第9章
Raskolnikov"sthoughtswereinawhirl。Hewasinterribleexasperation。
“Theworstofitistheydon"tdisguiseit;theydon"tcaretostandonceremony!Andhowifyoudidn"tknowmeatall,didyoucometotalktoNikodimFomitchaboutme?Sotheydidn"tcaretohidethattheyaretrackingmelikeapackofdogs。Theysimplyspitinmyface。“Hewasshakingwithrage。“Come,strikemeopenly,don"tplaywithmelikeacatwithamouse。It"shardlycivil,PorfiryPetrovitch,butperhapsIwon"tallowit!Ishallgetupandthrowthewholetruthinyouruglyfaces,andyou"llseehowIdespiseyou。“
Hecouldhardlybreathe。“Andwhatifit"sonlymyfancy?WhatifIammistaken,andthroughinexperienceIgetangryanddon"tkeepupmynastypart?Perhapsit"sallunintentional。Alltheirphrasesaretheusualones,butthereissomethingaboutthem……Itallmightbesaid,butthereissomething。Whydidhesaybluntly,"Withher"?
WhydidZametovaddthatIspokeartfully?Whydotheyspeakinthattone?Yes,thetone……Razumihinissittinghere,whydoesheseenothing?Thatinnocentblockheadneverdoesseeanything!Feverishagain!DidPorfirywinkatmejustnow?Ofcourseit"snonsense!
Whatcouldhewinkfor?Aretheytryingtoupsetmynervesoraretheyteasingme?Eitherit"sillfancyortheyknow!EvenZametovisrude……IsZametovrude?Zametovhaschangedhismind。Iforesawhewouldchangehismind!Heisathomehere,whileit"smyfirstvisit。Porfirydoesnotconsiderhimavisitor;sitswithhisbacktohim。They"reasthickasthieves,nodoubt,overme!Notadoubttheyweretalkingaboutmebeforewecame。Dotheyknowabouttheflat?Ifonlythey"dmakehaste!WhenIsaidthatIranawaytotakeaflatheletitpass……Iputthatincleverlyaboutaflat,itmaybeofuseafterwards……Delirious,indeed……ha-ha-ha!Heknowsallaboutlastnight!Hedidn"tknowofmymother"sarrival!Thehaghadwrittenthedateoninpencil!Youarewrong,youwon"tcatchme!
Therearenofacts……it"sallsupposition!Youproducefacts!Theflatevenisn"tafactbutdelirium。Iknowwhattosaytothem……Dotheyknowabouttheflat?Iwon"tgowithoutfindingout。WhatdidI
comefor?Butmybeingangrynow,maybeisafact!Fool,howirritableIam!Perhapsthat"sright;toplaytheinvalid……Heisfeelingme。Hewilltrytocatchme。WhydidIcome？”
Allthisflashedlikelightningthroughhismind。
PorfiryPetrovitchreturnedquickly。Hebecamesuddenlymorejovial。
“Yourpartyyesterday,brother,hasleftmyheadrather……AndIamoutofsortsaltogether,“hebeganinquiteadifferenttone,laughingtoRazumihin。
“Wasitinteresting?Ileftyouyesterdayatthemostinterestingpoint。Whogotthebestofit？”
“Oh,noone,ofcourse。Theygotontoeverlastingquestions,floatedoffintospace。“
“Onlyfancy,Rodya,whatwegotontoyesterday。Whetherthereissuchathingascrime。Itoldyouthatwetalkedourheadsoff。“
“Whatistherestrange?It"saneverydaysocialquestion,“
Raskolnikovansweredcasually。
“Thequestionwasn"tputquitelikethat,“observedPorfiry。
“Notquite,that"strue,“Razumihinagreedatonce,gettingwarmandhurriedasusual。“Listen,Rodion,andtellusyouropinion,Iwanttohearit。Iwasfightingtoothandnailwiththemandwantedyoutohelpme。Itoldthemyouwerecoming……Itbeganwiththesocialistdoctrine。Youknowtheirdoctrine;crimeisaprotestagainsttheabnormalityofthesocialorganizationandnothingmore,andnothingmore;noothercausesadmitted!……“
“Youarewrongthere,“criedPorfiryPetrovitch;hewasnoticeablyanimatedandkeptlaughingashelookedatRazumihinwhichmadehimmoreexcitedthanever。
“Nothingisadmitted,“Razumihininterruptedwithheat。
“Iamnotwrong。I"llshowyoutheirpamphlets。Everythingwiththemis"theinfluenceofenvironment,"andnothingelse。Theirfavouritephrase!Fromwhichitfollowsthat,ifsocietyisnormallyorganized,allcrimewillceaseatonce,sincetherewillbenothingtoprotestagainstandallmenwillbecomerighteousinoneinstant。
Humannatureisnottakenintoaccount,itisexcluded,it"snotsupposedtoexist!Theydon"trecognisethathumanity,developingbyahistoricallivingprocess,willbecomeatlastanormalsociety,buttheybelievethatasocialsystemthathascomeoutofsomemathematicalbrainisgoingtoorganiseallhumanityatonceandmakeitjustandsinlessinaninstant,quickerthananylivingprocess!That"swhytheyinstinctivelydislikehistory,"nothingbutuglinessandstupidityinit,"andtheyexplainitallasstupidity!
That"swhytheysodislikethelivingprocessoflife;theydon"twantalivingsoul!Thelivingsouldemandslife,thesoulwon"tobeytherulesofmechanics,thesoulisanobjectofsuspicion,thesoulisretrograde!ButwhattheywantthoughitsmellsofdeathandcanbemadeofIndia-rubber,atleastisnotalive,hasnowill,isservileandwon"trevolt!Anditcomesintheendtotheirreducingeverythingtothebuildingofwallsandtheplanningofroomsandpassagesinaphalanstery!Thephalansteryisready,indeed,butyourhumannatureisnotreadyforthephalanstery-itwantslife,ithasn"tcompleteditsvitalprocess,it"stoosoonforthegraveyard!Youcan"tskipovernaturebylogic。Logicpresupposesthreepossibilities,buttherearemillions!Cutawayamillion,andreduceitalltothequestionofcomfort!That"stheeasiestsolutionoftheproblem!It"sseductivelyclearandyoumusn"tthinkaboutit。That"sthegreatthing,youmustn"tthink!Thewholesecretoflifeintwopagesofprint！”
“Nowheisoff,beatingthedrum!Catchholdofhim,do！”laughedPorfiry。“Canyouimagine,“heturnedtoRaskolnikov,“sixpeopleholdingforthlikethatlastnight,inoneroom,withpunchasapreliminary!No,brother,youarewrong,environmentaccountsforagreatdealincrime;Icanassureyouofthat。“
“Oh,Iknowitdoes,butjusttellme：amanoffortyviolatesachildoften;wasitenvironmentdrovehimtoit？”
“Well,strictlyspeaking,itdid,“Porfiryobservedwithnoteworthygravity;“acrimeofthatnaturemaybeverywellascribedtotheinfluenceofenvironment。“
Razumihinwasalmostinafrenzy。“Oh,ifyoulike,“heroared。
“I"llprovetoyouthatyourwhiteeyelashesmayverywellbeascribedtotheChurchofIvantheGreat"sbeingtwohundredandfiftyfeethigh,andIwillproveitclearly,exactly,progressively,andevenwithaLiberaltendency!Iundertaketo!Willyoubetonit？”
“Done!Let"shear,please,howhewillproveit！”
“Heisalwayshumbugging,confoundhim,“criedRazumihin,jumpingupandgesticulating。“What"stheuseoftalkingtoyou!Hedoesallthatonpurpose;youdon"tknowhim,Rodion!Hetooktheirsideyesterday,simplytomakefoolsofthem。Andthethingshesaidyesterday!Andtheyweredelighted!Hecankeepitupforafortnighttogether。Lastyearhepersuadedusthathewasgoingintoamonastery：hestucktoitfortwomonths。Notlongagohetookitintohisheadtodeclarehewasgoingtogetmarried,thathehadeverythingreadyforthewedding。Heorderednewclothesindeed。Weallbegantocongratulatehim。Therewasnobride,nothing,allpurefantasy！”
“Ah,youarewrong!Igottheclothesbefore。Itwasthenewclothesinfactthatmademethinkoftakingyouin。“
“Areyousuchagooddissembler？”Raskolnikovaskedcarelessly。
“Youwouldn"thavesupposedit,eh?Waitabit,Ishalltakeyouin,too。Ha-ha-ha!No,I"lltellyouthetruth。Allthesequestionsaboutcrime,environment,children,recalltomymindanarticleofyourswhichinterestedmeatthetime。"OnCrime"……orsomethingofthesort,Iforgetthetitle,IreaditwithpleasuretwomonthsagointhePeriodicalReview。“
“Myarticle?InthePeriodicalReview？”Raskolnikovaskedinastonishment。“IcertainlydidwriteanarticleuponabooksixmonthsagowhenIlefttheuniversity,butIsentittotheWeeklyReview。“
“ButitcameoutinthePeriodical。“
“AndtheWeeklyReviewceasedtoexist,sothat"swhyitwasn"tprintedatthetime。“
“That"strue;butwhenitceasedtoexist,theWeeklyReviewwasamalgamatedwiththePeriodical,andsoyourarticleappearedtwomonthsagointhelatter。Didn"tyouknow？”
Raskolnikovhadnotknown。
“Why,youmightgetsomemoneyoutofthemforthearticle!Whatastrangepersonyouare!Youleadsuchasolitarylifethatyouknownothingofmattersthatconcernyoudirectly。It"safact,Iassureyou。“
“Bravo,Rodya!Iknewnothingaboutiteither！”criedRazumihin。
“I"llrunto-daytothereading-roomandaskforthenumber。Twomonthsago?Whatwasthedate?Itdoesn"tmatterthough,Iwillfindit。Thinkofnottellingus！”
“Howdidyoufindoutthatthearticlewasmine?It"sonlysignedwithaninitial。“
“Ionlylearntitbychance,theotherday。Throughtheeditor;I
knowhim……Iwasverymuchinterested。“
“Itanalysed,ifIremember,thepsychologyofacriminalbeforeandafterthecrime。“
“Yes,andyoumaintainedthattheperpetrationofacrimeisalwaysaccompaniedbyillness。Very,veryoriginal,but……itwasnotthatpartofyourarticlethatinterestedmesomuch,butanideaattheendofthearticlewhichIregrettosayyoumerelysuggestedwithoutworkingitoutclearly。Thereis,ifyourecollect,asuggestionthattherearecertainpersonswhocan……thatis,notpreciselyareableto,buthaveaperfectrighttocommitbreachesofmoralityandcrimes,andthatthelawisnotforthem。“
Raskolnikovsmiledattheexaggeratedandintentionaldistortionofhisidea。
“What?Whatdoyoumean?Arighttocrime?Butnotbecauseoftheinfluenceofenvironment？”Razumihininquiredwithsomealarmeven。
“No,notexactlybecauseofit,“answeredPorfiry。“Inhisarticleallmenaredividedinto"ordinary"and"extraordinary。"Ordinarymenhavetoliveinsubmission,havenorighttotransgressthelaw,because,don"tyousee,theyareordinary。Butextraordinarymenhavearighttocommitanycrimeandtotransgressthelawinanyway,justbecausetheyareextraordinary。Thatwasyouridea,ifIamnotmistaken？”
“Whatdoyoumean?Thatcan"tberight？”Razumihinmutteredinbewilderment。
Raskolnikovsmiledagain。Hesawthepointatonce,andknewwheretheywantedtodrivehim。Hedecidedtotakeupthechallenge。
“Thatwasn"tquitemycontention,“hebegansimplyandmodestly。
“YetIadmitthatyouhavestateditalmostcorrectly;perhaps,ifyoulike,perfectlyso。“(Italmostgavehimpleasuretoadmitthis。)“TheonlydifferenceisthatIdon"tcontendthatextraordinarypeoplearealwaysboundtocommitbreachesofmorals,asyoucallit。Infact,Idoubtwhethersuchanargumentcouldbepublished。Isimplyhintedthatan"extraordinary"manhastheright……thatisnotanofficialright,butaninnerrighttodecideinhisownconsciencetooverstep……certainobstacles,andonlyincaseitisessentialforthepracticalfulfilmentofhisidea(sometimes,perhaps,ofbenefittothewholeofhumanity)。Yousaythatmyarticleisn"tdefinite;I
amreadytomakeitasclearasIcan。PerhapsIamrightinthinkingyouwantmeto;verywell。ImaintainthatifthediscoveriesofKeplerandNewtoncouldnothavebeenmadeknownexceptbysacrificingthelivesofone,adozen,ahundred,ormoremen,Newtonwouldhavehadtheright,wouldindeedhavebeenindutybound……toeliminatethedozenorthehundredmenforthesakeofmakinghisdiscoveriesknowntothewholeofhumanity。ButitdoesnotfollowfromthatthatNewtonhadarighttomurderpeoplerightandleftandtostealeverydayinthemarket。Then,Iremember,I
maintaininmyarticlethatall……well,legislatorsandleadersofmen,suchasLycurgus,Solon,Mahomet,Napoleon,andsoon,wereallwithoutexceptioncriminals,fromtheveryfactthat,makinganewlaw,theytransgressedtheancientone,handeddownfromtheirancestorsandheldsacredbythepeople,andtheydidnotstopshortatbloodshedeither,ifthatbloodshed-oftenofinnocentpersonsfightingbravelyindefenceofancientlaw-wereofusetotheircause。It"sremarkable,infact,thatthemajority,indeed,ofthesebenefactorsandleadersofhumanitywereguiltyofterriblecarnage。
Inshort,Imaintainthatallgreatmenorevenmenalittleoutofthecommon,thatistosaycapableofgivingsomenewword,mustfromtheirverynaturebecriminals-moreorless,ofcourse。
Otherwiseit"shardforthemtogetoutofthecommonrut;andtoremaininthecommonrutiswhattheycan"tsubmitto,fromtheirverynatureagain,andtomymindtheyoughtnot,indeed,tosubmittoit。Youseethatthereisnothingparticularlynewinallthat。Thesamethinghasbeenprintedandreadathousandtimesbefore。Asformydivisionofpeopleintoordinaryandextraordinary,Iacknowledgethatit"ssomewhatarbitrary,butIdon"tinsistuponexactnumbers。I
onlybelieveinmyleadingideathatmenareingeneraldividedbyalawofnatureintotwocategories,inferior(ordinary),thatis,sotosay,materialthatservesonlytoreproduceitskind,andmenwhohavethegiftorthetalenttoutteranewword。Thereare,ofcourse,innumerablesub-divisions,butthedistinguishingfeaturesofbothcategoriesarefairlywellmarked。Thefirstcategory,generallyspeaking,aremenconservativeintemperamentandlaw-abiding;theyliveundercontrolandlovetobecontrolled。Tomythinkingitistheirdutytobecontrolled,becausethat"stheirvocation,andthereisnothinghumiliatinginitforthem。Thesecondcategoryalltransgressthelaw;theyaredestroyersordisposedtodestructionaccordingtotheircapacities。Thecrimesofthesemenareofcourserelativeandvaried;forthemostparttheyseekinveryvariedwaysthedestructionofthepresentforthesakeofthebetter。Butifsuchaoneisforcedforthesakeofhisideatostepoveracorpseorwadethroughblood,hecan,Imaintain,findwithinhimself,inhisconscience,asanctionforwadingthroughblood-thatdependsontheideaanditsdimensions,notethat。It"sonlyinthatsenseIspeakoftheirrighttocrimeinmyarticle(yourememberitbeganwiththelegalquestion)。There"snoneedforsuchanxiety,however;themasseswillscarcelyeveradmitthisright,theypunishthemorhangthem(moreorless),andindoingsofulfilquitejustlytheirconservativevocation。Butthesamemassessetthesecriminalsonapedestalinthenextgenerationandworshipthem(moreorless)。Thefirstcategoryisalwaysthemanofthepresent,thesecondthemanofthefuture。Thefirstpreservetheworldandpeopleit,thesecondmovetheworldandleadittoitsgoal。Eachclasshasanequalrighttoexist。Infact,allhaveequalrightswithme-andvivelaguerreeternelle-
tilltheNewJerusalem,ofcourse！”
“ThenyoubelieveintheNewJerusalem,doyou？”
“Ido,“Raskolnikovansweredfirmly;ashesaidthesewordsandduringthewholeprecedingtiradehekepthiseyesononespotonthecarpet。
“And……anddoyoubelieveinGod?Excusemycuriosity。“
“Ido,“repeatedRaskolnikov,raisinghiseyestoPorfiry。
“And……doyoubelieveinLazarus"risingfromthedead？”
“I……Ido。Whydoyouaskallthis？”
“Youbelieveitliterally？”
“Literally。“
“Youdon"tsayso……Iaskedfromcuriosity。Excuseme。Butletusgobacktothequestion;theyarenotalwaysexecuted。Some,onthecontrary……“
“Triumphintheirlifetime?Oh,yes,someattaintheirendsinthislife,andthen……“
“Theybeginexecutingotherpeople？”
“Ifit"snecessary;indeed,forthemostparttheydo。Yourremarkisverywitty。“
“Thankyou。Buttellmethis：howdoyoudistinguishthoseextraordinarypeoplefromtheordinaryones?Aretheresignsattheirbirth?Ifeelthereoughttobemoreexactitude,moreexternaldefinition。Excusethenaturalanxietyofapracticallaw-abidingcitizen,butcouldn"ttheyadoptaspecialuniform,forinstance,couldn"ttheywearsomething,bebrandedinsomeway?Foryouknowifconfusionarisesandamemberofonecategoryimaginesthathebelongstotheother,beginsto"eliminateobstacles,"asyousohappilyexpressedit,then……“
“Oh,thatveryoftenhappens!Thatremarkiswittierthantheother。“
“Thankyou。“
“Noreasonto;buttakenotethatthemistakecanonlyariseinthefirstcategory,thatisamongtheordinarypeople(asIperhapsunfortunatelycalledthem)。Inspiteoftheirpredispositiontoobedienceverymanyofthem,throughaplayfulnessofnature,sometimesvouchsafedeventothecow,liketoimaginethemselvesadvancedpeople,"destroyers,"andtopushthemselvesintothe"newmovement,"andthisquitesincerely。Meanwhilethereallynewpeopleareveryoftenunobservedbythem,orevendespisedasreactionariesofgrovellingtendencies。ButIdon"tthinkthereisanyconsiderabledangerhere,andyoureallyneednotbeuneasyfortheynevergoveryfar。Ofcourse,theymighthaveathrashingsometimesforlettingtheirfancyrunawaywiththemandtoteachthemtheirplace,butnomore;infact,eventhisisn"tnecessaryastheycastigatethemselves,fortheyareveryconscientious：someperformthisserviceforoneanotherandotherschastisethemselveswiththeirownhands……Theywillimposevariouspublicactsofpenitenceuponthemselveswithabeautifulandedifyingeffect;infactyou"venothingtobeuneasyabout……It"salawofnature。“
“Well,youhavecertainlysetmymindmoreatrestonthatscore;
butthere"sanotherthingworriesme。Tellme,please,aretheremanypeoplewhohavetherighttokillothers,theseextraordinarypeople?Iamreadytobowdowntothem,ofcourse,butyoumustadmitit"salarmingifthereareagreatmanyofthem,eh？”
“Oh,youneedn"tworryaboutthateither,“Raskolnikovwentoninthesametone。“Peoplewithnewideas,peoplewiththefaintestcapacityforsayingsomethingnew,areextremelyfewinnumber,extraordinarilysoinfact。Onethingonlyisclear,thattheappearanceofallthesegradesandsub-divisionsofmenmustfollowwithunfailingregularitysomelawofnature。Thatlaw,ofcourse,isunknownatpresent,butIamconvincedthatitexists,andonedaymaybecomeknown。Thevastmassofmankindismerematerial,andonlyexistsinorderbysomegreateffort,bysomemysteriousprocess,bymeansofsomecrossingofracesandstocks,tobringintotheworldatlastperhapsonemanoutofathousandwithasparkofindependence。Oneintenthousandperhaps-Ispeakroughly,approximately-isbornwithsomeindependence,andwithstillgreaterindependenceoneinahundredthousand。Themanofgeniusisoneofmillions,andthegreatgeniuses,thecrownofhumanity,appearonearthperhapsoneinmanythousandmillions。InfactIhavenotpeepedintotheretortinwhichallthistakesplace。Buttherecertainlyisandmustbeadefinitelaw,itcannotbeamatterofchance。“
“Why,areyoubothjoking？”Razumihincriedatlast。“Thereyousit,makingfunofoneanother。Areyouserious,Rodya？”
Raskolnikovraisedhispaleandalmostmournfulfaceandmadenoreply。Andtheunconcealed,persistent,nervous,anddiscourteoussarcasmofPorfiryseemedstrangetoRazumihinbesidethatquietandmournfulface。
“Well,brother,ifyouarereallyserious……Youareright,ofcourse,insayingthatit"snotnew,thatit"slikewhatwe"vereadandheardathousandtimesalready;butwhatisreallyoriginalinallthis,andisexclusivelyyourown,tomyhorror,isthatyousanctionbloodshedinthenameofconscience,and,excusemysayingso,withsuchfanaticism……That,Itakeit,isthepointofyourarticle。Butthatsanctionofbloodshedbyconscienceistomymind……
moreterriblethantheofficial,legalsanctionofbloodshed……“
“Youarequiteright,itismoreterrible,“Porfiryagreed。
“Yes,youmusthaveexaggerated!Thereissomemistake,Ishallreadit。Youcan"tthinkthat!Ishallreadit。“
“Allthatisnotinthearticle,there"sonlyahintofit,“saidRaskolnikov。
“Yes,yes。“Porfirycouldn"tsitstill。“Yourattitudetocrimeisprettycleartomenow,but……excusemeformyimpertinence(Iamreallyashamedtobeworryingyoulikethis),yousee,you"veremovedmyanxietyastothetwogrades"gettingmixed,but……therearevariouspracticalpossibilitiesthatmakemeuneasy!WhatifsomemanoryouthimaginesthatheisaLycurgusorMahomet-afutureoneofcourse-andsupposehebeginstoremoveallobstacles……Hehassomegreatenterprisebeforehimandneedsmoneyforit……andtriestogetit……doyousee？”
Zametovgaveasuddenguffawinhiscorner。Raskolnikovdidnotevenraisehiseyestohim。
“Imustadmit,“hewentoncalmly,“thatsuchcasescertainlymustarise。Thevainandfoolishareparticularlyapttofallintothatsnare;youngpeopleespecially。“
“Yes,yousee。Wellthen？”
“Whatthen？”Raskolnikovsmiledinreply;“that"snotmyfault。Soitisandsoitalwayswillbe。Hesaidjustnow(henoddedatRazumihin)thatIsanctionbloodshed。Societyistoowellprotectedbyprisons,banishment,criminalinvestigators,penalservitude。
There"snoneedtobeuneasy。Youhavebuttocatchthethief。“
“Andwhatifwedocatchhim？”
“Thenhegetswhathedeserves。“
“Youarecertainlylogical。Butwhatofhisconscience？”
“Whydoyoucareaboutthat？”
“Simplyfromhumanity。“
“Ifhehasaconsciencehewillsufferforhismistake。Thatwillbehispunishment-aswellastheprison。“
“Buttherealgeniuses,“askedRazumihinfrowning,“thosewhohavetherighttomurder?Oughtn"ttheytosufferatallevenforthebloodthey"veshed？”
“Whythewordought?It"snotamatterofpermissionorprohibition。
Hewillsufferifheissorryforhisvictim。Painandsufferingarealwaysinevitableforalargeintelligenceandadeepheart。Thereallygreatmenmust,Ithink,havegreatsadnessonearth,“headdeddreamily,notinthetoneoftheconversation。
Heraisedhiseyes,lookedearnestlyatthemall,smiled,andtookhiscap。Hewastooquietbycomparisonwithhismannerathisentrance,andhefeltthis。Everyonegotup。
“Well,youmayabuseme,beangrywithmeifyoulike,“PorfiryPetrovitchbeganagain,“butIcan"tresist。Allowmeonelittlequestion(IknowIamtroublingyou)。ThereisjustonelittlenotionIwanttoexpress,simplythatImaynotforgetit。“
“Verygood,tellmeyourlittlenotion,“Raskolnikovstoodwaiting,paleandgravebeforehim。
“Well,yousee……Ireallydon"tknowhowtoexpressitproperly……
It"saplayful,psychologicalidea……Whenyouwerewritingyourarticle,surelyyoucouldn"thavehelped,he-he,fancyingyourself……justalittle,an"extraordinary"man,utteringanewwordinyoursense……That"sso,isn"tit？”
“Quitepossibly,“Raskolnikovansweredcontemptuously。
Razumihinmadeamovement。
“And,ifso,couldyoubringyourselfincaseofworldlydifficultiesandhardshiporforsomeservicetohumanity-tooverstepobstacles?……Forinstance,torobandmurder？”
Andagainhewinkedwithhislefteye,andlaughednoiselesslyjustasbefore。
“IfIdidIcertainlyshouldnottellyou,“Raskolnikovansweredwithdefiantandhaughtycontempt。
“No,Iwasonlyinterestedonaccountofyourarticle,fromaliterarypointofview……“
“Foo,howobviousandinsolentthatis,“Raskolnikovthoughtwithrepulsion。
“Allowmetoobserve,“heanswereddryly,“thatIdon"tconsidermyselfaMahometoraNapoleon,noranypersonageofthatkind,andnotbeingoneofthemIcannottellyouhowIshouldact。“
“Oh,come,don"tweallthinkourselvesNapoleonsnowinRussia？”
PorfiryPetrovitchsaidwithalarmingfamiliarity。
Somethingpeculiarbetrayeditselfintheveryintonationofhisvoice。
“PerhapsitwasoneofthesefutureNapoleonswhodidforAlyonaIvanovnalastweek？”Zametovblurtedoutfromthecorner。
Raskolnikovdidnotspeak,butlookedfirmlyandintentlyatPorfiry。Razumihinwasscowlinggloomily。Heseemedbeforethistobenoticingsomething。Helookedangrilyaround。Therewasaminuteofgloomysilence。Raskolnikovturnedtogo。
“Areyougoingalready？”Porfirysaidamiably,holdingouthishandwithexcessivepoliteness。“Very,verygladofyouracquaintance。
Asforyourrequest,havenouneasiness,writejustasItoldyou,or,betterstill,cometomethereyourselfinadayortwo……
to-morrow,indeed。Ishallbethereateleveno"clockforcertain。
We"llarrangeitall;we"llhaveatalk。Asoneofthelasttobethere,youmightperhapsbeabletotellussomething,“headdedwithamostgood-naturedexpression。
“Youwanttocross-examinemeofficiallyindueform？”Raskolnikovaskedsharply。
“Oh,why?That"snotnecessaryforthepresent。Youmisunderstandme。Ilosenoopportunity,yousee,and……I"vetalkedwithallwhohadpledges……Iobtainedevidencefromsomeofthem,andyouarethelast……Yes,bytheway,“hecried,seeminglysuddenlydelighted,“Ijustremember,whatwasIthinkingof？”heturnedtoRazumihin,“youweretalkingmyearsoffaboutthatNikolay……ofcourse,Iknow,Iknowverywell,“heturnedtoRaskolnikov,“thatthefellowisinnocent,butwhatisonetodo?WehadtotroubleDmitritoo……Thisisthepoint,thisisall：whenyouwentupthestairsitwaspastseven,wasn"tit？”
“Yes,“answeredRaskolnikov,withanunpleasantsensationattheverymomenthespokethatheneednothavesaidit。
“Thenwhenyouwentupstairsbetweensevenandeight,didn"tyouseeinaflatthatstoodopenonasecondstorey,doyouremember,twoworkmenoratleastoneofthem?Theywerepaintingthere,didn"tyounoticethem?It"svery,veryimportantforthem。“
“Painters?No,Ididn"tseethem,“Raskolnikovansweredslowly,asthoughransackinghismemory,whileatthesameinstanthewasrackingeverynerve,almostswooningwithanxietytoconjectureasquicklyaspossiblewherethetraplayandnottooverlookanything。“No,I
didn"tseethem,andIdon"tthinkInoticedaflatlikethatopen……
Butonthefourthstorey“(hehadmasteredthetrapnowandwastriumphant)“IremembernowthatsomeonewasmovingoutoftheflatoppositeAlyonaIvanovna"s……Iremember……Irememberitclearly。
Someporterswerecarryingoutasofaandtheysqueezedmeagainstthewall。Butpainters……no,Idon"trememberthattherewereanypainters,andIdon"tthinkthattherewasaflatopenanywhere,no,therewasn"t。“
“Whatdoyoumean？”Razumihinshoutedsuddenly,asthoughhehadreflectedandrealised。“Why,itwasonthedayofthemurderthepainterswereatwork,andhewastherethreedaysbefore?Whatareyouasking？”
“Foo!Ihavemuddledit！”Porfiryslappedhimselfontheforehead。
“Deucetakeit!Thisbusinessisturningmybrain！”headdressedRaskolnikovsomewhatapologetically。“Itwouldbesuchagreatthingforustofindoutwhetheranyonehadseenthembetweensevenandeightattheflat,soIfanciedyoucouldperhapshavetoldussomething……Iquitemuddledit。“
“Thenyoushouldbemorecareful,“Razumihinobservedgrimly。
Thelastwordswereutteredinthepassage。PorfiryPetrovitchsawthemtothedoorwithexcessivepoliteness。
Theywentoutintothestreetgloomyandsullen,andforsomestepstheydidnotsayaword。Raskolnikovdrewadeepbreath。
ChapterSix“IDON"TBELIEVEit,Ican"tbelieveit！”repeatedRazumihin,tryinginperplexitytorefuteRaskolnikov"sarguments。
TheywerebynowapproachingBakaleyev"slodgings,wherePulcheriaAlexandrovnaandDouniahadbeenexpectingthemalongwhile。
Razumihinkeptstoppingonthewayintheheatofdiscussion,confusedandexcitedbytheveryfactthattheywereforthefirsttimespeakingopenlyaboutit。
“Don"tbelieveit,then！”answeredRaskolnikov,withacold,carelesssmile。“Youwerenoticingnothingasusual,butIwasweighingeveryword。“
“Youaresuspicious。Thatiswhyyouweighedtheirwords……h"m……
certainly,Iagree,Porfiry"stonewasratherstrange,andstillmorethatwretchZametov!……Youareright,therewassomethingabouthim-butwhy?Why？”
“Hehaschangedhismindsincelastnight。“
“Quitethecontrary!Iftheyhadthatbrainlessidea,theywoulddotheirutmosttohideit,andconcealtheircards,soastocatchyouafterwards……Butitwasallimpudentandcareless。“
“Iftheyhadhadfacts-Imean,realfacts-oratleastgroundsforsuspicion,thentheywouldcertainlyhavetriedtohidetheirgame,inthehopeofgettingmore(theywouldhavemadeasearchlongagobesides)。Buttheyhavenofacts,notone。Itisallmirage-allambiguous。Simplyafloatingidea。Sotheytrytothrowmeoutbyimpudence。Andperhaps,hewasirritatedathavingnofacts,andblurteditoutinhisvexation-orperhapshehassomeplan……
heseemsanintelligentman。Perhapshewantedtofrightenmebypretendingtoknow。Theyhaveapsychologyoftheirown,brother。
Butitisloathsomeexplainingitall。Stop！”
“Andit"sinsulting,insulting!Iunderstandyou。But……sincewehavespokenopenlynow(anditisanexcellentthingthatwehaveatlast-Iamglad)IwillownnowfranklythatInoticeditinthemlongago,thisidea。Ofcoursethemeresthintonly-aninsinuation-butwhyaninsinuationeven?Howdarethey?Whatfoundationhavethey?
IfonlyyouknewhowfuriousIhavebeen。Thinkonly!Simplybecauseapoorstudent,unhingedbypovertyandhypochondria,ontheeveofaseveredeliriousillness(notethat),suspicious,vain,proud,whohasnotseenasoultospeaktoforsixmonths,inragsandinbootswithoutsoles,hastofacesomewretchedpolicemenandputupwiththeirinsolence;andtheunexpecteddebtthrustunderhisnose,theI。O。U。presentedbyTchebarov,thenewpaint,thirtydegreesReaumurandastiflingatmosphere,acrowdofpeople,thetalkaboutthemurderofapersonwherehehadbeenjustbefore,andallthatonanemptystomach-hemightwellhaveafaintingfit!Andthat,thatiswhattheyfounditallon!Damnthem!Iunderstandhowannoyingitis,butinyourplace,Rodya,Iwouldlaughatthem,orbetterstill,spitintheiruglyfaces,andspitadozentimesinalldirections。I"dhitoutinalldirections,neatlytoo,andsoI"dputanendtoit。Damnthem!Don"tbedownhearted。It"sashame！”
“Hereallyhasputitwell,though,“Raskolnikovthought。
“Damnthem?Butthecross-examinationagain,to-morrow？”hesaidwithbitterness。“MustIreallyenterintoexplanationswiththem?I
feelvexedasitisthatIcondescendedtospeaktoZametovyesterdayintherestaurant……“
“Damnit!IwillgomyselftoPorfiry。Iwillsqueezeitoutofhim,asoneofthefamily：hemustletmeknowtheinsandoutsofitall!AndasforZametov……“
“Atlastheseesthroughhim！”thoughtRaskolnikov。
“Stay！”criedRazumihin,seizinghimbytheshoulderagain。“Stay!
youwerewrong。Ihavethoughtitout。Youarewrong!Howwasthatatrap?Yousaythatthequestionabouttheworkmenwasatrap。Butifyouhaddonethat,couldyouhavesaidyouhadseenthempaintingtheflat……andtheworkmen?Onthecontrary,youwouldhaveseennothing,evenifyouhadseenit。Whowouldownitagainsthimself？”
“IfIhaddonethatthing,IshouldcertainlyhavesaidthatIhadseentheworkmenandtheflat。“Raskolnikovanswered,withreluctanceandobviousdisgust。
“Butwhyspeakagainstyourself？”
“Becauseonlypeasants,orthemostinexperiencednovicesdenyeverythingflatlyatexaminations。Ifamaniseversolittledevelopedandexperienced,hewillcertainlytrytoadmitalltheexternalfactsthatcan"tbeavoided,butwillseekotherexplanationsofthem,willintroducesomespecial,unexpectedturn,thatwillgivethemanothersignificanceandputtheminanotherlight。
PorfirymightwellreckonthatIshouldbesuretoanswerso,andsayIhadseenthemtogiveanairoftruth,andthenmakesomeexplanation。“
“Buthewouldhavetoldyouatonce,thattheworkmencouldnothavebeentheretwodaysbefore,andthatthereforeyoumusthavebeenthereonthedayofthemurderateighto"clock。Andsohewouldhavecaughtyouoveradetail。“
“Yes,thatiswhathewasreckoningon,thatIshouldnothavetimetoreflect,andshouldbeinahurrytomakethemostlikelyanswer,andsowouldforgetthattheworkmencouldnothavebeentheretwodaysbefore。“
“Buthowcouldyouforgetit？”
“Nothingeasier。Itisinjustsuchstupidthingscleverpeoplearemosteasilycaught。Themorecunningamanis,thelesshesuspectsthathewillbecaughtinasimplething。Themorecunningamanis,thesimplerthetraphemustbecaughtin。Porfiryisnotsuchafoolasyouthink……“
“Heisaknavethen,ifthatisso！”
Raskolnikovcouldnothelplaughing。Butattheverymoment,hewasstruckbythestrangenessofhisownfrankness,andtheeagernesswithwhichhehadmadethisexplanation,thoughhehadkeptupalltheprecedingconversationwithgloomyrepulsion,obviouslywithamotive,fromnecessity。
“Iamgettingarelishforcertainaspects！”hethoughttohimself。Butalmostatthesameinstant,hebecamesuddenlyuneasy,asthoughanunexpectedandalarmingideahadoccurredtohim。Hisuneasinesskeptonincreasing。TheyhadjustreachedtheentrancetoBakaleyev"s。
“Goinalone！”saidRaskolnikovsuddenly。“Iwillbebackdirectly。“
“Whereareyougoing?Why,wearejusthere。“
“Ican"thelpit……Iwillcomeinhalfanhour。Tellthem。“
“Saywhatyoulike,Iwillcomewithyou。“
“You,too,wanttotortureme！”hescreamed,withsuchbitterirritation,suchdespairinhiseyesthatRazumihin"shandsdropped。
Hestoodforsometimeonthesteps,lookinggloomilyatRaskolnikovstridingrapidlyawayinthedirectionofhislodging。Atlast,grittinghisteethandclenchinghisfist,hesworehewouldsqueezePorfirylikealemonthatveryday,andwentupthestairstoreassurePulcheriaAlexandrovna,whowasbynowalarmedattheirlongabsence。
WhenRaskolnikovgothome,hishairwassoakedwithsweatandhewasbreathingheavily。Hewentrapidlyupthestairs,walkedintohisunlockedroomandatoncefastenedthelatch。Theninsenselessterrorherushedtothecorner,tothatholeunderthepaperwherehehadputthething;puthishandin,andforsomeminutesfeltcarefullyinthehole,ineverycrackandfoldofthepaper。Findingnothing,hegotupanddrewadeepbreath。AshewasreachingthestepsofBakaleyev"s,hesuddenlyfanciedthatsomething,achain,astudorevenabitofpaperinwhichtheyhadbeenwrappedwiththeoldwoman"shandwritingonit,mightsomehowhaveslippedoutandbeenlostinsomecrack,andthenmightsuddenlyturnupasunexpected,conclusiveevidenceagainsthim。
Hestoodasthoughlostinthought,andastrange,humiliated,halfsenselesssmilestrayedonhislips。Hetookhiscapatlastandwentquietlyoutoftheroom。Hisideaswerealltangled。Hewentdreamilythroughthegateway。
“Hereheishimself,“shoutedaloudvoice。
Heraisedhishead。
Theporterwasstandingatthedoorofhislittleroomandwaspointinghimouttoashortmanwholookedlikeanartisan,wearingalongcoatandawaistcoat,andlookingatadistanceremarkablylikeawoman。Hestooped,andhisheadinagreasycaphungforward。Fromhiswrinkledflabbyfacehelookedoverfifty;hislittleeyeswerelostinfatandtheylookedoutgrimly,sternlyanddiscontentedly。
“Whatisit？”Raskolnikovasked,goinguptotheporter。
Themanstolealookathimfromunderhisbrowsandhelookedathimattentively,deliberately;thenheturnedslowlyandwentoutofthegateintothestreetwithoutsayingaword。
“Whatisit？”criedRaskolnikov。
“Why,hetherewasaskingwhetherastudentlivedhere,mentionedyournameandwhomyoulodgedwith。Isawyoucomingandpointedyououtandhewentaway。It"sfunny。“
Theportertooseemedratherpuzzled,butnotmuchso,andafterwonderingforamomentheturnedandwentbacktohisroom。
Raskolnikovranafterthestranger,andatoncecaughtsightofhimwalkingalongtheothersideofthestreetwiththesameeven,deliberatestepwithhiseyesfixedontheground,asthoughinmeditation。Hesoonovertookhim,butforsometimewalkedbehindhim。
Atlast,movingontoalevelwithhim,helookedathisface。Themannoticedhimatonce,lookedathimquickly,butdroppedhiseyesagain;andsotheywalkedforaminutesidebysidewithoututteringaword。
“Youwereinquiringforme……oftheporter？”Raskolnikovsaidatlast,butinacuriouslyquietvoice。
Themanmadenoanswer;hedidn"tevenlookathim。Againtheywerebothsilent。
“Whydoyou……comeandaskforme……andsaynothing……What"sthemeaningofit？”
Raskolnikov"svoicebrokeandheseemedunabletoarticulatethewordsclearly。
ThemanraisedhiseyesthistimeandturnedagloomysinisterlookatRaskolnikov。
“Murderer！”hesaidsuddenlyinaquietbutclearanddistinctvoice。
Raskolnikovwentonwalkingbesidehim。Hislegsfeltsuddenlyweak,acoldshiverrandownhisspine,andhisheartseemedtostandstillforamoment,thensuddenlybeganthrobbingasthoughitweresetfree。Sotheywalkedforaboutahundredpaces,sidebysideinsilence。
Themandidnotlookathim。
“Whatdoyoumean……whatis……Whoisamurderer？”mutteredRaskolnikovhardlyaudibly。
“Youareamurderer,“themanansweredstillmorearticulatelyandemphatically,withasmileoftriumphanthatred,andagainhelookedstraightintoRaskolnikov"spalefaceandstrickeneyes。
Theyhadjustreachedthecrossroads。Themanturnedtotheleftwithoutlookingbehindhim。Raskolnikovremainedstanding,gazingafterhim。Hesawhimturnroundfiftypacesawayandlookbackathimstillstandingthere。Raskolnikovcouldnotseeclearly,buthefanciedthathewasagainsmilingthesamesmileofcoldhatredandtriumph。
Withslowfalteringsteps,withshakingknees,Raskolnikovmadehiswaybacktohislittlegarret,feelingchilledallover。Hetookoffhiscapandputitonthetable,andfortenminuteshestoodwithoutmoving。Thenhesankexhaustedonthesofaandwithaweakmoanofpainhestretchedhimselfonit。Sohelayforhalfanhour。
Hethoughtofnothing。Somethoughtsorfragmentsofthoughts,someimageswithoutorderorcoherencefloatedbeforehismind-
facesofpeoplehehadseeninhischildhoodormetsomewhereonce,whomhewouldneverhaverecalled,thebelfryofthechurchatV。,thebilliardtableinarestaurantandsomeofficersplayingbilliards,thesmellofcigarsinsomeundergroundtobaccoshop,atavernroom,abackstaircasequitedark,allsloppywithdirtywaterandstrewnwitheggshells,andtheSundaybellsfloatinginfromsomewhere……Theimagesfollowedoneanother,whirlinglikeahurricane。Someofthemhelikedandtriedtoclutchat,buttheyfadedandallthewhiletherewasanoppressionwithinhim,butitwasnotoverwhelming,sometimesitwasevenpleasant……Theslightshiveringstillpersisted,butthattoowasanalmostpleasantsensation。
HeheardthehurriedfootstepsofRazumihin;heclosedhiseyesandpretendedtobeasleep。Razumihinopenedthedoorandstoodforsometimeinthedoorwayasthoughhesitating,thenhesteppedsoftlyintotheroomandwentcautiouslytothesofa。RaskolnikovheardNastasya"swhisper：
“Don"tdisturbhim!Lethimsleep。Hecanhavehisdinnerlater。“
“Quiteso,“answeredRazumihin。Bothwithdrewcarefullyandclosedthedoor。Anotherhalf-hourpassed。Raskolnikovopenedhiseyes,turnedonhisbackagain,claspinghishandsbehindhishead。
“Whoishe?Whoisthatmanwhosprangoutoftheearth?Wherewashe,whatdidhesee?Hehasseenitall,that"sclear。Wherewashethen?Andfromwheredidhesee?Whyhasheonlynowsprungoutoftheearth?Andhowcouldhesee?Isitpossible?Hm……“continuedRaskolnikov,turningcoldandshivering,“andthejewelcaseNikolayfoundbehindthedoor-wasthatpossible?Aclue?Youmissaninfinitesimallineandyoucanbuilditintoapyramidofevidence!
Aflyflewbyandsawit!Isitpossible？”Hefeltwithsuddenloathinghowweak,howphysicallyweakhehadbecome。“Ioughttohaveknownit,“hethoughtwithabittersmile。“AndhowdaredI,knowingmyself,knowinghowIshouldbe,takeupanaxeandshedblood!I
oughttohaveknownbeforehand……Ah,butIdidknow！”hewhisperedindespair。Attimeshecametoastandstillatsomethought。
“No,thosemenarenotmadeso。TherealMastertowhomallispermittedstormsToulon,makesamassacreinParis,forgetsanarmyinEgypt,wasteshalfamillionmenintheMoscowexpeditionandgetsoffwithajestatVilna。Andaltarsaresetuptohimafterhisdeath,andsoallispermitted。No,suchpeopleitseemsarenotoffleshbutofbronze！”
Onesuddenirrelevantideaalmostmadehimlaugh。Napoleon,thepyramids,Waterloo,andawretchedskinnyoldwoman,apawnbrokerwitharedtrunkunderherbed-it"sanicehashforPorfiryPetrovitchtodigest!Howcantheydigestit!It"stooinartistic。“ANapoleoncreepunderanoldwoman"sbed!Ugh,howloathsome！”
Atmomentshefelthewasraving。Hesankintoastateoffeverishexcitement。“Theoldwomanisofnoconsequence,“hethought,hotlyandincoherently。“Theoldwomanwasamistakeperhaps,butsheisnotwhatmatters!Theoldwomanwasonlyanillness……Iwasinahurrytooverstep……Ididn"tkillahumanbeing,butaprinciple!Ikilledtheprinciple,butIdidn"toverstep,Istoppedonthisside……Iwasonlycapableofkilling。AnditseemsIwasn"tevencapableofthat……
Principle?WhywasthatfoolRazumihinabusingthesocialists?Theyareindustrious,commercialpeople;"thehappinessofall"istheircase。No,lifeisonlygiventomeonceandIshallneverhaveitagain;Idon"twanttowaitfor"thehappinessofall。"Iwanttolivemyself,orelsebetternotliveatall。Isimplycouldn"tpassbymymotherstarving,keepingmytroubleinmypocketwhileIwaitedforthe"happinessofall。"Iamputtingmylittlebrickintothehappinessofallandsomyheartisatpeace。Ha-ha!Whyhaveyouletmeslip?Ionlyliveonce,Itoowant……Ech,Iamanaestheticlouseandnothingmore,“headdedsuddenly,laughinglikeamadman。
“Yes,Iamcertainlyalouse,“hewenton,clutchingattheidea,gloatingoveritandplayingwithitwithvindictivepleasure。“Inthefirstplace,becauseIcanreasonthatIamone,andsecondly,becauseforamonthpastIhavebeentroublingbenevolentProvidence,callingittowitnessthatnotformyownfleshlylustsdidI
undertakeit,butwithagrandandnobleobject-ha-ha!Thirdly,becauseIaimedatcarryingitoutasjustlyaspossible,weighing,measuringandcalculating。OfalltheliceIpickedoutthemostuselessoneandproposedtotakefromheronlyasmuchasIneededforthefirststep,nomorenorless(sotherestwouldhavegonetoamonastery,accordingtoherwill,ha-ha!)。AndwhatshowsthatIamutterlyalouse,“headded,grindinghisteeth,“isthatIamperhapsvilerandmoreloathsomethanthelouseIkilled,andIfeltbeforehandthatIshouldtellmyselfsoafterkillingher。Cananythingbecomparedwiththehorrorofthat!Thevulgarity!Theabjectness!Iunderstandthe"prophet"withhissabre,onhissteed：
Allahcommandsand"trembling"creationmustobey!The"prophet"isright,heisrightwhenhesetsabatteryacrossthestreetandblowsuptheinnocentandtheguiltywithoutdeigningtoexplain!It"sforyoutoobey,tremblingcreation,andnottohavedesires,forthat"snotforyou!……Ishallnever,neverforgivetheoldwoman！”
Hishairwassoakedwithsweat,hisquiveringlipswereparched,hiseyeswerefixedontheceiling。
“Mother,sister-howIlovedthem!WhydoIhatethemnow?Yes,I
hatethem,Ifeelaphysicalhatredforthem,Ican"tbearthemnearme……Iwentuptomymotherandkissedher,Iremember……Toembraceherandthinkifsheonlyknew……shallItellherthen?
That"sjustwhatImightdo……ShemustbethesameasIam,“headded,straininghimselftothink,asitwerestrugglingwithdelirium。“Ah,howIhatetheoldwomannow!IfeelIshouldkillheragainifshecametolife!PoorLizaveta!Whydidshecomein?……It"sstrangethough,whyisitIscarcelyeverthinkofher,asthoughIhadn"tkilledher!Lizaveta!Sonia!Poorgentlethings,withgentleeyes……Dearwomen!Whydon"ttheyweep?Whydon"ttheymoan?Theygiveupeverything……theireyesaresoftandgentle……
Sonia,Sonia!GentleSonia！”
Helostconsciousness;itseemedstrangetohimthathedidn"trememberhowhegotintothestreet。Itwaslateevening。Thetwilighthadfallenandthefullmoonwasshiningmoreandmorebrightly;buttherewasapeculiarbreathlessnessintheair。Therewerecrowdsofpeopleinthestreet;workmenandbusinesspeopleweremakingtheirwayhome;otherpeoplehadcomeoutforawalk;therewasasmellofmortar,dustandstagnantwater。Raskolnikovwalkedalong,mournfulandanxious;hewasdistinctlyawareofhavingcomeoutwithapurpose,ofhavingtodosomethinginahurry,butwhatitwashehadforgotten。Suddenlyhestoodstillandsawamanstandingontheothersideofthestreet,beckoningtohim。Hecrossedovertohim,butatoncethemanturnedandwalkedawaywithhisheadhanging,asthoughhehadmadenosigntohim。“Stay,didhereallybeckon？”
Raskolnikovwondered,buthetriedtoovertakehim。Whenhewaswithintenpacesherecognisedhimandwasfrightened;itwasthesamemanwithstoopingshouldersinthelongcoat。Raskolnikovfollowedhimatadistance;hisheartwasbeating;theywentdownaturning;themanstilldidnotlookround。“DoesheknowIamfollowinghim？”
thoughtRaskolnikov。Themanwentintothegatewayofabighouse。
Raskolnikovhastenedtothegateandlookedintoseewhetherhewouldlookroundandsigntohim。Inthecourtyardthemandidturnroundandagainseemedtobeckonhim。Raskolnikovatoncefollowedhimintotheyard,butthemanwasgone。Hemusthavegoneupthefirststaircase。Raskolnikovrushedafterhim。Heheardslowmeasuredstepstwoflightsabove。Thestaircaseseemedstrangelyfamiliar。Hereachedthewindowonthefirstfloor;themoonshonethroughthepaneswithamelancholyandmysteriouslight;thenhereachedthesecondfloor。Bah!thisistheflatwherethepainterswereatwork……
buthowwasithedidnotrecogniseitatonce?Thestepsofthemanabovehaddiedaway。“Sohemusthavestoppedorhiddensomewhere。“Hereachedthethirdstorey,shouldhegoon?Therewasastillnessthatwasdreadful……Buthewenton。Thesoundofhisownfootstepsscaredandfrightenedhim。Howdarkitwas!Themanmustbehidinginsomecornerhere。Ah!theflatwasstandingwideopen,hehesitatedandwentin。Itwasverydarkandemptyinthepassage,asthougheverythinghadbeenremoved;hecreptontiptoeintotheparlourwhichwasfloodedwithmoonlight。Everythingtherewasasbefore,thechairs,thelooking-glass,theyellowsofaandthepicturesintheframes。Ahuge,round,copper-redmoonlookedinatthewindows。“It"sthemoonthatmakesitsostill,weavingsomemystery,“thoughtRaskolnikov。Hestoodandwaited,waitedalongwhile,andthemoresilentthemoonlight,themoreviolentlyhisheartbeat,tillitwaspainful。Andstillthesamehush。Suddenlyheheardamomentarysharpcracklikethesnappingofasplinterandallwasstillagain。A
flyflewupsuddenlyandstruckthewindowpanewithaplaintivebuzz。
Atthatmomenthenoticedinthecornerbetweenthewindowandthelittlecupboardsomethinglikeacloakhangingonthewall。“Whyisthatcloakhere？”hethought,“itwasn"ttherebefore……“Hewentuptoitquietlyandfeltthattherewassomeonehidingbehindit。Hecautiouslymovedthecloakandsaw,sittingonachairinthecorner,theoldwomanbentdoublesothathecouldn"tseeherface;
butitwasshe。Hestoodoverher。“Sheisafraid,“hethought。Hestealthilytooktheaxefromthenooseandstruckheroneblow,thenanotherontheskull。Butstrangetosayshedidnotstir,asthoughsheweremadeofwood。Hewasfrightened,bentdownnearerandtriedtolookather;butshe,too,bentherheadlower。Hebentrightdowntothegroundandpeepedupintoherfacefrombelow,hepeepedandturnedcoldwithhorror：theoldwomanwassittingandlaughing,shakingwithnoiselesslaughter,doingherutmostthatheshouldnothearit。Suddenlyhefanciedthatthedoorfromthebedroomwasopenedalittleandthattherewaslaughterandwhisperingwithin。Hewasovercomewithfrenzyandhebeganhittingtheoldwomanontheheadwithallhisforce,butateveryblowoftheaxethelaughterandwhisperingfromthebedroomgrewlouderandtheoldwomanwassimplyshakingwithmirth。Hewasrushingaway,butthepassagewasfullofpeople,thedoorsoftheflatsstoodopenandonthelanding,onthestairsandeverywherebelowtherewerepeople,rowsofheads,alllooking,buthuddledtogetherinsilenceandexpectation。Somethinggrippedhisheart,hislegswererootedtothespot,theywouldnotmove……Hetriedtoscreamandwokeup。
Hedrewadeepbreath-buthisdreamseemedstrangelytopersist：
hisdoorwasflungopenandamanwhomhehadneverseenstoodinthedoorwaywatchinghimintently。
Raskolnikovhadhardlyopenedhiseyesandheinstantlyclosedthemagain。Helayonhisbackwithoutstirring。
“Isitstilladream？”hewonderedandagainraisedhiseyelidshardlyperceptibly;thestrangerwasstandinginthesameplace,stillwatchinghim。
Hesteppedcautiouslyintotheroom,carefullyclosingthedoorafterhim,wentuptothetable,pausedamoment,stillkeepinghiseyesonRaskolnikovandnoiselesslyseatedhimselfonthechairbythesofa;heputhishatonthefloorbesidehimandleanedhishandsonhiscaneandhischinonhishands。Itwasevidentthathewaspreparedtowaitindefinitely。AsfarasRaskolnikovcouldmakeoutfromhisstolenglances,hewasamannolongeryoung,stout,withafull,fair,almostwhitishbeard。
Tenminutespassed。Itwasstilllight,butbeginningtogetdusk。
Therewascompletestillnessintheroom。Notasoundcamefromthestairs。Onlyabigflybuzzedandflutteredagainstthewindowpane。
Itwasunbearableatlast。Raskolnikovsuddenlygotupandsatonthesofa。
“Come,tellmewhatyouwant。“
“Iknewyouwerenotasleep,butonlypretending,“thestrangeransweredoddly,laughingcalmly。“ArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailov,allowmetointroducemyself……“
PARTFOUR
ChapterOne“CANthisbestilladream？”Raskolnikovthoughtoncemore。
Helookedcarefullyandsuspiciouslyattheunexpectedvisitor。
“Svidrigailov!Whatnonsense!Itcan"tbe！”hesaidatlastaloudinbewilderment。
Hisvisitordidnotseematallsurprisedatthisexclamation。
“I"vecometoyoufortworeasons。Inthefirstplace,Iwantedtomakeyourpersonalacquaintance,asIhavealreadyheardagreatdealaboutyouthatisinterestingandflattering;secondly,Icherishthehopethatyoumaynotrefusetoassistmeinamatterdirectlyconcerningthewelfareofyoursister,AvdotyaRomanovna。Forwithoutyoursupportshemightnotletmecomenearhernow,forsheisprejudicedagainstme,butwithyourassistanceIreckonon……“
“Youreckonwrongly,“interruptedRaskolnikov。
“Theyonlyarrivedyesterday,mayIaskyou？”
Raskolnikovmadenoreply。
“Itwasyesterday,Iknow。Ionlyarrivedmyselfthedaybefore。
Well,letmetellyouthis,RodionRomanovitch,Idon"tconsideritnecessarytojustifymyself,butkindlytellmewhatwasthereparticularlycriminalonmypartinallthisbusiness,speakingwithoutprejudice,withcommonsense？”
Raskolnikovcontinuedtolookathiminsilence。
“ThatinmyownhouseIpersecutedadefencelessgirland"insultedherwithmyinfamousproposals"-isthatit?(Iamanticipatingyou。)Butyou"veonlytoassumethatI,too,amamanetnihilhumanum……inaword,thatIamcapableofbeingattractedandfallinginlove(whichdoesnotdependonourwill),theneverythingcanbeexplainedinthemostnaturalmanner。Thequestionis,amIamonster,oramImyselfavictim?AndwhatifIamavictim?InproposingtotheobjectofmypassiontoelopewithmetoAmericaorSwitzerland,Imayhavecherishedthedeepestrespectforher,andmayhavethoughtthatIwaspromotingourmutualhappiness!
Reasonistheslaveofpassion,youknow;why,probably,Iwasdoingmoreharmtomyselfthananyone！”
“Butthat"snotthepoint,“Raskolnikovinterruptedwithdisgust。
“It"ssimplythatwhetheryouarerightorwrong,wedislikeyou。Wedon"twanttohaveanythingtodowithyou。Weshowyouthedoor。Goout！”
Svidrigailovbrokeintoasuddenlaugh。
“Butyou"re……butthere"snogettingroundyou,“hesaid,laughinginthefrankestway。“Ihopedtogetroundyou,butyoutookuptherightlineatonce！”
“Butyouaretryingtogetroundmestill！”
“Whatofit?Whatofit？”criedSvidrigailov,laughingopenly。
“ButthisiswhattheFrenchcallbonneguerre,andthemostinnocentformofdeception!……Butstillyouhaveinterruptedme;
onewayoranother,Irepeatagain：therewouldneverhavebeenanyunpleasantnessexceptforwhathappenedinthegarden。MarfaPetrovna……“
“YouhavegotridofMarfaPetrovna,too,sotheysay？”
Raskolnikovinterruptedrudely。
“Oh,you"veheardthat,too,then?You"dbesureto,though……
Butasforyourquestion,Ireallydon"tknowwhattosay,thoughmyownconscienceisquiteatrestonthatscore。Don"tsupposethatIaminanyapprehensionaboutit。Allwasregularandinorder;themedicalinquirydiagnosedapoplexyduetobathingimmediatelyafteraheavydinnerandabottleofwine,andindeeditcouldhaveprovednothingelse。ButI"lltellyouwhatIhavebeenthinkingtomyselfoflate,onmywayhereinthetrain,especially：didn"tIcontributetoallthat……calamity,morally,inaway,byirritationorsomethingofthesort。ButIcametotheconclusionthatthat,too,wasquiteoutofthequestion。“
Raskolnikovlaughed。
“Iwonderyoutroubleyourselfaboutit！”
“Butwhatareyoulaughingat?Onlyconsider,Istruckherjusttwicewithaswitch-therewerenomarkseven……don"tregardmeasacynic,please;Iamperfectlyawarehowatrociousitwasofmeandallthat;butIknowforcertain,too,thatMarfaPetrovnawasverylikelypleasedatmy,sotosay,warmth。Thestoryofyoursisterhadbeenwrungouttothelastdrop;forthelastthreedaysMarfaPetrovnahadbeenforcedtositathome;shehadnothingtoshowherselfwithinthetown。Besides,shehadboredthemsowiththatletter(youheardaboutherreadingtheletter)。Andallofasuddenthosetwoswitchesfellfromheaven!Herfirstactwastoorderthecarriagetobegotout……Nottospeakofthefactthattherearecaseswhenwomenarevery,verygladtobeinsultedinspiteofalltheirshowofindignation。Thereareinstancesofitwitheveryone;
humanbeingsingeneral,indeed,greatlylovetobeinsulted,haveyounoticedthat?Butit"sparticularlysowithwomen。Onemightevensayit"stheironlyamusement。“
AtonetimeRaskolnikovthoughtofgettingupandwalkingoutandsofinishingtheinterview。Butsomecuriosityandevenasortofprudencemadehimlingerforamoment。
“Youarefondoffighting？”heaskedcarelessly。
“No,notvery,“Svidrigailovanswered,calmly。“AndMarfaPetrovnaandIscarcelyeverfought。Welivedveryharmoniously,andshewasalwayspleasedwithme。Ionlyusedthewhiptwiceinalloursevenyears(notcountingathirdoccasionofaveryambiguouscharacter)。
Thefirsttime,twomonthsafterourmarriage,immediatelyafterwearrivedinthecountry,andthelasttimewasthatofwhichwearespeaking。DidyousupposeIwassuchamonster,suchareactionary,suchaslavedriver?Ha,ha!Bytheway,doyouremember,RodionRomanovitch,howafewyearsago,inthosedaysofbeneficentpublicity,anobleman,I"veforgottenhisname,wasputtoshameeverywhere,inallthepapers,forhavingthrashedaGermanwomanintherailwaytrain。Youremember?Itwasinthosedays,thatveryyearIbelieve,the"disgracefulactionoftheAge"tookplace(youknow,"TheEgyptianNights,"thatpublicreading,youremember?Thedarkeyes,youknow!Ah,thegoldendaysofouryouth,wherearethey?)。Well,asforthegentlemanwhothrashedtheGerman,Ifeelnosympathywithhim,becauseafterallwhatneedisthereforsympathy?ButImustsaythattherearesometimessuchprovoking"Germans"thatIdon"tbelievethereisaprogressivewhocouldquiteanswerforhimself。Noonelookedatthesubjectfromthatpointofviewthen,butthat"sthetrulyhumanepointofview,Iassureyou。“
Aftersayingthis,Svidrigailovbrokeintoasuddenlaughagain。
Raskolnikovsawclearlythatthiswasamanwithafirmpurposeinhismindandabletokeepittohimself。
“Iexpectyou"venottalkedtoanyoneforsomedays？”heasked。
“Scarcelyanyone。Isupposeyouarewonderingatmybeingsuchanadaptableman？”
“No,Iamonlywonderingatyourbeingtooadaptableaman。“
“BecauseIamnotoffendedattherudenessofyourquestions?Isthatit?Butwhytakeoffence?Asyouasked,soIanswered,“hereplied,withasurprisingexpressionofsimplicity。“Youknow,there"shardlyanythingItakeinterestin,“hewenton,asitweredreamily,“especiallynow,I"venothingtodo……YouarequiteatlibertytoimaginethoughthatIammakinguptoyouwithamotive,particularlyasItoldyouIwanttoseeyoursisteraboutsomething。ButI"llconfessfrankly,Iamverymuchbored。Thelastthreedaysespecially,soIamdelightedtoseeyou……Don"tbeangry,RodionRomanovitch,butyouseemtobesomehowawfullystrangeyourself。Saywhatyoulike,there"ssomethingwrongwithyou,andnow,too……notthisveryminute,Imean,butnow,generally……
Well,well,Iwon"t,Iwon"t,don"tscowl!Iamnotsuchabear,youknow,asyouthink。“
Raskolnikovlookedgloomilyathim。
“Youarenotabear,perhaps,atall,“hesaid。“Ifancyindeedthatyouareamanofverygoodbreeding,oratleastknowhowonoccasiontobehavelikeone。“
“Iamnotparticularlyinterestedinanyone"sopinion,“
Svidrigailovanswered,drylyandevenwithashadeofhaughtiness,“andthereforewhynotbevulgarattimeswhenvulgarityissuchaconvenientcloakforourclimate……andespeciallyifonehasanaturalpropensitythatway,“headded,laughingagain。
“ButI"veheardyouhavemanyfriendshere。Youare,astheysay,"notwithoutconnections。"Whatcanyouwantwithme,then,unlessyou"vesomespecialobject？”
“That"struethatIhavefriendshere,“Svidrigailovadmitted,notreplyingtothechiefpoint。“I"vemetsomealready。I"vebeenloungingaboutforthelastthreedays,andI"veseenthem,orthey"veseenme。That"samatterofcourse。Iamwelldressedandreckonednotapoorman;theemancipationoftheserfshasn"taffectedme;mypropertyconsistschieflyofforestsandwatermeadows。Therevenuehasnotfallenoff;but……Iamnotgoingtoseethem,Iwassickofthemlongago。I"vebeenherethreedaysandhavecalledonnoone……
Whatatownitis!Howhasitcomeintoexistenceamongus,tellmethat?Atownofofficialsandstudentsofallsorts。Yes,there"sagreatdealIdidn"tnoticewhenIwashereeightyearsago,kickingupmyheels……Myonlyhopenowisinanatomy,byJove,itis！”
“Anatomy？”
“Butasfortheseclubs,Dussauts,parades,orprogress,indeed,maybe-well,allthatcangoonwithoutme,“hewenton,againwithoutnoticingthequestion。“Besides,whowantstobeacard-sharper？”
“Why,haveyoubeenacard-sharperthen？”
“HowcouldIhelpbeing?Therewasaregularsetofus,menofthebestsociety,eightyearsago;wehadafinetime。Andallmenofbreeding,youknow,poets,menofproperty。AndindeedasaruleinourRussiansociety,thebestmannersarefoundamongthosewho"vebeenthrashed,haveyounoticedthat?I"vedeterioratedinthecountry。ButIdidgetintoprisonfordebt,throughalowGreekwhocamefromNezhin。ThenMarfaPetrovnaturnedup;shebargainedwithhimandboughtmeoffforthirtythousandsilverpieces(Iowedseventythousand)。Wewereunitedinlawfulwedlockandsheboremeoffintothecountrylikeatreasure。YouknowshewasfiveyearsolderthanI。Shewasveryfondofme。ForsevenyearsIneverleftthecountry。And,takenote,thatallmylifesheheldadocumentoverme,theI。O。U。forthirtythousandroubles,soifIweretoelecttoberestiveaboutanythingIshouldbetrappedatonce!Andshewouldhavedoneit!Womenfindnothingincompatibleinthat。“
“Ifithadn"tbeenforthat,wouldyouhavegivenhertheslip？”
“Idon"tknowwhattosay。Itwasscarcelythedocumentrestrainedme。Ididn"twanttogoanywhereelse。MarfaPetrovnaherselfinvitedmetogoabroad,seeingIwasbored,butI"vebeenabroadbefore,andalwaysfeltsickthere。Fornoreason,butthesunrise,thebayofNaples,thesea-youlookatthemanditmakesyousad。
What"smostrevoltingisthatoneisreallysad!No,it"sbetterathome。Hereatleastoneblamesothersforeverythingandexcusesoneself。IshouldhavegoneperhapsonanexpeditiontotheNorthPole,becausej"ailevinmauvaisandhatedrinking,andthere"snothingleftbutwine。Ihavetriedit。But,Isay,I"vebeentoldBergisgoingupinagreatballoonnextSundayfromtheYusupovGardenandwilltakeuppassengersatafee。Isittrue？”
“Why,wouldyougoup？”
“I……No,oh,no,“mutteredSvidrigailovreallyseemingtobedeepinthought。
“Whatdoeshemean?Isheinearnest？”Raskolnikovwondered。
“No,thedocumentdidn"trestrainme,“Svidrigailovwenton,meditatively。“Itwasmyowndoing,notleavingthecountry,andnearlyayearagoMarfaPetrovnagavemebackthedocumentonmynamedayandmademeapresentofaconsiderablesumofmoney,too。
Shehadafortune,youknow。"YouseehowItrustyou,ArkadyIvanovitch"-thatwasactuallyherexpression。Youdon"tbelievesheusedit?ButdoyouknowImanagedtheestatequitedecently,theyknowmeintheneighbourhood。Iorderedbooks,too。MarfaPetrovnaatfirstapproved,butafterwardsshewasafraidofmyover-studying。“
“YouseemtobemissingMarfaPetrovnaverymuch？”
“Missingher?Perhaps。Really,perhapsIam。And,bytheway,doyoubelieveinghosts？”
“Whatghosts？”
“Why,ordinaryghosts。“
“Doyoubelieveinthem？”
“Perhapsnot,pourvousplaire……Iwouldn"tsaynoexactly。“
“Doyouseethem,then？”
Svidrigailovlookedathimratheroddly。
“MarfaPetrovnaispleasedtovisitme,“hesaid,twistinghismouthintoastrangesmile。
“Howdoyoumean"sheispleasedtovisityou"？”
“Shehasbeenthreetimes。Isawherfirstontheverydayofthefuneral,anhouraftershewasburied。ItwasthedaybeforeIlefttocomehere。Thesecondtimewasthedaybeforeyesterday,atdaybreak,onthejourneyatthestationofMalayaVishera,andthethirdtimewastwohoursagointheroomwhereIamstaying。Iwasalone。“
“Wereyouawake？”
“Quiteawake。Iwaswideawakeeverytime。Shecomes,speakstomeforaminuteandgoesoutatthedoor-alwaysatthedoor。Icanalmosthearher。“
“Whatmademethinkthatsomethingofthesortmustbehappeningtoyou？”Raskolnikovsaidsuddenly。
Atthesamemomenthewassurprisedathavingsaidit。Hewasmuchexcited。
“What!Didyouthinkso？”Svidrigailovaskedinastonishment。“Didyoureally?Didn"tIsaythattherewassomethingincommonbetweenus,eh？”
“Youneversaidso！”Raskolnikovcriedsharplyandwithheat。
“Didn"tI？”
“No！”
“IthoughtIdid。WhenIcameinandsawyoulyingwithyoureyesshut,pretending,Isaidtomyselfatonce"here"stheman。"“
“Whatdoyoumeanby"theman?"Whatareyoutalkingabout？”criedRaskolnikov。
“WhatdoImean?Ireallydon"tknow……“Svidrigailovmutteredingenuously,asthoughhe,too,werepuzzled。
Foraminutetheyweresilent。Theystaredineachother"sfaces。
“That"sallnonsense！”Raskolnikovshoutedwithvexation。“Whatdoesshesaywhenshecomestoyou？”
“She!Wouldyoubelieveit,shetalksofthesilliesttriflesand-
manisastrangecreature-itmakesmeangry。Thefirsttimeshecamein(Iwastiredyouknow：thefuneralservice,thefuneralceremony,thelunchafterwards。AtlastIwasleftaloneinmystudy。Ilightedacigarandbegantothink),shecameinatthedoor。