第3章

RagpickersandcostermongersofallkindswerecrowdingroundthetavernsinthedirtyandstinkingcourtyardsoftheHayMarket。

Raskolnikovparticularlylikedthisplaceandtheneighbouringalleys,whenhewanderedaimlesslyinthestreets。Herehisragsdidnotattractcontemptuousattention,andonecouldwalkaboutinanyattirewithoutscandalisingpeople。Atthecornerofanalleyahucksterandhiswifehadtwotablessetoutwithtapes,thread,cottonhandkerchiefs,&c。They,too,hadgotuptogohome,butwerelingeringinconversationwithafriend,whohadjustcomeuptothem。

ThisfriendwasLizavetaIvanovna,or,aseveryonecalledher,Lizaveta,theyoungersisteroftheoldpawnbroker,AlyonaIvanovna,whomRaskolnikovhadvisitedthepreviousdaytopawnhiswatchandmakehisexperiment……HealreadyknewallaboutLizavetaandsheknewhimalittletoo。Shewasasinglewomanofaboutthirty-five,tall,clumsy,timid,submissiveandalmostidiotic。Shewasacompleteslaveandwentinfearandtremblingofhersister,whomadeherworkdayandnight,andevenbeather。Shewasstandingwithabundlebeforethehucksterandhiswife,listeningearnestlyanddoubtfully。Theyweretalkingofsomethingwithspecialwarmth。ThemomentRaskolnikovcaughtsightofher,hewasovercomebyastrangesensationasitwereofintenseastonishment,thoughtherewasnothingastonishingaboutthismeeting。

“Youcouldmakeupyourmindforyourself,LizavetaIvanovna,“thehucksterwassayingaloud。“Comeroundtomorrowaboutseven。Theywillbeheretoo。“

“To-morrow？”saidLizavetaslowlyandthoughtfully,asthoughunabletomakeuphermind。

“Uponmyword,whatafrightyouareinofAlyonaIvanovna,“gabbledthehuckster"swife,alivelylittlewoman。“Ilookatyou,youarelikesomelittlebabe。Andsheisnotyourownsistereither-

nothingbutastepsisterandwhatahandshekeepsoveryou！”

“Butthistimedon"tsayawordtoAlyonaIvanovna,“herhusbandinterrupted;“that"smyadvice,butcomeroundtouswithoutasking。

Itwillbeworthyourwhile。Lateronyoursisterherselfmayhaveanotion。“

“AmItocome？”

“Aboutseveno"clockto-morrow。Andtheywillbehere。Youwillbeabletodecideforyourself。“

“Andwe"llhaveacupoftea,“addedhiswife。

“Allright,I"llcome,“saidLizaveta,stillpondering,andshebeganslowlymovingaway。

Raskolnikovhadjustpassedandheardnomore。Hepassedsoftly,unnoticed,tryingnottomissaword。Hisfirstamazementwasfollowedbyathrillofhorror,likeashiverrunningdownhisspine。Hehadlearnt,hehadsuddenlyquiteunexpectedlylearnt,thatthenextdayatseveno"clockLizaveta,theoldwoman"ssisterandonlycompanion,wouldbeawayfromhomeandthatthereforeatseveno"clockpreciselytheoldwomanwouldbeleftalone。

Hewasonlyafewstepsfromhislodging。Hewentinlikeamancondemnedtodeath。Hethoughtofnothingandwasincapableofthinking;buthefeltsuddenlyinhiswholebeingthathehadnomorefreedomofthought,nowill,andthateverythingwassuddenlyandirrevocablydecided。

Certainly,ifhehadtowaitwholeyearsforasuitableopportunity,hecouldnotreckononamorecertainsteptowardsthesuccessoftheplanthanthatwhichhadjustpresenteditself。Inanycase,itwouldhavebeendifficulttofindoutbeforehandandwithcertainty,withgreaterexactnessandlessrisk,andwithoutdangerousinquiriesandinvestigations,thatnextdayatacertaintimeanoldwoman,onwhoselifeanattemptwascontemplated,wouldbeathomeandentirelyalone。

ChapterSixLATERonRaskolnikovhappenedtofindoutwhythehucksterandhiswifehadinvitedLizaveta。Itwasaveryordinarymatterandtherewasnothingexceptionalaboutit。Afamilywhohadcometothetownandbeenreducedtopovertyweresellingtheirhouseholdgoodsandclothes,allwomen"sthings。Asthethingswouldhavefetchedlittleinthemarket,theywerelookingforadealer。ThiswasLizaveta"sbusiness。Sheundertooksuchjobsandwasfrequentlyemployed,asshewasveryhonestandalwaysfixedafairpriceandstucktoit。Shespokeasarulelittleand,aswehavesaidalready,shewasverysubmissiveandtimid。

ButRaskolnikovhadbecomesuperstitiousoflate。Thetracesofsuperstitionremainedinhimlongafter,andwerealmostineradicable。

Andinallthishewasalwaysafterwardsdisposedtoseesomethingstrangeandmysterious,asitwerethepresenceofsomepeculiarinfluencesandcoincidences。InthepreviouswinterastudentheknewcalledPokorev,whohadleftforHarkov,hadchancedinconversationtogivehimtheaddressofAlyonaIvanovna,theoldpawnbroker,incasehemightwanttopawnanything。Foralongwhilehedidnotgotoher,forhehadlessonsandmanagedtogetalongsomehow。Sixweeksagohehadrememberedtheaddress;hehadtwoarticlesthatcouldbepawned：hisfather"soldsilverwatchandalittlegoldringwiththreeredstones,apresentfromhissisteratparting。Hedecidedtotakethering。Whenhefoundtheoldwomanhehadfeltaninsurmountablerepulsionforheratthefirstglance,thoughheknewnothingspecialabouther。Hegottworoublesfromherandwentintoamiserablelittletavernonhiswayhome。Heaskedfortea,satdownandsankintodeepthought。Astrangeideawaspeckingathisbrainlikeachickenintheegg,andvery,verymuchabsorbedhim。

Almostbesidehimatthenexttabletherewassittingastudent,whomhedidnotknowandhadneverseen,andwithhimayoungofficer。

Theyhadplayedagameofbilliardsandbegandrinkingtea。AllatonceheheardthestudentmentiontotheofficerthepawnbrokerAlyonaIvanovnaandgivehimheraddress。ThisofitselfseemedstrangetoRaskolnikov;hehadjustcomefromherandhereatonceheheardhername。Ofcourseitwasachance,buthecouldnotshakeoffaveryextraordinaryimpression,andheresomeoneseemedtobespeakingexpresslyforhim;thestudentbegantellinghisfriendvariousdetailsaboutAlyonaIvanovna。

“Sheisfirstrate,“hesaid。“Youcanalwaysgetmoneyfromher。

SheisasrichasaJew,shecangiveyoufivethousandroublesatatimeandsheisnotabovetakingapledgeforarouble。Lotsofourfellowshavehaddealingswithher。Butsheisanawfuloldharpy……“

Andhebegandescribinghowspitefulanduncertainshewas,howifyouwereonlyadaylatewithyourinterestthepledgewaslost;howshegaveaquarterofthevalueofanarticleandtookfiveandevensevenpercentamonthonitandsoon。Thestudentchatteredon,sayingthatshehadasisterLizaveta,whomthewretchedlittlecreaturewascontinuallybeating,andkeptincompletebondagelikeasmallchild,thoughLizavetawasatleastsixfeethigh。

“There"saphenomenonforyou,“criedthestudentandhelaughed。

TheybegantalkingaboutLizaveta。ThestudentspokeaboutherwithapeculiarrelishandwascontinuallylaughingandtheofficerlistenedwithgreatinterestandaskedhimtosendLizavetatodosomemendingforhim。Raskolnikovdidnotmissawordandlearnedeverythingabouther。Lizavetawasyoungerthantheoldwomanandwasherhalf-sister,beingthechildofadifferentmother。Shewasthirty-five。Sheworkeddayandnightforhersister,andbesidesdoingthecookingandthewashing,shedidsewingandworkedasacharwomanandgavehersisterallsheearned。Shedidnotdaretoacceptanorderorjobofanykindwithouthersister"spermission。

Theoldwomanhadalreadymadeherwill,andLizavetaknewofit,andbythiswillshewouldnotgetafarthing;nothingbutthemovables,chairsandsoon;allthemoneywaslefttoamonasteryintheprovinceofN___,thatprayersmightbesaidforherinperpetuity。Lizavetawasoflowerrankthanhersister,unmarriedandawfullyuncouthinappearance,remarkablytallwithlongfeetthatlookedasiftheywerebentoutwards。Shealwaysworebatteredgoatskinshoes,andwascleaninherperson。WhatthestudentexpressedmostsurpriseandamusementaboutwasthefactthatLizavetawascontinuallywithchild。

“Butyousaysheishideous？”observedtheofficer。

“Yes,sheissodark-skinnedandlookslikeasoldierdressedup,butyouknowsheisnotatallhideous。Shehassuchagood-naturedfaceandeyes。Strikinglyso。Andtheproofofitisthatlotsofpeopleareattractedbyher。Sheissuchasoft,gentlecreature,readytoputupwithanything,alwayswilling,willingtodoanything。

Andhersmileisreallyverysweet。“

“Youseemtofindherattractiveyourself,“laughedtheofficer。

“Fromherqueerness。No,I"lltellyouwhat。Icouldkillthatdamnedoldwomanandmakeoffwithhermoney,Iassureyou,withoutthefaintestconscience-prick,“thestudentaddedwithwarmth。TheofficerlaughedagainwhileRaskolnikovshuddered。Howstrangeitwas!

“Listen,Iwanttoaskyouaseriousquestion,“thestudentsaidhotly。“Iwasjokingofcourse,butlookhere;ononesidewehaveastupid,senseless,worthless,spiteful,ailing,horridoldwoman,notsimplyuselessbutdoingactualmischief,whohasnotanideawhatsheislivingforherself,andwhowilldieinadayortwoinanycase。Youunderstand?Youunderstand？”

“Yes,yes,Iunderstand,“answeredtheofficer,watchinghisexcitedcompanionattentively。

“Well,listenthen。Ontheotherside,freshyounglivesthrownawayforwantofhelpandbythousands,oneveryside!Ahundredthousandgooddeedscouldbedoneandhelped,onthatoldwoman"smoneywhichwillbeburiedinamonastery!Hundreds,thousandsperhaps,mightbesetontherightpath;dozensoffamiliessavedfromdestitution,fromruin,fromvice,fromtheLockhospitals-andallwithhermoney。Killher,takehermoneyandwiththehelpofitdevoteoneselftotheserviceofhumanityandthegoodofall。Whatdoyouthink,wouldnotonetinycrimebewipedoutbythousandsofgooddeeds?Foronelifethousandswouldbesavedfromcorruptionanddecay。Onedeath,andahundredlivesinexchange-it"ssimplearithmetic!Besides,whatvaluehasthelifeofthatsickly,stupid,ill-naturedoldwomaninthebalanceofexistence!Nomorethanthelifeofalouse,ofablackbeetle,lessinfactbecausetheoldwomanisdoingharm。Sheiswearingoutthelivesofothers;theotherdayshebitLizaveta"sfingeroutofspite;italmosthadtobeamputated。“

“Ofcourseshedoesnotdeservetolive,“remarkedtheofficer,“butthereitis,it"snature。“

“Oh,well,brother,butwehavetocorrectanddirectnature,and,butforthat,weshoulddrowninanoceanofprejudice。Butforthat,therewouldneverhavebeenasinglegreatman。Theytalkofduty,conscience-Idon"twanttosayanythingagainstdutyandconscience;-butthepointiswhatdowemeanbythem。Stay,Ihaveanotherquestiontoaskyou。Listen！”

“No,youstay,I"llaskyouaquestion。Listen！”

“Well？”

“Youaretalkingandspeechifyingaway,buttellme,wouldyoukilltheoldwomanyourself？”

“Ofcoursenot!Iwasonlyarguingthejusticeofit……It"snothingtodowithme……“

“ButIthink,ifyouwouldnotdoityourself,there"snojusticeaboutit……Letushaveanothergame。“

Raskolnikovwasviolentlyagitated。Ofcourse,itwasallordinaryyouthfultalkandthought,suchashehadoftenheardbeforeindifferentformsandondifferentthemes。Butwhyhadhehappenedtohearsuchadiscussionandsuchideasattheverymomentwhenhisownbrainwasjustconceiving……theverysameideas?Andwhy,justatthemomentwhenhehadbroughtawaytheembryoofhisideafromtheoldwomanhadhedroppedatonceuponaconversationabouther?Thiscoincidencealwaysseemedstrangetohim。Thistrivialtalkinatavernhadanimmenseinfluenceonhiminhislateraction;asthoughtherehadreallybeeninitsomethingpreordained,someguidinghint-

OnreturningfromtheHayMarketheflunghimselfonthesofaandsatforawholehourwithoutstirring。Meanwhileitgotdark;hehadnocandleand,indeed,itdidnotoccurtohimtolightup。Hecouldneverrecollectwhetherhehadbeenthinkingaboutanythingatthattime。Atlasthewasconsciousofhisformerfeverandshivering,andherealisedwithreliefthathecouldliedownonthesofa。Soonheavy,leadensleepcameoverhim,asitwerecrushinghim。

Hesleptanextraordinarilylongtimeandwithoutdreaming。

Nastasya,comingintohisroomatteno"clockthenextmorning,haddifficultyinrousinghim。Shebroughthiminteaandbread。Theteawasagainthesecondbrewandagaininherowntea-pot。

“Mygoodness,howhesleeps！”shecriedindignantly。“Andheisalwaysasleep。“

Hegotupwithaneffort。Hisheadached,hestoodup,tookaturninhisgarretandsankbackonthesofaagain。

“Goingtosleepagain,“criedNastasya。“Areyouill,eh？”

Hemadenoreply。

“Doyouwantsometea？”

“Afterwards,“hesaidwithaneffort,closinghiseyesagainandturningtothewall。

Nastasyastoodoverhim。

“Perhapshereallyisill,“shesaid,turnedandwentout。Shecameinagainattwoo"clockwithsoup。Hewaslyingasbefore。Theteastooduntouched。Nastasyafeltpositivelyoffendedandbeganwrathfullyrousinghim。

“Whyareyoulyinglikealog？”sheshouted,lookingathimwithrepulsion。

Hegotup,andsatdownagain,butsaidnothingandstaredatthefloor。

“Areyouillornot？”askedNastasyaandagainreceivednoanswer。

“You"dbettergooutandgetabreathofair,“shesaidafterapause。

“Willyoueatitornot？”

“Afterwards,“hesaidweakly。“Youcango。“

Andhemotionedherout。

Sheremainedalittlelonger,lookedathimwithcompassionandwentout。

Afewminutesafterwards,heraisedhiseyesandlookedforalongwhileattheteaandthesoup。Thenhetookthebread,tookupaspoonandbegantoeat。

Heatealittle,threeorfourspoonfuls,withoutappetiteasitweremechanically。Hisheadachedless。Afterhismealhestretchedhimselfonthesofaagain,butnowhecouldnotsleep;helaywithoutstirring,withhisfaceinthepillow。Hewashauntedbydaydreamsandsuchstrangedaydreams;inone,thatkeptrecurring,hefanciedthathewasinAfrica,inEgypt,insomesortofoasis。Thecaravanwasresting,thecamelswerepeacefullylyingdown;thepalmsstoodallaroundinacompletecircle;allthepartywereatdinner。Buthewasdrinkingwaterfromaspringwhichflowedgurglingcloseby。Anditwassocool,itwaswonderful,wonderful,blue,coldwaterrunningamongtheparti-colouredstonesandoverthecleansandwhichglistenedhereandtherelikegold……Suddenlyheheardaclockstrike。Hestarted,rousedhimself,raisedhishead,lookedoutofthewindow,andseeinghowlateitwas,suddenlyjumpedupwideawakeasthoughsomeonehadpulledhimoffthesofa。

Hecreptontiptoetothedoor,stealthilyopeneditandbeganlisteningonthestaircase。Hisheartbeatterribly。Butallwasquietonthestairsasifeveryonewasasleep……Itseemedtohimstrangeandmonstrousthathecouldhavesleptinsuchforgetfulnessfromthepreviousdayandhaddonenothing,hadpreparednothingyet……Andmeanwhileperhapsithadstrucksix。Andhisdrowsinessandstupefactionwerefollowedbyanextraordinary,feverish,asitwere,distracted,haste。Butthepreparationstobemadewerefew。

Heconcentratedallhisenergiesonthinkingofeverythingandforgettingnothing;andhisheartkeptbeatingandthumpingsothathecouldhardlybreathe。Firsthehadtomakeanooseandsewitintohisovercoat-aworkofamoment。Herummagedunderhispillowandpickedoutamongstthelinenstuffedawayunderit,awornout,oldunwashedshirt。Fromitsragshetorealongstrip,acoupleofincheswideandaboutsixteenincheslong。Hefoldedthisstripintwo,tookoffhiswide,strongsummerovercoatofsomestoutcottonmaterial(hisonlyoutergarment)andbegansewingthetwoendsoftheragontheinside,undertheleftarmhole。Hishandsshookashesewed,buthediditsuccessfullysothatnothingshowedoutsidewhenheputthecoatonagain。Theneedleandthreadhehadgotreadylongbeforeandtheylayonhistableinapieceofpaper。Asforthenoose,itwasaveryingeniousdeviceofhisown;thenoosewasintendedfortheaxe。Itwasimpossibleforhimtocarrytheaxethroughthestreetinhishands。Andifhiddenunderhiscoathewouldstillhavehadtosupportitwithhishand,whichwouldhavebeennoticeable。Nowhehadonlytoputtheheadoftheaxeinthenoose,anditwouldhangquietlyunderhisarmontheinside。Puttinghishandinhiscoatpocket,hecouldholdtheendofthehandlealltheway,sothatitdidnotswing;andasthecoatwasveryfull,aregularsackinfact,itcouldnotbeseenfromoutsidethathewasholdingsomethingwiththehandthatwasinthepocket。Thisnoose,too,hehaddesignedafortnightbefore。

Whenhehadfinishedwiththis,hethrusthishandintoalittleopeningbetweenhissofaandthefloor,fumbledintheleftcorneranddrewoutthepledge,whichhehadgotreadylongbeforeandhiddenthere。Thispledgewas,however,onlyasmoothlyplanedpieceofwoodthesizeandthicknessofasilvercigarettecase。Hepickedupthispieceofwoodinoneofhiswanderingsinacourtyardwheretherewassomesortofaworkshop。Afterwardshehadaddedtothewoodathinsmoothpieceofiron,whichhehadalsopickedupatthesametimeinthestreet。Puttingtheironwhichwasalittlethesmalleronthepieceofwood,hefastenedthemveryfirmly,crossingandre-crossingthethreadroundthem;thenwrappedthemcarefullyanddaintilyincleanwhitepaperandtieduptheparcelsothatitwouldbeverydifficulttountieit。Thiswasinordertodiverttheattentionoftheoldwomanforatime,whileshewastryingtoundotheknot,andsotogainamoment。Theironstripwasaddedtogiveweight,sothatthewomanmightnotguessthefirstminutethatthe“thing“wasmadeofwood。Allthishadbeenstoredbyhimbeforehandunderthesofa。Hehadonlyjustgotthepledgeoutwhenheheardsomeonesuddenlyaboutintheyard。

“Itstrucksixlongago。“

“Longago!MyGod！”

Herushedtothedoor,listened,caughtuphishatandbegantodescendhisthirteenstepscautiously,noiselessly,likeacat。Hehadstillthemostimportantthingtodo-tostealtheaxefromthekitchen。Thatthedeedmustbedonewithanaxehehaddecidedlongago。Hehadalsoapocketpruning-knife,buthecouldnotrelyontheknifeandstilllessonhisownstrength,andsoresolvedfinallyontheaxe。Wemaynoteinpassing,onepeculiarityinregardtoallthefinalresolutionstakenbyhiminthematter;theyhadonestrangecharacteristic：themorefinaltheywere,themorehideousandthemoreabsurdtheyatoncebecameinhiseyes。Inspiteofallhisagonisinginwardstruggle,heneverforasingleinstantallthattimecouldbelieveinthecarryingoutofhisplans。

And,indeed,ifithadeverhappenedthateverythingtotheleastpointcouldhavebeenconsideredandfinallysettled,andnouncertaintyofanykindhadremained,hewould,itseems,haverenounceditallassomethingabsurd,monstrousandimpossible。Butawholemassofunsettledpointsanduncertaintiesremained。Asforgettingtheaxe,thattriflingbusinesscosthimnoanxiety,fornothingcouldbeeasier。Nastasyawascontinuallyoutofthehouse,especiallyintheevenings;shewouldrunintotheneighboursortoashop,andalwaysleftthedoorajar。Itwastheonethingthelandladywasalwaysscoldingherabout。Andsowhenthetimecame,hewouldonlyhavetogoquietlyintothekitchenandtotaketheaxe,andanhourlater(wheneverythingwasover)goinandputitbackagain。Buttheseweredoubtfulpoints。Supposinghereturnedanhourlatertoputitback,andNastasyahadcomebackandwasonthespot。Hewouldofcoursehavetogobyandwaittillshewentoutagain。Butsupposingshewereinthemeantimetomisstheaxe,lookforit,makeanoutcry-

thatwouldmeansuspicionoratleastgroundsforsuspicion。

Butthosewerealltrifleswhichhehadnotevenbeguntoconsider,andindeedhehadnotime。Hewasthinkingofthechiefpoint,andputofftriflingdetails,untilhecouldbelieveinitall。

Butthatseemedutterlyunattainable。Soitseemedtohimselfatleast。Hecouldnotimagine,forinstance,thathewouldsometimeleaveoffthinking,getupandsimplygothere……Evenhislateexperiment(i。e。hisvisitwiththeobjectofafinalsurveyoftheplace)wassimplyanattemptatanexperiment,farfrombeingtherealthing,asthoughoneshouldsay“come,letusgoandtryit-whydreamaboutit！”-andatoncehehadbrokendownandhadrunawaycursing,inafrenzywithhimself。Meanwhileitwouldseem,asregardsthemoralquestion,thathisanalysiswascomplete;hiscasuistryhadbecomekeenasarazor,andhecouldnotfindrationalobjectionsinhimself。Butinthelastresorthesimplyceasedtobelieveinhimself,anddoggedly,slavishlysoughtargumentsinalldirections,fumblingforthem,asthoughsomeonewereforcinganddrawinghimtoit。

Atfirst-longbeforeindeed-hehadbeenmuchoccupiedwithonequestion;whyalmostallcrimesaresobadlyconcealedandsoeasilydetected,andwhyalmostallcriminalsleavesuchobvioustraces?Hehadcomegraduallytomanydifferentandcuriousconclusions,andinhisopinionthechiefreasonlaynotsomuchinthematerialimpossibilityofconcealingthecrime,asinthecriminalhimself。

Almosteverycriminalissubjecttoafailureofwillandreasoningpowerbyachildishandphenomenalheedlessness,attheveryinstantwhenprudenceandcautionaremostessential。Itwashisconvictionthatthiseclipseofreasonandfailureofwillpowerattackedamanlikeadisease,developedgraduallyandreacheditshighestpointjustbeforetheperpetrationofthecrime,continuedwithequalviolenceatthemomentofthecrimeandforlongerorshortertimeafter,accordingtotheindividualcase,andthenpassedofflikeanyotherdisease。Thequestionwhetherthediseasegivesrisetothecrime,orwhetherthecrimefromitsownpeculiarnatureisalwaysaccompaniedbysomethingofthenatureofdisease,hedidnotyetfeelabletodecide。

Whenhereachedtheseconclusions,hedecidedthatinhisowncasetherecouldnotbesuchamorbidreaction,thathisreasonandwillwouldremainunimpairedatthetimeofcarryingouthisdesign,forthesimplereasonthathisdesignwas“notacrime……“Wewillomitalltheprocessbymeansofwhichhearrivedatthislastconclusion;wehaveruntoofaraheadalready……Wemayaddonlythatthepractical,purelymaterialdifficultiesoftheaffairoccupiedasecondarypositioninhismind。“Onehasbuttokeepallone"swillpowerandreasontodealwiththem,andtheywillallbeovercomeatthetimewhenonceonehasfamiliarisedoneselfwiththeminutestdetailsofthebusiness……“Butthispreparationhadneverbeenbegun。Hisfinaldecisionswerewhathecametotrustleast,andwhenthehourstruck,itallcametopassquitedifferently,asitwereaccidentallyandunexpectedly。

Onetriflingcircumstanceupsethiscalculations,beforehehadevenleftthestaircase。Whenhereachedthelandlady"skitchen,thedoorofwhichwasopenasusual,heglancedcautiouslyintoseewhether,inNastasya"sabsence,thelandladyherselfwasthere,orifnot,whetherthedoortoherownroomwasclosed,sothatshemightnotpeepoutwhenhewentinfortheaxe。ButwhatwashisamazementwhenhesuddenlysawthatNastasyawasnotonlyathomeinthekitchen,butwasoccupiedthere,takinglinenoutofabasketandhangingitonaline。Seeinghim,sheleftoffhangingtheclothes,turnedtohimandstaredathimallthetimehewaspassing。Heturnedawayhiseyes,andwalkedpastasthoughhenoticednothing。Butitwastheendofeverything;hehadnottheaxe!Hewasoverwhelmed。

“Whatmademethink,“hereflected,ashewentunderthegateway,“whatmademethinkthatshewouldbesurenottobeathomeatthatmoment!Why,why,whydidIassumethissocertainly？”

Hewascrushedandevenhumiliated。Hecouldhavelaughedathimselfinhisanger……Adullanimalrageboiledwithinhim。

Hestoodhesitatinginthegateway。Togointothestreet,togoforawalkforappearancesakewasrevolting;togobacktohisroom,evenmorerevolting。“AndwhatachanceIhavelostforever！”hemuttered,standingaimlesslyinthegateway,justoppositetheporter"slittledarkroom,whichwasalsoopen。Suddenlyhestarted。Fromtheporter"sroom,twopacesawayfromhim,somethingshiningunderthebenchtotherightcaughthiseye……Helookedabouthim-nobody。Heapproachedtheroomontiptoe,wentdowntwostepsintoitandinafaintvoicecalledtheporter。“Yes,notathome!Somewherenearthough,intheyard,forthedooriswideopen。“Hedashedtotheaxe(itwasanaxe)andpulleditoutfromunderthebench,whereitlaybetweentwochunksofwood;atoncebeforegoingout,hemadeitfastinthenoose,hethrustbothhandsintohispocketsandwentoutoftheroom;noonehadnoticedhim!“Whenreasonfails,thedevilhelps！”hethoughtwithastrangegrin。Thischanceraisedhisspiritsextraordinarily。

Hewalkedalongquietlyandsedately,withouthurry,toavoidawakeningsuspicion。Hescarcelylookedatthepassers-by,triedtoescapelookingattheirfacesatall,andtobeaslittlenoticeableaspossible。Suddenlyhethoughtofhishat。“Goodheavens!Ihadthemoneythedaybeforeyesterdayanddidnotgetacaptowearinstead！”Acurserosefromthebottomofhissoul。

Glancingoutofthecornerofhiseyeintoashop,hesawbyaclockonthewallthatitwastenminutespastseven。Hehadtomakehasteandatthesametimetogosomewayround,soastoapproachthehousefromtheotherside……

Whenhehadhappenedtoimagineallthisbeforehand,hehadsometimesthoughtthathewouldbeverymuchafraid。Buthewasnotverymuchafraidnow,wasnotafraidatall,indeed。Hismindwasevenoccupiedbyirrelevantmatters,butbynothingforlong。AshepassedtheYusupovgarden,hewasdeeplyabsorbedinconsideringthebuildingofgreatfountains,andoftheirrefreshingeffectontheatmosphereinallthesquares。BydegreeshepassedtotheconvictionthatifthesummergardenwereextendedtothefieldofMars,andperhapsjoinedtothegardenoftheMihailovskyPalace,itwouldbeasplendidthingandagreatbenefittothetown。Thenhewasinterestedbythequestionwhyinallgreattownsmenarenotsimplydrivenbynecessity,butinsomepeculiarwayinclinedtoliveinthosepartsofthetownwheretherearenogardensnorfountains;

wherethereismostdirtandsmellandallsortsofnastiness。ThenhisownwalksthroughtheHayMarketcamebacktohismind,andforamomenthewakeduptoreality。“Whatnonsense！”hethought,“betterthinkofnothingatall！”

“Soprobablymenledtoexecutionclutchmentallyateveryobjectthatmeetsthemontheway,“flashedthroughhismind,butsimplyflashed,likelightning;hemadehastetodismissthisthought……Andbynowhewasnear;herewasthehouse,herewasthegate。Suddenlyaclocksomewherestruckonce。“What!canitbehalf-pastseven?

Impossible,itmustbefast！”

Luckilyforhim,everythingwentwellagainatthegates。Atthatverymoment,asthoughexpresslyforhisbenefit,ahugewaggonofhayhadjustdriveninatthegate,completelyscreeninghimashepassedunderthegateway,andthewaggonhadscarcelyhadtimetodrivethroughintotheyard,beforehehadslippedinaflashtotheright。Ontheothersideofthewaggonhecouldhearshoutingandquarrelling;butnoonenoticedhimandnoonemethim。Manywindowslookingintothathugequadrangularyardwereopenatthatmoment,buthedidnotraisehishead-hehadnotthestrengthto。Thestaircaseleadingtotheoldwoman"sroomwascloseby,justontherightofthegateway。Hewasalreadyonthestairs……

Drawingabreath,pressinghishandagainsthisthrobbingheart,andoncemorefeelingfortheaxeandsettingitstraight,hebegansoftlyandcautiouslyascendingthestairs,listeningeveryminute。Butthestairs,too,werequitedeserted;allthedoorswereshut;hemetnoone。Oneflatindeedonthefirstfloorwaswideopenandpainterswereatworkinit,buttheydidnotglanceathim。Hestoodstill,thoughtaminuteandwenton。“Ofcourseitwouldbebetteriftheyhadnotbeenhere,but……it"stwostoreysabovethem。“

Andtherewasthefourthstorey,herewasthedoor,herewastheflatopposite,theemptyone。Theflatunderneaththeoldwoman"swasapparentlyemptyalso;thevisitingcardnailedonthedoorhadbeentornoff-theyhadgoneaway!……Hewasoutofbreath。Foroneinstantthethoughtfloatedthroughhismind“ShallIgoback？”Buthemadenoanswerandbeganlisteningattheoldwoman"sdoor,adeadsilence。Thenhelistenedagainonthestaircase,listenedlongandintently……thenlookedabouthimforthelasttime,pulledhimselftogether,drewhimselfup,andoncemoretriedtheaxeinthenoose。

“AmIverypale？”hewondered。“AmInotevidentlyagitated?Sheismistrustful……HadIbetterwaitalittlelonger……tillmyheartleavesoffthumping？”

Buthisheartdidnotleaveoff。Onthecontrary,asthoughtospitehim,itthrobbedmoreandmoreviolently。Hecouldstanditnolonger,heslowlyputouthishandtothebellandrang。Halfaminutelaterherangagain,moreloudly。

Noanswer。Togoonringingwasuselessandoutofplace。Theoldwomanwas,ofcourse,athome,butshewassuspiciousandalone。Hehadsomeknowledgeofherhabits……andoncemoreheputhiseartothedoor。Eitherhissenseswerepeculiarlykeen(whichitisdifficulttosuppose),orthesoundwasreallyverydistinct。

Anyway,hesuddenlyheardsomethinglikethecautioustouchofahandonthelockandtherustleofaskirtattheverydoor。Someonewasstandingstealthilyclosetothelockandjustashewasdoingontheoutsidewassecretlylisteningwithin,andseemedtohavehereartothedoor……Hemovedalittleonpurposeandmutteredsomethingaloudthathemightnothavetheappearanceofhiding,thenrangathirdtime,butquietly,soberlyandwithoutimpatience,Recallingitafterwards,thatmomentstoodoutinhismindvividly,distinctly,forever;hecouldnotmakeouthowhehadhadsuchcunning,forhismindwasasitwerecloudedatmomentsandhewasalmostunconsciousofhisbody……Aninstantlaterheheardthelatchunfastened。

ChapterSevenTHEDOORwasasbeforeopenedatinycrack,andagaintwosharpandsuspiciouseyesstaredathimoutofthedarkness。ThenRaskolnikovlosthisheadandnearlymadeagreatmistake。

Fearingtheoldwomanwouldbefrightenedbytheirbeingalone,andnothopingthatthesightofhimwoulddisarmhersuspicions,hetookholdofthedooranddrewittowardshimtopreventtheoldwomanfromattemptingtoshutitagain。Seeingthisshedidnotpullthedoorback,butshedidnotletgothehandlesothathealmostdraggedheroutwithitontothestairs。Seeingthatshewasstandinginthedoorwaynotallowinghimtopass,headvancedstraightuponher。

Shesteppedbackinalarm,triedtosaysomething,butseemedunabletospeakandstaredwithopeneyesathim。

“Goodevening,AlyonaIvanovna,“hebegan,tryingtospeakeasily,buthisvoicewouldnotobeyhim,itbrokeandshook。“Ihavecome……Ihavebroughtsomething……butwe"dbettercomein……tothelight……“

Andleavingher,hepassedstraightintotheroomuninvited。Theoldwomanranafterhim;hertonguewasunloosed。

“Goodheavens!Whatitis?Whoisit?Whatdoyouwant？”

“Why,AlyonaIvanovna,youknowme……Raskolnikov……here,IbroughtyouthepledgeIpromisedtheotherday……“andheheldoutthepledge。

Theoldwomanglancedforamomentatthepledge,butatoncestaredintheeyesofheruninvitedvisitor。Shelookedintently,maliciouslyandmistrustfully。Aminutepassed;heevenfanciedsomethinglikeasneerinhereyes,asthoughshehadalreadyguessedeverything。Hefeltthathewaslosinghishead,thathewasalmostfrightened,sofrightenedthatifsheweretolooklikethatandnotsayawordforanotherhalfminute,hethoughthewouldhaverunawayfromher。

“Whydoyoulookatmeasthoughyoudidnotknowme？”hesaidsuddenly,alsowithmalice。“Takeitifyoulike,ifnotI"llgoelsewhere,Iaminahurry。“

Hehadnoteventhoughtofsayingthis,butitwassuddenlysaidofitself。Theoldwomanrecoveredherself,andhervisitor"sresolutetoneevidentlyrestoredherconfidence。

“Butwhy,mygoodsir,allofaminute……Whatisit？”sheasked,lookingatthepledge。

“Thesilvercigarettecase;Ispokeofitlasttime,youknow。“

Sheheldoutherhand。

“Buthowpaleyouare,tobesure……andyourhandsaretremblingtoo?Haveyoubeenbathing,orwhat？”

“Fever,“heansweredabruptly。“Youcan"thelpgettingpale……ifyou"venothingtoeat,“headded,withdifficultyarticulatingthewords。

Hisstrengthwasfailinghimagain。Buthisanswersoundedlikethetruth;theoldwomantookthepledge。

“Whatisit？”sheaskedoncemore,scanningRaskolnikovintently,andweighingthepledgeinherhand。

“Athing……cigarettecase……Silver……Lookatit。“

“Itdoesnotseemsomehowlikesilver……Howhehaswrappeditup！”

Tryingtountiethestringandturningtothewindow,tothelight(allherwindowswereshut,inspiteofthestiflingheat),shelefthimaltogetherforsomesecondsandstoodwithherbacktohim。Heunbuttonedhiscoatandfreedtheaxefromthenoose,butdidnotyettakeitoutaltogether,simplyholdingitinhisrighthandunderthecoat。Hishandswerefearfullyweak,hefeltthemeverymomentgrowingmorenumbandmorewooden。Hewasafraidhewouldlettheaxeslipandfall……Asuddengiddinesscameoverhim。

“Butwhathashetiedituplikethisfor？”theoldwomancriedwithvexationandmovedtowardshim。

Hehadnotaminutemoretolose。Hepulledtheaxequiteout,swungitwithbotharms,scarcelyconsciousofhimself,andalmostwithouteffort,almostmechanically,broughtthebluntsidedownonherhead。Heseemednottousehisownstrengthinthis。Butassoonashehadoncebroughttheaxedown,hisstrengthreturnedtohim。

Theoldwomanwasasalwaysbareheaded。Herthin,lighthair,streakedwithgrey,thicklysmearedwithgrease,wasplaitedinarat"stailandfastenedbyabrokenhorncombwhichstoodoutonthenapeofherneck。Asshewassoshort,theblowfellontheverytopofherskull。Shecriedout,butveryfaintly,andsuddenlysankallofaheaponthefloor,raisingherhandstoherhead。Inonehandshestillheld“thepledge。“Thenhedealtheranotherandanotherblowwiththebluntsideandonthesamespot。Thebloodgushedasfromanoverturnedglass,thebodyfellback。Hesteppedback,letitfall,andatoncebentoverherface;shewasdead。Hereyesseemedtobestartingoutoftheirsockets,thebrowandthewholefaceweredrawnandcontortedconvulsively。

Helaidtheaxeonthegroundnearthedeadbodyandfeltatonceinherpocket(tryingtoavoidthestreamingbody)-thesamerighthandpocketfromwhichshehadtakenthekeyonhislastvisit。Hewasinfullpossessionofhisfaculties,freefromconfusionorgiddiness,buthishandswerestilltrembling。Herememberedafterwardsthathehadbeenparticularlycollectedandcareful,tryingallthetimenottogetsmearedwithblood……Hepulledoutthekeysatonce,theywereall,asbefore,inonebunchonasteelring。Heranatonceintothebedroomwiththem。Itwasaverysmallroomwithawholeshrineofholyimages。Againsttheotherwallstoodabigbed,verycleanandcoveredwithasilkpatchworkwaddedquilt。Againstathirdwallwasachestofdrawers。Strangetosay,sosoonashebegantofitthekeysintothechest,sosoonasheheardtheirjingling,aconvulsiveshudderpassedoverhim。Hesuddenlyfelttemptedagaintogiveitallupandgoaway。Butthatwasonlyforaninstant;itwastoolatetogoback。Hepositivelysmiledathimself,whensuddenlyanotherterrifyingideaoccurredtohismind。Hesuddenlyfanciedthattheoldwomanmightbestillaliveandmightrecoverhersenses。Leavingthekeysinthechest,heranbacktothebody,snatcheduptheaxeandlifteditoncemoreovertheoldwoman,butdidnotbringitdown。Therewasnodoubtthatshewasdead。Bendingdownandexaminingheragainmoreclosely,hesawclearlythattheskullwasbrokenandevenbatteredinononeside。Hewasabouttofeelitwithhisfinger,butdrewbackhishandandindeeditwasevidentwithoutthat。Meanwhiletherewasaperfectpoolofblood。Allatoncehenoticedastringonherneck;hetuggedatit,butthestringwasstronganddidnotsnapandbesides,itwassoakedwithblood。Hetriedtopullitoutfromthefrontofthedress,butsomethinghelditandpreventeditscoming。Inhisimpatienceheraisedtheaxeagaintocutthestringfromaboveonthebody,butdidnotdare,andwithdifficulty,smearinghishandandtheaxeintheblood,aftertwominutes"hurriedeffort,hecutthestringandtookitoffwithouttouchingthebodywiththeaxe;hewasnotmistaken-itwasapurse。Onthestringweretwocrosses,oneofCypruswoodandoneofcopper,andanimageinsilverfiligree,andwiththemasmallgreasychamoisleatherpursewithasteelrimandring。Thepursewasstuffedveryfull;Raskolnikovthrustitinhispocketwithoutlookingatit,flungthecrossesontheoldwoman"sbodyandrushedbackintothebedroom,thistimetakingtheaxewithhim。

Hewasinterriblehaste,hesnatchedthekeys,andbegantryingthemagain。Buthewasunsuccessful。Theywouldnotfitinthelocks。Itwasnotsomuchthathishandswereshaking,butthathekeptmakingmistakes;thoughhesawforinstancethatakeywasnottherightoneandwouldnotfit,stillhetriedtoputitin。Suddenlyherememberedandrealisedthatthebigkeywiththedeepnotches,whichwashangingtherewiththesmallkeyscouldnotpossiblybelongtothechestofdrawers(onhislastvisitthishadstruckhim),buttosomestrongbox,andthateverythingperhapswashiddeninthatbox。Heleftthechestofdrawers,andatoncefeltunderthebedstead,knowingthatoldwomenusuallykeepboxesundertheirbeds。Andsoitwas;therewasagood-sizedboxunderthebed,atleastayardinlength,withanarchedlidcoveredwithredleatherandstuddedwithsteelnails。Thenotchedkeyfittedatonceandunlockedit。Atthetop,underawhitesheet,wasacoatofredbrocadelinedwithhareskin;underitwasasilkdress,thenashawlanditseemedasthoughtherewasnothingbelowbutclothes。Thefirstthinghedidwastowipehisblood-stainedhandsontheredbrocade。

“It"sred,andonredbloodwillbelessnoticeable,“thethoughtpassedthroughhismind;thenhesuddenlycametohimself。“GoodGod,amIgoingoutofmysenses？”hethoughtwithterror。

Butnosoonerdidhetouchtheclothesthanagoldwatchslippedfromunderthefurcoat。Hemadehastetoturnthemallover。Thereturnedouttobevariousarticlesmadeofgoldamongtheclothes-probablyallpledges,unredeemedorwaitingtoberedeemed-

bracelets,chains,ear-rings,pinsandsuchthings。Somewereincases,otherssimplywrappedinnewspaper,carefullyandexactlyfolded,andtiedroundwithtape。Withoutanydelay,hebeganfillingupthepocketsofhistrousersandovercoatwithoutexaminingorundoingtheparcelsandcases;buthehadnottimetotakemany……

Hesuddenlyheardstepsintheroomwheretheoldwomanlay。Hestoppedshortandwasstillasdeath。Butallwasquiet,soitmusthavebeenhisfancy。Allatoncehehearddistinctlyafaintcry,asthoughsomeonehadutteredalowbrokenmoan。Thenagaindeadsilenceforaminuteortwo。Hesatsquattingonhisheelsbytheboxandwaitedholdinghisbreath。Suddenlyhejumpedup,seizedtheaxeandranoutofthebedroom。

InthemiddleoftheroomstoodLizavetawithabigbundleinherarms。Shewasgazinginstupefactionathermurderedsister,whiteasasheetandseemingnottohavethestrengthtocryout。Seeinghimrunoutofthebedroom,shebeganfaintlyquiveringallover,likealeaf,ashudderrandownherface;sheliftedherhand,openedhermouth,butstilldidnotscream。Shebeganslowlybackingawayfromhimintothecorner,staringintently,persistentlyathim,butstillutterednosound,asthoughshecouldnotgetbreathtoscream。Herushedatherwiththeaxe;hermouthtwitchedpiteously,asoneseesbabies"mouths,whentheybegintobefrightened,stareintentlyatwhatfrightensthemandareonthepointofscreaming。AndthishaplessLizavetawassosimpleandhadbeensothoroughlycrushedandscaredthatshedidnotevenraiseahandtoguardherface,thoughthatwasthemostnecessaryandnaturalactionatthemoment,fortheaxewasraisedoverherface。Sheonlyputupheremptylefthand,butnottoherface,slowlyholdingitoutbeforeherasthoughmotioninghimaway。Theaxefellwiththesharpedgejustontheskullandsplitatoneblowallthetopofthehead。Shefellheavilyatonce。Raskolnikovcompletelylosthishead,snatchedupherbundle,droppeditagainandranintotheentry。

Feargainedmoreandmoremasteryoverhim,especiallyafterthissecond,quiteunexpectedmurder。Helongedtorunawayfromtheplaceasfastaspossible。Andifatthatmomenthehadbeencapableofseeingandreasoningmorecorrectly,ifhehadbeenabletorealiseallthedifficultiesofhisposition,thehopelessness,thehideousnessandtheabsurdityofit,ifhecouldhaveunderstoodhowmanyobstaclesand,perhaps,crimeshehadstilltoovercomeortocommit,togetoutofthatplaceandtomakehiswayhome,itisverypossiblethathewouldhaveflungupeverything,andwouldhavegonetogivehimselfup,andnotfromfear,butfromsimplehorrorandloathingofwhathehaddone。Thefeelingofloathingespeciallysurgedupwithinhimandgrewstrongereveryminute。Hewouldnotnowhavegonetotheboxorevenintotheroomforanythingintheworld。

Butasortofblankness,evendreaminesshadbegunbydegreestotakepossessionofhim;atmomentsheforgothimself,orrather,forgotwhatwasofimportance,andcaughtattrifles。Glancing,however,intothekitchenandseeingabuckethalffullofwateronabench,hebethoughthimofwashinghishandsandtheaxe。Hishandswerestickywithblood。Hedroppedtheaxewiththebladeinthewater,snatchedapieceofsoapthatlayinabrokensauceronthewindow,andbeganwashinghishandsinthebucket。Whentheywereclean,hetookouttheaxe,washedthebladeandspentalongtime,aboutthreeminutes,washingthewoodwheretherewerespotsofbloodrubbingthemwithsoap。Thenhewipeditallwithsomelinenthatwashangingtodryonalineinthekitchenandthenhewasalongwhileattentivelyexaminingtheaxeatthewindow。Therewasnotraceleftonit,onlythewoodwasstilldamp。Hecarefullyhungtheaxeinthenooseunderhiscoat。Thenasfaraswaspossible,inthedimlightinthekitchen,helookedoverhisovercoat,histrousersandhisboots。Atthefirstglancethereseemedtobenothingbutstainsontheboots。Hewettedtheragandrubbedtheboots。Butheknewhewasnotlookingthoroughly,thattheremightbesomethingquitenoticeablethathewasoverlooking。Hestoodinthemiddleoftheroom,lostinthought。Darkagonisingideasroseinhismind-

theideathathewasmadandthatatthatmomenthewasincapableofreasoning,ofprotectinghimself,thatheoughtperhapstobedoingsomethingutterlydifferentfromwhathewasnowdoing。“GoodGod！”hemuttered“Imustfly,fly,“andherushedintotheentry。Buthereashockofterrorawaitedhimsuchashehadneverknownbefore。

Hestoodandgazedandcouldnotbelievehiseyes：thedoor,theouterdoorfromthestairs,atwhichhehadnotlongbeforewaitedandrung,wasstandingunfastenedandatleastsixinchesopen。Nolock,nobolt,allthetime,allthattime!Theoldwomanhadnotshutitafterhimperhapsasaprecaution。But,goodGod!Why,hehadseenLizavetaafterwards!Andhowcouldhe,howcouldhehavefailedtoreflectthatshemusthavecomeinsomehow!Shecouldnothavecomethroughthewall!

Hedashedtothedoorandfastenedthelatch。

“Butno,thewrongthingagain。Imustgetaway,getaway……“

Heunfastenedthelatch,openedthedoorandbeganlisteningonthestaircase。

Helistenedalongtime。Somewherefaraway,itmightbeinthegateway,twovoiceswereloudlyandshrillyshouting,quarrellingandscolding。“Whataretheyabout？”Hewaitedpatiently。Atlastallwasstill,asthoughsuddenlycutoff;theyhadseparated。Hewasmeaningtogoout,butsuddenly,onthefloorbelow,adoorwasnoisilyopenedandsomeonebegangoingdownstairshummingatune。

“Howisittheyallmakesuchanoise！”flashedthroughhismind。Oncemoreheclosedthedoorandwaited。Atlastallwasstill,notasoulstirring。Hewasjusttakingasteptowardsthestairswhenheheardfreshfootsteps。

Thestepssoundedveryfaroff,attheverybottomofthestairs,butherememberedquiteclearlyanddistinctlythatfromthefirstsoundhebeganforsomereasontosuspectthatthiswassomeonecomingthere,tothefourthfloor,totheoldwoman。Why?Werethesoundssomehowpeculiar,significant?Thestepswereheavy,evenandunhurried。Nowhehadpassedthefirstfloor,nowhewasmountinghigher,itwasgrowingmoreandmoredistinct!Hecouldhearhisheavybreathing。Andnowthethirdstoreyhadbeenreached。Cominghere!Anditseemedtohimallatoncethathewasturnedtostone,thatitwaslikeadreaminwhichoneisbeingpursued,nearlycaughtandwillbekilled,andisrootedtothespotandcannotevenmoveone"sarms。

Atlastwhentheunknownwasmountingtothefourthfloor,hesuddenlystarted,andsucceededinslippingneatlyandquicklybackintotheflatandclosingthedoorbehindhim。Thenhetookthehookandsoftly,noiselessly,fixeditinthecatch。Instincthelpedhim。

Whenhehaddonethis,hecrouchedholdinghisbreath,bythedoor。

Theunknownvisitorwasbynowalsoatthedoor。Theywerenowstandingoppositeoneanother,ashehadjustbeforebeenstandingwiththeoldwoman,whenthedoordividedthemandhewaslistening。

Thevisitorpantedseveraltimes。“Hemustbeabig,fatman,“

thoughtRaskolnikov,squeezingtheaxeinhishand。Itseemedlikeadreamindeed。Thevisitortookholdofthebellandrangloudly。

Assoonasthetinbelltinkled,Raskolnikovseemedtobeawareofsomethingmovingintheroom。Forsomesecondshelistenedquiteseriously。Theunknownrangagain,waitedandsuddenlytuggedviolentlyandimpatientlyatthehandleofthedoor。Raskolnikovgazedinhorroratthehookshakinginitsfastening,andinblankterrorexpectedeveryminutethatthefasteningwouldbepulledout。Itcertainlydidseempossible,soviolentlywasheshakingit。Hewastemptedtoholdthefastening,buthemightbeawareofit。A

giddinesscameoverhimagain。“Ishallfalldown！”flashedthroughhismind,buttheunknownbegantospeakandherecoveredhimselfatonce。

“What"sup?Aretheyasleepormurdered?D-damnthem！”hebawledinathickvoice,“Hey,AlyonaIvanovna,oldwitch!LizavetaIvanovna,hey,mybeauty!openthedoor!Oh,damnthem!Aretheyasleeporwhat？”

Andagain,enraged,hetuggedwithallhismightadozentimesatthebell。Hemustcertainlybeamanofauthorityandanintimateacquaintance。

Atthismomentlighthurriedstepswereheardnotfaroff,onthestairs。Someoneelsewasapproaching。Raskolnikovhadnotheardthematfirst。

“Youdon"tsaythere"snooneathome,“thenew-comercriedinacheerful,ringingvoice,addressingthefirstvisitor,whostillwentonpullingthebell。“Goodevening,Koch。“

“Fromhisvoicehemustbequiteyoung,“thoughtRaskolnikov。

“Whothedevilcantell?I"vealmostbrokenthelock,“answeredKoch。“Buthowdoyoucometoknowme?

“Why!ThedaybeforeyesterdayIbeatyouthreetimesrunningatbilliardsatGambrinus"。“

“Oh！”

“Sotheyarenotathome?That"squeer?It"sawfullystupidthough。Wherecouldtheoldwomanhavegone?I"vecomeonbusiness。“

“Yes;andIhavebusinesswithher,too。“

“Well,whatcanwedo?Goback,Isuppose,Aie-aie!AndIwashopingtogetsomemoney！”criedtheyoungman。

“Wemustgiveitup,ofcourse,butwhatdidshefixthistimefor?Theoldwitchfixedthetimeformetocomeherself。It"soutofmyway。Andwherethedevilshecanhavegotto,Ican"tmakeout。Shesitsherefromyear"sendtoyear"send,theoldhag;herlegsarebadandyethereallofasuddensheisoutforawalk！”

“Hadn"twebetterasktheporter？”

“What？”

“Whereshe"sgoneandwhenshe"llbeback。“

“Hm……Damnitall!……Wemightask……Butyouknowsheneverdoesgoanywhere。“

Andheoncemoretuggedatthedoor-handle。

“Damnitall。There"snothingtobedone,wemustgo！”

“Stay！”criedtheyoungmansuddenly。“Doyouseehowthedoorshakesifyoupullit？”

“Well？”

“Thatshowsit"snotlocked,butfastenedwiththehook!Doyouhearhowthehookclanks？”

“Well？”

“Why,don"tyousee?Thatprovesthatoneofthemisathome。Iftheywereallout,theywouldhavelockedthedoorfromtheoutsidewiththekeyandnotwiththehookfrominside。There,doyouhearhowthehookisclanking?Tofastenthehookontheinsidetheymustbeathome,don"tyousee。Sotheretheyaresittinginsideanddon"topenthedoor！”

“Well!Andsotheymustbe！”criedKoch,astonished。“Whataretheyaboutinthere！”Andhebeganfuriouslyshakingthedoor。

“Stay！”criedtheyoungmanagain。“Don"tpullatit!Theremustbesomethingwrong……Here,you"vebeenringingandpullingatthedoorandstilltheydon"topen!Soeitherthey"vebothfaintedor……“

“What？”

“Itellyouwhat。Let"sgofetchtheporter,lethimwakethemup。“

“Allright。“

Bothweregoingdown。

“Stay。YoustopherewhileIrundownfortheporter。“

“Whatfor？”

“Well,you"dbetter。“

“Allright。“

“I"mstudyingthelawyousee!It"sevident,e-vi-dentthere"ssomethingwronghere！”theyoungmancriedhotly,andherandownstairs。

Kochremained。Oncemorehesoftlytouchedthebellwhichgaveonetinkle,thengently,asthoughreflectingandlookingabouthim,begantouchingthedoor-handlepullingitandlettingitgotomakesureoncemorethatitwasonlyfastenedbythehook。Thenpuffingandpantinghebentdownandbeganlookingatthekeyhole;butthekeywasinthelockontheinsideandsonothingcouldbeseen。

Raskolnikovstoodkeepingtightholdoftheaxe。Hewasinasortofdelirium。Hewasevenmakingreadytofightwhentheyshouldcomein。Whiletheywereknockingandtalkingtogether,theideaseveraltimesoccurredtohimtoenditallatonceandshouttothemthroughthedoor。Nowandthenhewastemptedtoswearatthem,tojeeratthem,whiletheycouldnotopenthedoor!“Onlymakehaste！”

wasthethoughtthatflashedthroughhismind。

“Butwhatthedevilisheabout?……“Timewaspassing,oneminute,andanother-noonecame。Kochbegantoberestless。

“Whatthedevil？”hecriedsuddenlyandinimpatiencedesertinghissentryduty,he,too,wentdown,hurryingandthumpinghisheavybootsonthestairs。Thestepsdiedaway。

“Goodheavens!WhatamItodo？”

Raskolnikovunfastenedthehook,openedthedoor-therewasnosound。Abruptly,withoutanythoughtatall,hewentout,closingthedoorasthoroughlyashecould,andwentdownstairs。

Hehadgonedownthreeflightswhenhesuddenlyheardaloudvoicebelow-wherecouldhego!Therewasnowheretohide。Hewasjustgoingbacktotheflat。

“Heythere!Catchthebrute！”

Somebodydashedoutofaflatbelow,shouting,andratherfellthanrandownthestairs,bawlingatthetopofhisvoice。

“Mitka!Mitka!Mitka!Mitka!Mitka!Blasthim！”

Theshoutendedinashriek;thelastsoundscamefromtheyard;allwasstill。Butatthesameinstantseveralmentalkingloudandfastbegannoisilymountingthestairs。Therewerethreeorfourofthem。

Hedistinguishedtheringingvoiceoftheyoungman。“They！”

Filledwithdespairhewentstraighttomeetthem,feeling“comewhatmust！”Iftheystoppedhim-allwaslost;iftheylethimpass-

allwaslosttoo;theywouldrememberhim。Theywereapproaching;theywereonlyaflightfromhim-andsuddenlydeliverance!Afewstepsfromhimontheright,therewasanemptyflatwiththedoorwideopen,theflatonthesecondfloorwherethepaintershadbeenatwork,andwhich,asthoughforhisbenefit,theyhadjustleft。Itwasthey,nodoubt,whohadjustrundown,shouting。Thefloorhadonlyjustbeenpainted,inthemiddleoftheroomstoodapailandabrokenpotwithpaintandbrushes。Inoneinstanthehadwhiskedinattheopendoorandhiddenbehindthewallandonlyinthenickoftime;

theyhadalreadyreachedthelanding。Thentheyturnedandwentonuptothefourthfloor,talkingloudly。Hewaited,wentoutontiptoeandrandownthestairs。

Noonewasonthestairs,norinthegateway。Hepassedquicklythroughthegatewayandturnedtotheleftinthestreet。

Heknew,heknewperfectlywellthatatthatmomenttheywereattheflat,thattheyweregreatlyastonishedatfindingitunlocked,asthedoorhadjustbeenfastened,thatbynowtheywerelookingatthebodies,thatbeforeanotherminutehadpassedtheywouldguessandcompletelyrealisethatthemurdererhadjustbeenthere,andhadsucceededinhidingsomewhere,slippingbythemandescaping。Theywouldguessmostlikelythathehadbeenintheemptyflat,whiletheyweregoingupstairs。Andmeanwhilehedarednotquickenhispacemuch,thoughthenextturningwasstillnearlyahundredyardsaway。“Shouldheslipthroughsomegatewayandwaitsomewhereinanunknownstreet?No,hopeless!Shouldheflingawaytheaxe?Shouldhetakeacab?Hopeless,hopeless！”

Atlasthereachedtheturning。Heturneddownitmoredeadthanalive。Herehewashalfwaytosafety,andhereunderstoodit;itwaslessriskybecausetherewasagreatcrowdofpeople,andhewaslostinitlikeagrainofsand。Butallhehadsufferedhadsoweakenedhimthathecouldscarcelymove。Perspirationrandownhimindrops,hisneckwasallwet。“Myword,hehasbeengoingit！”someoneshoutedathimwhenhecameoutonthecanalbank。

Hewasonlydimlyconsciousofhimselfnow,andthefartherhewenttheworseitwas。Herememberedhowever,thatoncomingoutontothecanalbank,hewasalarmedatfindingfewpeoplethereandsobeingmoreconspicuous,andhehadthoughtofturningback。Thoughhewasalmostfallingfromfatigue,hewentalongwayroundsoastogethomefromquiteadifferentdirection。

Hewasnotfullyconsciouswhenhepassedthroughthegatewayofhishouse!hewasalreadyonthestaircasebeforeherecollectedtheaxe。Andyethehadaverygraveproblembeforehim,toputitbackandtoescapeobservationasfaraspossibleindoingso。Hewasofcourseincapableofreflectingthatitmightperhapsbefarbetternottorestoretheaxeatall,buttodropitlateroninsomebody"syard。

Butitallhappenedfortunately,thedooroftheporter"sroomwasclosedbutnotlocked,sothatitseemedmostlikelythattheporterwasathome。Buthehadsocompletelylostallpowerofreflectionthathewalkedstraighttothedoorandopenedit。Iftheporterhadaskedhim“Whatdoyouwant？”hewouldperhapshavesimplyhandedhimtheaxe。Butagaintheporterwasnotathome,andhesucceededinputtingtheaxebackunderthebench,andevencoveringitwiththechunkofwoodasbefore。Hemetnoone,notasoul,afterwardsonthewaytohisroom;thelandlady"sdoorwasshut。Whenhewasinhisroom,heflunghimselfonthesofajustashewas-hedidnotsleep,butsankintoblankforgetfulness。Ifanyonehadcomeintohisroomthen,hewouldhavejumpedupatonceandscreamed。Scrapsandshredsofthoughtsweresimplyswarminginhisbrain,buthecouldnotcatchatone,hecouldnotrestonone,inspiteofallhisefforts……

PARTTWO

ChapterOneSOHElayaverylongwhile。Nowandthenheseemedtowakeup,andatsuchmomentshenoticedthatitwasfarintothenight,butitdidnotoccurtohimtogetup。Atlasthenoticedthatitwasbeginningtogetlight。Hewaslyingonhisback,stilldazedfromhisrecentoblivion。Fearful,despairingcriesroseshrillyfromthestreet,soundswhichheheardeverynight,indeed,underhiswindowaftertwoo"clock。Theywokehimupnow。

“Ah!thedrunkenmenarecomingoutofthetaverns,“hethought,“it"spasttwoo"clock,“andatonceheleapedup,asthoughsomeonehadpulledhimfromthesofa。

“What!Pasttwoo"clock！”

Hesatdownonthesofa-andinstantlyrecollectedeverything!Allatonce,inoneflash,herecollectedeverything。

Forthefirstmomenthethoughthewasgoingmad。Adreadfulchillcameoverhim;butthechillwasfromthefeverthathadbegunlongbeforeinhissleep。Nowhewassuddenlytakenwithviolentshivering,sothathisteethchatteredandallhislimbswereshaking。Heopenedthedoorandbeganlistening;everythinginthehousewasasleep。Withamazementhegazedathimselfandeverythingintheroomaroundhim,wonderinghowhecouldhavecomeinthenightbeforewithoutfasteningthedoor,andhaveflunghimselfonthesofawithoutundressing,withouteventakinghishatoff。Ithadfallenoffandwaslyingonthefloornearhispillow。

“Ifanyonehadcomein,whatwouldhehavethought?ThatI"mdrunkbut……“

Herushedtothewindow。Therewaslightenough,andhebeganhurriedlylookinghimselfalloverfromheadtofoot,allhisclothes;

weretherenotraces?Buttherewasnodoingitlikethat;shiveringwithcold,hebegantakingoffeverythingandlookingoveragain。Heturnedeverythingovertothelastthreadsandrags,andmistrustinghimself,wentthroughhissearchthreetimes。

Butthereseemedtobenothing,notrace,exceptinoneplace,wheresomethickdropsofcongealedbloodwereclingingtothefrayededgeofhistrousers。Hepickedupabigclaspknifeandcutoffthefrayedthreads。Thereseemedtobenothingmore。

Suddenlyherememberedthatthepurseandthethingshehadtakenoutoftheoldwoman"sboxwerestillinhispockets!Hehadnotthoughttillthenoftakingthemoutandhidingthem!Hehadnoteventhoughtofthemwhilehewasexamininghisclothes!Whatnext?

Instantlyherushedtotakethemout,andflingthemonthetable。

Whenhehadpulledouteverything,andturnedthepocketinsideouttobesuretherewasnothingleft,hecarriedthewholeheaptothecorner。Thepaperhadcomeoffthebottomofthewallandhungthereintatters。Hebeganstuffingallthethingsintotheholeunderthepaper：“They"rein!Alloutofsight,andthepursetoo！”hethoughtgleefully,gettingupandgazingblanklyattheholewhichbulgedoutmorethanever。Suddenlyheshudderedalloverwithhorror;“MyGod！”hewhisperedindespair：“what"sthematterwithme?Isthathidden?Isthatthewaytohidethings？”

Hehadnotreckonedonhavingtrinketstohide。Hehadonlythoughtofmoney,andsohadnotpreparedahiding-place。

“Butnow,now,whatamIgladof？”hethought,“Isthathidingthings?Myreason"sdesertingme-simply！”

Hesatdownonthesofainexhaustionandwasatonceshakenbyanotherunbearablefitofshivering。Mechanicallyhedrewfromachairbesidehimhisoldstudent"swintercoat,whichwasstillwarmthoughalmostinrags,coveredhimselfupwithitandoncemoresankintodrowsinessanddelirium。Helostconsciousness。

Notmorethanfiveminuteshadpassedwhenhejumpedupasecondtime,andatoncepouncedinafrenzyonhisclothesagain。

“HowcouldIgotosleepagainwithnothingdone?Yes,yes;Ihavenottakentheloopoffthearmhole!Iforgotit,forgotathinglikethat!Suchapieceofevidence！”

Hepulledoffthenoose,hurriedlycutittopiecesandthrewthebitsamonghislinenunderthepillow。

“Piecesoftornlinencouldn"trousesuspicion,whateverhappened;I

thinknot,Ithinknot,anyway！”herepeated,standinginthemiddleoftheroom,andwithpainfulconcentrationhefelltogazingabouthimagain,atthefloorandeverywhere,tryingtomakesurehehadnotforgottenanything。Theconviction,thatallhisfaculties,evenmemory,andthesimplestpowerofreflectionwerefailinghim,begantobeaninsufferabletorture。

“Surelyitisn"tbeginningalready!Surelyitisn"tmypunishmentcominguponme?Itis！”

Thefrayedragshehadcutoffhistrouserswereactuallylyingonthefloorinthemiddleoftheroom,whereanyonecominginwouldseethem!

“Whatisthematterwithme！”hecriedagain,likeonedistraught。

Thenastrangeideaenteredhishead;that,perhaps,allhisclotheswerecoveredwithblood,that,perhaps,therewereagreatmanystains,butthathedidnotseethem,didnotnoticethembecausehisperceptionswerefailing,weregoingtopieces……hisreasonwasclouded……Suddenlyherememberedthattherehadbeenbloodonthepursetoo。“Ah!Thentheremustbebloodonthepockettoo,forI

putthewetpurseinmypocket！”

Inaflashhehadturnedthepocketinsideoutand,yes!-thereweretraces,stainsontheliningofthepocket!

“Somyreasonhasnotquitedesertedme,soIstillhavesomesenseandmemory,sinceIguesseditofmyself,“hethoughttriumphantly,withadeepsighofrelief：“It"ssimplytheweaknessoffever,amoment"sdelirium,“andhetorethewholeliningoutoftheleftpocketofhistrousers。Atthatinstantthesunlightfellonhisleftboot;onthesockwhichpokedoutfromtheboot,hefanciedthereweretraces!Heflungoffhisboots：“tracesindeed!Thetipofthesockwassoakedwithblood“;hemusthaveunwarilysteppedintothatpool……“ButwhatamItodowiththisnow?WhereamItoputthesockandragsandpocket？”

Hegatheredthemallupinhishandsandstoodinthemiddleoftheroom。

“Inthestove?Buttheywouldransackthestovefirstofall。Burnthem?ButwhatcanIburnthemwith?Therearenomatcheseven。No,bettergooutandthrowitallawaysomewhere。Yes,betterthrowitaway,“herepeated,sittingdownonthesofaagain,“andatonce,thisminute,withoutlingering……“

Buthisheadsankonthepillowinstead。Againtheunbearableicyshiveringcameoverhim;againhedrewhiscoatoverhim。

Andforalongwhile,forsomehours,hewashauntedbytheimpulseto“gooffsomewhereatonce,thismoment,andflingitallaway,sothatitmaybeoutofsightanddonewith,atonce,atonce！”

Severaltimeshetriedtorisefromthesofabutcouldnot。

Hewasthoroughlywakedupatlastbyaviolentknockingathisdoor。

“Open,do,areyoudeadoralive?Hekeepssleepinghere！”shoutedNastasya,bangingwithherfistonthedoor。“Forwholedaystogetherhe"ssnoringherelikeadog!Adogheistoo。OpenItellyou。It"spastten。“

“Maybehe"snotathome,“saidaman"svoice。

“Ha!that"stheporter"svoice……Whatdoeshewant？”

Hejumpedupandsatonthesofa。Thebeatingofhisheartwasapositivepain。

“Thenwhocanhavelatchedthedoor？”retortedNastasya。

“He"stakentoboltinghimselfin!Asifhewereworthstealing!

Open,youstupid,wakeup！”

“Whatdotheywant?Whytheporter?All"sdiscovered。Resistoropen?Comewhatmay!……“

Hehalfrose,stoopedforwardandunlatchedthedoor。

Hisroomwassosmallthathecouldundothelatchwithoutleavingthebed。Yes;theporterandNastasyawerestandingthere。

Nastasyastaredathiminastrangeway。Heglancedwithadefiantanddesperateairattheporter,whowithoutawordheldoutagreyfoldedpapersealedwithbottle-wax。

“Anoticefromtheoffice,“heannounced,ashegavehimthepaper。

“Fromwhatoffice？”

“Asummonstothepoliceoffice,ofcourse。Youknowwhichoffice。“

“Tothepolice?……Whatfor?……“

“HowcanItell?You"resentfor,soyougo。“

Themanlookedathimattentively,lookedroundtheroomandturnedtogoaway。

“He"sdownrightill！”observedNastasya,nottakinghereyesoffhim。Theporterturnedhisheadforamoment。“He"sbeeninafeversinceyesterday,“sheadded。

Raskolnikovmadenoresponseandheldthepaperinhishands,withoutopeningit。“Don"tyougetupthen,“Nastasyawentoncompassionately,seeingthathewaslettinghisfeetdownfromthesofa。“You"reill,andsodon"tgo;there"snosuchhurry。Whathaveyougotthere？”

Helooked;inhisrighthandheheldtheshredshehadcutfromhistrousers,thesock,andtheragsofthepocket。Sohehadbeenasleepwiththeminhishand。Afterwardsreflectinguponit,herememberedthathalfwakingupinhisfever,hehadgraspedallthistightlyinhishandandsofallenasleepagain。

“Lookattheragshe"scollectedandsleepswiththem,asthoughhehasgotholdofatreasure……“

AndNastasyawentoffintoherhystericalgiggle。

Instantlyhethrustthemallunderhisgreatcoatandfixedhiseyesintentlyuponher。Farashewasfrombeingcapableofrationalreflectionatthatmoment,hefeltthatnoonewouldbehavelikethatwithapersonwhowasgoingtobearrested。“But……thepolice？”

“You"dbetterhavesometea!Yes?I"llbringit,there"ssomeleft。“

“No……I"mgoing;I"llgoatonce,“hemuttered,gettingontohisfeet。

“Why,you"llnevergetdownstairs！”

“Yes,I"llgo。“

“Asyouplease。“

Shefollowedtheporterout。

Atonceherushedtothelighttoexaminethesockandtherags。

“Therearestains,butnotverynoticeable;allcoveredwithdirt,andrubbedandalreadydiscoloured。Noonewhohadnosuspicioncoulddistinguishanything。Nastasyafromadistancecouldnothavenoticed,thankGod！”Thenwithatremorhebrokethesealofthenoticeandbeganreading;hewasalongwhilereading,beforeheunderstood。Itwasanordinarysummonsfromthedistrictpolicestationtoappearthatdayathalfpastnineattheofficeofthedistrictsuperintendent。

“Butwhenhassuchathinghappened?Ineverhaveanythingtodowiththepolice!Andwhyjustto-day？”hethoughtinagonisingbewilderment。“GoodGod,onlygetitoversoon！”

Hewasflinginghimselfonhiskneestopray,butbrokeintolaughter-notattheideaofprayer,butathimself。

Hebegan,hurriedlydressing。“IfI"mlost,Iamlost,Idon"tcare!

ShallIputthesockon？”hesuddenlywondered,“itwillgetdustierstillandthetraceswillbegone。“

Butnosoonerhadheputitonthanhepulleditoffagaininloathingandhorror。Hepulleditoff,butreflectingthathehadnoothersocks,hepickeditupandputitonagain-andagainhelaughed。

“That"sallconventional,that"sallrelative,merelyawayoflookingatit,“hethoughtinaflash,butonlyonthetopsurfaceofhismind,whilehewasshudderingallover,“there,I"vegotiton!

Ihavefinishedbygettingiton！”

Buthislaughterwasquicklyfollowedbydespair。

“No,it"stoomuchforme……“hethought。Hislegsshook。“Fromfear,“hemuttered。Hisheadswamandachedwithfever。“It"satrick!

Theywanttodecoymethereandconfoundmeovereverything,“hemused,ashewentoutontothestairs-“theworstofitisI"malmostlight-headed……Imayblurtoutsomethingstupid……“