusthertoRazumihin\'skeeping。“IsupposeIreallydidsayit,asRaskolnikovguessed,toteasemyself。ButwhataroguethatRaskolnikovis!He\'sgonethroughagooddeal。Hemaybeasuccessfulrogueintimewhenhe\'sgotoverhisnonsense。Butnowhe\'stooeagerforlife。Theseyoungmenarecontemptibleonthatpoint。But,hangthefellow!Lethimpleasehimself,it\'snothingtodowithme。“

Hecouldnotgettosleep。BydegreesDounia\'simagerosebeforehim,andashudderranoverhim。“No,Imustgiveupallthatnow,“hethought,rousinghimself。“Imustthinkofsomethingelse。It\'squeerandfunny。Ineverhadagreathatredforanyone,Ineverparticularlydesiredtorevengemyselfeven,andthat\'sabadsign,abadsign,abadsign。Ineverlikedquarrellingeither,andneverlostmytemper-that\'sabadsigntoo。AndthepromisesImadeherjustnow,too-Damnation!But-whoknows?-perhapsshewouldhavemadeanewmanofmesomehow……“

Hegroundhisteethandsankintosilenceagain。AgainDounia\'simagerosebeforehim,justasshewaswhen,aftershootingthefirsttime,shehadloweredtherevolverinterrorandgazedblanklyathim,sothathemighthaveseizedhertwiceoverandshewouldnothaveliftedahandtodefendherselfifhehadnotremindedher。

Herecalledhowatthatinstanthefeltalmostsorryforher,howhehadfeltapangathisheart……

“Aie!Damnation,thesethoughtsagain!Imustputitaway！”

Hewasdozingoff;thefeverishshiverhadceased,whensuddenlysomethingseemedtorunoverhisarmandlegunderthebedclothes。

Hestarted。“Ugh!hangit!Ibelieveit\'samouse,“hethought,“that\'sthevealIleftonthetable。“Hefeltfearfullydisinclinedtopullofftheblanket,getup,getcold,butallatoncesomethingunpleasantranoverhislegagain。Hepulledofftheblanketandlightedthecandle。Shakingwithfeverishchillhebentdowntoexaminethebed：therewasnothing。Heshooktheblanketandsuddenlyamousejumpedoutonthesheet。Hetriedtocatchit,butthemouserantoandfroinzigzagswithoutleavingthebed,slippedbetweenhisfingers,ranoverhishandandsuddenlydartedunderthepillow。Hethrewdownthepillow,butinoneinstantfeltsomethingleaponhischestanddartoverhisbodyanddownhisbackunderhisshirt。Hetremblednervouslyandwokeup。

Theroomwasdark。Hewaslyingonthebedandwrappedupintheblanketasbefore。Thewindwashowlingunderthewindow。“Howdisgusting,“hethoughtwithannoyance。

Hegotupandsatontheedgeofthebedsteadwithhisbacktothewindow。“It\'sbetternottosleepatall,“hedecided。Therewasacolddampdraughtfromthewindow,however;withoutgettinguphedrewtheblanketoverhimandwrappedhimselfinit。Hewasnotthinkingofanythinganddidnotwanttothink。Butoneimageroseafteranother,incoherentscrapsofthoughtwithoutbeginningorendpassedthroughhismind。Hesankintodrowsiness。Perhapsthecold,orthedampness,orthedark,orthewindthathowledunderthewindowandtossedthetreesrousedasortofpersistentcravingforthefantastic。Hekeptdwellingonimagesofflowers,hefanciedacharmingflowergarden,abright,warm,almosthotday,aholiday-

Trinityday。Afine,sumptuouscountrycottageintheEnglishtasteovergrownwithfragrantflowers,withflowerbedsgoingroundthehouse;theporch,wreathedinclimbers,wassurroundedwithbedsofroses。Alight,coolstaircase,carpetedwithrichrugs,wasdecoratedwithrareplantsinchinapots。Henoticedparticularlyinthewindowsnosegaysoftender,white,heavilyfragrantnarcissusbendingovertheirbright,green,thicklongstalks。Hewasreluctanttomoveawayfromthem,buthewentupthestairsandcameintoalarge,highdrawing-roomandagaineverywhere-atthewindows,thedoorsontothebalcony,andonthebalconyitself-wereflowers。Thefloorswerestrewnwithfreshly-cutfragranthay,thewindowswereopen,afresh,cool,lightaircameintotheroom。Thebirdswerechirrupingunderthewindow,andinthemiddleoftheroom,onatablecoveredwithawhitesatinshroud,stoodacoffin。Thecoffinwascoveredwithwhitesilkandedgedwithathickwhitefrill;wreathsofflowerssurroundeditonallsides。Amongtheflowerslayagirlinawhitemuslindress,withherarmscrossedandpressedonherbosom,asthoughcarvedoutofmarble。Butherloosefairhairwaswet;therewasawreathofrosesonherhead。Thesternandalreadyrigidprofileofherfacelookedasthoughchiselledofmarbletoo,andthesmileonherpalelipswasfullofanimmenseunchildishmiseryandsorrowfulappeal。Svidrigailovknewthatgirl;therewasnoholyimage,noburningcandlebesidethecoffin;nosoundofprayers：thegirlhaddrownedherself。Shewasonlyfourteen,butherheartwasbroken。

Andshehaddestroyedherself,crushedbyaninsultthathadappalledandamazedthatchildishsoul,hadsmirchedthatangelpuritywithunmeriteddisgraceandtornfromheralastscreamofdespair,unheededandbrutallydisregarded,onadarknightinthecoldandwetwhilethewindhowled……

Svidrigailovcametohimself,gotupfromthebedandwenttothewindow。Hefeltforthelatchandopenedit。Thewindlashedfuriouslyintothelittleroomandstunghisfaceandhischest,onlycoveredwithhisshirt,asthoughwithfrost。Underthewindowtheremusthavebeensomethinglikeagarden,andapparentlyapleasuregarden。There,too,probablytherewereteatablesandsinginginthedaytime。Nowdropsofrainflewinatthewindowfromthetreesandbushes;itwasdarkasinacellar,sothathecouldonlyjustmakeoutsomedarkblursofobjects。Svidrigailov,bendingdownwithelbowsonthewindow-sill,gazedforfiveminutesintothedarkness;theboomofacannon,followedbyasecondone,resoundedinthedarknessofthenight。“Ah,thesignal!Theriverisoverflowing,“hethought。“Bymorningitwillbeswirlingdownthestreetinthelowerparts,floodingthebasementsandcellars。Thecellarratswillswimout,andmenwillcurseintherainandwindastheydragtheirrubbishtotheirupperstoreys。Whattimeisitnow？”Andhehadhardlythoughtitwhen,somewherenear,aclockonthewall,tickingawayhurriedly,struckthree。

“Aha!Itwillbelightinanhour!Whywait?I\'llgooutatoncestraighttothepark。I\'llchooseagreatbushtheredrenchedwithrain,sothatassoonasone\'sshouldertouchesit,millionsofdropsdriponone\'shead。“

Hemovedawayfromthewindow,shutit,lightedthecandle,putonhiswaistcoat,hisovercoatandhishatandwentout,carryingthecandle,intothepassagetolookfortheraggedattendantwhowouldbeasleepsomewhereinthemidstofcandleendsandallsortsofrubbish,topayhimfortheroomandleavethehotel。“It\'sthebestminute;

Icouldn\'tchooseabetter。“

Hewalkedforsometimethroughalongnarrowcorridorwithoutfindinganyoneandwasjustgoingtocallout,whensuddenlyinadarkcornerbetweenanoldcupboardandthedoorhecaughtsightofastrangeobjectwhichseemedtobealive。Hebentdownwiththecandleandsawalittlegirl,notmorethanfiveyearsold,shiveringandcrying,withherclothesaswetasasoakinghouse-flannel。ShedidnotseemafraidofSvidrigailov,butlookedathimwithblankamazementoutofherbigblackeyes。Nowandthenshesobbedaschildrendowhentheyhavebeencryingalongtime,butarebeginningtobecomforted。Thechild\'sfacewaspaleandtired,shewasnumbwithcold。“Howcanshehavecomehere?Shemusthavehiddenhereandnotsleptallnight。“Hebeganquestioningher。

Thechildsuddenlybecominganimated,chatteredawayinherbabylanguage,somethingabout“mammy“andthat“mammywouldbeather,“andaboutsomecupthatshehad“bwoken。“Thechildchatteredonwithoutstopping。Hecouldonlyguessfromwhatshesaidthatshewasaneglectedchild,whosemother,probablyadrunkencook,intheserviceofthehotel,whippedandfrightenedher;thatthechildhadbrokenacupofhermother\'sandwassofrightenedthatshehadrunawaytheeveningbefore,hadhiddenforalongwhilesomewhereoutsideintherain,atlasthadmadeherwayinhere,hiddenbehindthecupboardandspentthenightthere,cryingandtremblingfromthedamp,thedarknessandthefearthatshewouldbebadlybeatenforit。Hetookherinhisarms,wentbacktohisroom,satheronthebed,andbeganundressingher。Thetornshoeswhichshehadonherstockinglessfeetwereaswetasiftheyhadbeenstandinginapuddleallnight。

Whenhehadundressedher,heputheronthebed,coveredherupandwrappedherintheblanketfromherheaddownwards。Shefellasleepatonce。Thenhesankintodrearymusingagain。

“Whatfollytotroublemyself,“hedecidedsuddenlywithanoppressivefeelingofannoyance。“Whatidiocy！”Invexationhetookupthecandletogoandlookfortheraggedattendantagainandmakehastetogoaway。“Damnthechild！”hethoughtasheopenedthedoor,butheturnedagaintoseewhetherthechildwasasleep。Heraisedtheblanketcarefully。Thechildwassleepingsoundly,shehadgotwarmundertheblanket,andherpalecheekswereflushed。

Butstrangetosaythatflushseemedbrighterandcoarserthantherosycheeksofchildhood。“It\'saflushoffever,“thoughtSvidrigailov。Itwasliketheflushfromdrinking,asthoughshehadbeengivenafullglasstodrink。Hercrimsonlipswerehotandglowing;butwhatwasthis?Hesuddenlyfanciedthatherlongblackeyelasheswerequivering,asthoughthelidswereopeningandaslycraftyeyepeepedoutwithanunchildlikewink,asthoughthelittlegirlwerenotasleep,butpretending。Yes,itwasso。Herlipspartedinasmile。Thecornersofhermouthquivered,asthoughsheweretryingtocontrolthem。Butnowshequitegaveupalleffort,nowitwasagrin,abroadgrin;therewassomethingshameless,provocativeinthatquiteunchildishface;itwasdepravity,itwasthefaceofaharlot,theshamelessfaceofaFrenchharlot。Nowbotheyesopenedwide;theyturnedaglowing,shamelessglanceuponhim;theylaughed,invitedhim……Therewassomethinginfinitelyhideousandshockinginthatlaugh,inthoseeyes,insuchnastinessinthefaceofachild。“What,atfiveyearsold？”Svidrigailovmutteredingenuinehorror。“Whatdoesitmean？”Andnowsheturnedtohim,herlittlefaceallaglow,holdingoutherarms……“Accursedchild！”Svidrigailovcried,raisinghishandtostrikeher,butatthatmomenthewokeup。

Hewasinthesamebed,stillwrappedintheblanket。Thecandlehadnotbeenlighted,anddaylightwasstreaminginatthewindows。

“I\'vehadnightmareallnight！”Hegotupangrily,feelingutterlyshattered;hisbonesached。Therewasathickmistoutsideandhecouldseenothing。Itwasnearlyfive。Hehadoverslepthimself!Hegotup,putonhisstilldampjacketandovercoat。Feelingtherevolverinhispocket,hetookitoutandthenhesatdown,tookanotebookoutofhispocketandinthemostconspicuousplaceonthetitlepagewroteafewlinesinlargeletters。Readingthemover,hesankintothoughtwithhiselbowsonthetable。Therevolverandthenotebooklaybesidehim。Someflieswokeupandsettledontheuntouchedveal,whichwasstillonthetable。Hestaredatthemandatlastwithhisfreerighthandbegantryingtocatchone。Hetriedtillhewastired,butcouldnotcatchit。Atlast,realisingthathewasengagedinthisinterestingpursuit,hestarted,gotupandwalkedresolutelyoutoftheroom。Aminutelaterhewasinthestreet。