第16章
Sometimesshestealsalookatmethatpositivelyscorchesme。HerfaceislikeRaphael"sMadonna。Youknow,theSistineMadonna"sfacehassomethingfantasticinit,thefaceofmournfulreligiousecstasy。
Haven"tyounoticedit?Well,she"ssomethinginthatline。Thedayafterwe"dbeenbetrothed,Iboughtherpresentstothevalueoffifteenhundredroubles-asetofdiamondsandanotherofpearlsandasilverdressing-caseaslargeasthis,withallsortsofthingsinit,sothatevenmyMadonna"sfaceglowed。Isatheronmyknee,yesterday,andIsupposerathertoounceremoniously-sheflushedcrimsonandthetearsstarted,butshedidn"twanttoshowit。Wewereleftalone,shesuddenlyflungherselfonmyneck(forthefirsttimeofherownaccord),putherlittlearmsroundme,kissedme,andvowedthatshewouldbeanobedient,faithful,andgoodwife,wouldmakemehappy,woulddevoteallherlife,everyminuteofherlife,wouldsacrificeeverything,everything,andthatallsheasksinreturnismyrespect,andthatshewants"nothing,nothingmorefromme,nopresents。"You"lladmitthattohearsuchaconfession,alone,fromanangelofsixteeninamuslinfrock,withlittlecurls,withaflushofmaidenshynessinhercheeksandtearsofenthusiasminhereyesisratherfascinating!Isn"titfascinating?
It"sworthpayingfor,isn"tit?Well……listen,we"llgotoseemybetrothed,onlynotjustnow！”
“Thefactisthismonstrousdifferenceinageanddevelopmentexcitesyoursensuality!Willyoureallymakesuchamarriage？”
“Why,ofcourse。Everyonethinksofhimself,andhelivesmostgailywhoknowsbesthowtodeceivehimself。Ha-ha!Butwhyareyousokeenaboutvirtue?Havemercyonme,mygoodfriend。Iamasinfulman。Ha-ha-ha！”
“ButyouhaveprovidedforthechildrenofKaterinaIvanovna。
Though……thoughyouhadyourownreasons……Iunderstanditallnow。“
“Iamalwaysfondofchildren,veryfondofthem,“laughedSvidrigailov。“Icantellyouonecuriousinstanceofit。ThefirstdayIcamehereIvisitedvarioushaunts,aftersevenyearsIsimplyrushedatthem。YouprobablynoticethatIamnotinahurrytorenewacquaintancewithmyoldfriends。IshalldowithoutthemaslongasIcan。Doyouknow,whenIwaswithMarfaPetrovnainthecountry,Iwashauntedbythethoughtoftheseplaceswhereanyonewhoknowshiswayaboutcanfindagreatdeal。Yes,uponmysoul!
Thepeasantshavevodka,theeducatedyoungpeople,shutoutfromactivity,wastethemselvesinimpossibledreamsandvisionsandarecrippledbytheories;Jewshavesprungupandareamassingmoney,andalltherestgivethemselvesuptodebauchery。Fromthefirsthourthetownreekedofitsfamiliarodours。Ichancedtobeinafrightfulden-Ilikemydensdirty-itwasadance,socalled,andtherewasacancansuchasIneversawinmyday。Yes,thereyouhaveprogress。AllofasuddenIsawalittlegirlofthirteen,nicelydressed,dancingwithaspecialistinthatline,withanotheronevis-a-vis。Hermotherwassittingonachairbythewall。Youcan"tfancywhatacancanthatwas!Thegirlwasashamed,blushed,atlastfeltinsulted,andbegantocry。Herpartnerseizedherandbeganwhirlingherroundandperformingbeforeher;everyonelaughedand-I
likeyourpublic,eventhecancanpublic-theylaughedandshouted,"Servesherright-servesherright!Shouldn"tbringchildren!"
Well,it"snotmybusinesswhetherthatconsolingreflectionwaslogicalornot。Iatoncefixedonmyplan,satdownbythemother,andbeganbysayingthatItoowasastrangerandthatpeopleherewereill-bredandthattheycouldn"tdistinguishdecentfolksandtreatthemwithrespect,gavehertounderstandthatIhadplentyofmoney,offeredtotakethemhomeinmycarriage。Itookthemhomeandgottoknowthem。Theywerelodginginamiserablelittleholeandhadonlyjustarrivedfromthecountry。Shetoldmethatsheandherdaughtercouldonlyregardmyacquaintanceasanhonour。Ifoundoutthattheyhadnothingoftheirownandhadcometotownuponsomelegalbusiness。Iprofferedmyservicesandmoney。Ilearntthattheyhadgonetothedancingsaloonbymistake,believingthatitwasagenuinedancingclass。Iofferedtoassistintheyounggirl"seducationinFrenchanddancing。Myofferwasacceptedwithenthusiasmasanhonour-andwearestillfriendly……Ifyoulike,we"llgoandseethem,onlynotjustnow。“
“Stop!Enoughofyourvile,nastyanecdotes,depravedvile,sensualman！”
“Schiller,youarearegularSchiller!Olavertuva-t-ellesenicher?ButyouknowIshalltellyouthesethingsonpurpose,forthepleasureofhearingyouroutcries！”
“Idaresay。IcanseeIamridiculousmyself,“mutteredRaskolnikovangrily。
Svidrigailovlaughedheartily;finallyhecalledPhilip,paidhisbill,andbegangettingup。
“Isay,butIamdrunk,assezcause,“hesaid。“It"sbeenapleasure。“
“Ishouldratherthinkitmustbeapleasure！”criedRaskolnikov,gettingup。“Nodoubtitisapleasureforaworn-outprofligatetodescribesuchadventureswithamonstrousprojectofthesamesortinhismind-especiallyundersuchcircumstancesandtosuchamanasme……It"sstimulating！”
“Well,ifyoucometothat,“Svidrigailovanswered,scrutinisingRaskolnikovwithsomesurprise,“ifyoucometothat,youareathoroughcynicyourself。You"veplentytomakeyouso,anyway。Youcanunderstandagreatdeal……andyoucandoagreatdealtoo。Butenough。Isincerelyregretnothavinghadmoretalkwithyou,butI
shan"tlosesightofyou……Onlywaitabit。“
Svidrigailovwalkedoutoftherestaurant。Raskolnikovwalkedoutafterhim。Svidrigailovwasnothoweververydrunk,thewinehadaffectedhimforamoment,butitwaspassingoffeveryminute。Hewaspreoccupiedwithsomethingofimportanceandwasfrowning。Hewasapparentlyexcitedanduneasyinanticipationofsomething。HismannertoRaskolnikovhadchangedduringthelastfewminutes,andhewasruderandmoresneeringeverymoment。Raskolnikovnoticedallthis,andhetoowasuneasy。HebecameverysuspiciousofSvidrigailovandresolvedtofollowhim。
Theycameoutontothepavement。
“Yougototheright,andItotheleft,orifyoulike,theotherway。Onlyadieu,monplaisir,maywemeetagain。“
AndhewalkedtotherighttowardstheHayMarket。
ChapterFiveRASKOLNIKOVwalkedafterhim。
“What"sthis？”criedSvidrigailovturninground,“IthoughtI
said……“
“ItmeansthatIamnotgoingtolosesightofyounow。“
“What？”
Bothstoodstillandgazedatoneanother,asthoughmeasuringtheirstrength。
“Fromallyourhalftipsystories,“Raskolnikovobservedharshly,“I
ampositivethatyouhavenotgivenupyourdesignsonmysister,butarepursuingthemmoreactivelythanever。Ihavelearntthatmysisterreceivedaletterthismorning。Youhavehardlybeenabletositstillallthistime……Youmayhaveunearthedawifeontheway,butthatmeansnothing。Ishouldliketomakecertainmyself。“
Raskolnikovcouldhardlyhavesaidhimselfwhathewantedandofwhathewishedtomakecertain。
“Uponmyword!I"llcallthepolice！”
“Callaway！”
Againtheystoodforaminutefacingeachother。AtlastSvidrigailov"sfacechanged。HavingsatisfiedhimselfthatRaskolnikovwasnotfrightenedathisthreat,heassumedamirthfulandfriendlyair。
“Whatafellow!Ipurposelyrefrainedfromreferringtoyouraffair,thoughIamdevouredbycuriosity。It"safantasticaffair。I"veputitofftillanothertime,butyou"reenoughtorousethedead……
Well,letusgo,onlyIwarnyoubeforehandIamonlygoinghomeforamoment,togetsomemoney;thenIshalllockuptheflat,takeacabandgotospendtheeveningattheIslands。Now,nowareyougoingtofollowme？”
“I"mcomingtoyourlodgings,nottoseeyoubutSofyaSemyonovna,tosayI"msorrynottohavebeenatthefuneral。“
“That"sasyoulike,butSofyaSemyonovnaisnotathome。Shehastakenthethreechildrentoanoldladyofhighrank,thepatronessofsomeorphanasylums,whomIusedtoknowyearsago。IcharmedtheoldladybydepositingasumofmoneywithhertoprovideforthethreechildrenofKaterinaIvanovnaandsubscribingtotheinstitutionaswell。ItoldhertoothestoryofSofyaSemyonovnainfulldetail,suppressingnothing。Itproducedanindescribableeffectonher。That"swhySofyaSemyonovnahasbeeninvitedtocallto-dayattheX。Hotelwheretheladyisstayingforthetime。“
“Nomatter,I"llcomeallthesame。“
“Asyoulike,it"snothingtome,butIwon"tcomewithyou;hereweareathome。Bytheway,IamconvincedthatyouregardmewithsuspicionjustbecauseIhaveshownsuchdelicacyandhavenotsofartroubledyouwithquestions……youunderstand?Itstruckyouasextraordinary;Idon"tmindbettingit"sthat。Well,itteachesonetoshowdelicacy！”
“Andtolistenatdoors！”
“Ah,that"sit,isit？”laughedSvidrigailov。“Yes,Ishouldhavebeensurprisedifyouhadletthatpassafterallthathashappened。
Ha-ha!ThoughIdidunderstandsomethingofthepranksyouhadbeenuptoandweretellingSofyaSemyonovnaabout,whatwasthemeaningofit?PerhapsIamquitebehindthetimesandcan"tunderstand。Forgoodness"sake,explainit,mydearboy。Expoundthelatesttheories！”
“Youcouldn"thaveheardanything。You"remakingitallup！”
“ButI"mnottalkingaboutthat(thoughIdidhearsomething)。No,I"mtalkingofthewayyoukeepsighingandgroaningnow。TheSchillerinyouisinrevolteverymoment,andnowyoutellmenottolistenatdoors。Ifthat"showyoufeel,goandinformthepolicethatyouhadthismischance;youmadealittlemistakeinyourtheory。Butifyouareconvincedthatonemustn"tlistenatdoors,butonemaymurderoldwomenatone"spleasure,you"dbetterbeofftoAmericaandmakehaste。Run,youngman!Theremaystillbetime。I"mspeakingsincerely。Haven"tyouthemoney?I"llgiveyouthefare。“
“I"mnotthinkingofthatatall,“Raskolnikovinterruptedwithdisgust。
“Iunderstand(butdon"tputyourselfout,don"tdiscussitifyoudon"twantto)。Iunderstandthequestionsyouareworryingover-
moralones,aren"tthey?Dutiesofcitizenandman?Laythemallaside。Theyarenothingtoyounow,ha-ha!You"llsayyouarestillamanandacitizen。Ifsoyououghtnottohavegotintothiscoil。
It"snousetakingupajobyouarenotfitfor。Well,you"dbettershootyourself,ordon"tyouwantto？”
“Youseemtryingtoenrageme,tomakemeleaveyou。“
“Whataqueerfellow!Buthereweare。Welcometothestaircase。Yousee,that"sthewaytoSofyaSemyonovna。Look,thereisnooneathome。Don"tyoubelieveme?AskKapernaumov。Sheleavesthekeywithhim。HereisMadamedeKapernaumovherself。Hey,what?Sheisratherdeaf。Hasshegoneout?Where?Didyouhear?Sheisnotinandwon"tbetilllateintheeveningprobably。Well,cometomyroom;youwantedtocomeandseeme,didn"tyou?Hereweare。MadameResslich"snotathome。Sheisawomanwhoisalwaysbusy,anexcellentwomanIassureyou……Shemighthavebeenofusetoyouifyouhadbeenalittlemoresensible。Now,see!Itakethisfivepercent。bondoutofthebureau-seewhatalotI"vegotofthemstill-
thisonewillbeturnedintocashto-day。Imustn"twasteanymoretime。Thebureauislocked,theflatislocked,andhereweareagainonthestairs。Shallwetakeacab?I"mgoingtotheIslands。
Wouldyoulikealift?I"lltakethiscarriage。Ah,yourefuse?Youaretiredofit!Comeforadrive!Ibelieveitwillcomeontorain。Nevermind,we"llputdownthehood……“
Svidrigailovwasalreadyinthecarriage。Raskolnikovdecidedthathissuspicionswereatleastforthatmomentunjust。WithoutansweringawordheturnedandwalkedbacktowardstheHayMarket。IfhehadonlyturnedroundonhiswayhemighthaveseenSvidrigailovgetoutnotahundredpacesoff,dismissthecabandwalkalongthepavement。Buthehadturnedthecornerandcouldseenothing。
IntensedisgustdrewhimawayfromSvidrigailov。
“TothinkthatIcouldforoneinstanthavelookedforhelpfromthatcoarsebrute,thatdepravedsensualistandblackguard！”hecried。
Raskolnikov"sjudgmentwasutteredtoolightlyandhastily：therewassomethingaboutSvidrigailovwhichgavehimacertainoriginal,evenamysteriouscharacter。Asconcernedhissister,RaskolnikovwasconvincedthatSvidrigailovwouldnotleaveherinpeace。Butitwastootiresomeandunbearabletogoonthinkingandthinkingaboutthis。
Whenhewasalone,hehadnotgonetwentypacesbeforehesank,asusual,intodeepthought。Onthebridgehestoodbytherailingandbegangazingatthewater。Andhissisterwasstandingclosebyhim。
Hemetherattheentrancetothebridge,butpassedbywithoutseeingher。Douniahadnevermethimlikethisinthestreetbeforeandwasstruckwithdismay。Shestoodstillanddidnotknowwhethertocalltohimornot。SuddenlyshesawSvidrigailovcomingquicklyfromthedirectionoftheHayMarket。
Heseemedtobeapproachingcautiously。Hedidnotgoontothebridge,butstoodasideonthepavement,doingallhecouldtoavoidRaskolnikov"sseeinghim。HehadobservedDouniaforsometimeandhadbeenmakingsignstoher。Shefanciedhewassignallingtobeghernottospeaktoherbrother,buttocometohim。
ThatwaswhatDouniadid。ShestolebyherbrotherandwentuptoSvidrigailov。
“Letusmakehasteaway,“Svidrigailovwhisperedtoher,“Idon"twantRodionRomanovitchtoknowofourmeeting。ImusttellyouI"vebeensittingwithhimintherestaurantcloseby,wherehelookedmeupandIhadgreatdifficultyingettingridofhim。Hehassomehowheardofmylettertoyouandsuspectssomething。Itwasn"tyouwhotoldhim,ofcourse,butifnotyou,whothen？”
“Well,we"veturnedthecornernow,“Douniainterrupted,“andmybrotherwon"tseeus。IhavetotellyouthatIamgoingnofurtherwithyou。Speaktomehere。Youcantellitallinthestreet。“
“Inthefirstplace,Ican"tsayitinthestreet;secondly,youmusthearSofyaSemyonovnatoo;and,thirdly,Iwillshowyousomepapers……Ohwell,ifyouwon"tagreetocomewithme,Ishallrefusetogiveanyexplanationandgoawayatonce。ButIbegyounottoforgetthataverycurioussecretofyourbelovedbrother"sisentirelyinmykeeping。“
Douniastoodstill,hesitating,andlookedatSvidrigailovwithsearchingeyes。
“Whatareyouafraidof？”heobservedquietly。“Thetownisnotthecountry。AndeveninthecountryyoudidmemoreharmthanIdidyou。“
“HaveyoupreparedSofyaSemyonovna？”
“No,Ihavenotsaidawordtoherandamnotquitecertainwhethersheisathomenow。Butmostlikelysheis。Shehasburiedherstepmotherto-day：sheisnotlikelytogovisitingonsuchaday。ForthetimeIdon"twanttospeaktoanyoneaboutitandIhalfregrethavingspokentoyou。Theslightestindiscretionisasbadasbetrayalinathinglikethis。Ilivethereinthathouse,wearecomingtoit。
That"stheporterofourhouse-heknowsmeverywell;yousee,he"sbowing;heseesI"mcomingwithaladyandnodoubthehasnoticedyourfacealreadyandyouwillbegladofthatifyouareafraidofmeandsuspicious。Excusemyputtingthingssocoarsely。Ihaven"taflattomyself;SofyaSemyonovna"sroomisnexttomine-shelodgesinthenextflat。Thewholefloorisletoutinlodgings。Whyareyoufrightenedlikeachild?AmIreallysoterrible？”
Svidrigailov"slipsweretwistedinacondescendingsmile;buthewasinnosmilingmood。Hisheartwasthrobbingandhecouldscarcelybreathe。Hespokeratherloudtocoverhisgrowingexcitement。ButDouniadidnotnoticethispeculiarexcitement,shewassoirritatedbyhisremarkthatshewasfrightenedofhimlikeachildandthathewassoterribletoher。
“ThoughIknowthatyouarenotaman……ofhonour,Iamnotintheleastafraidofyou。Leadtheway,“shesaidwithapparentcomposure,butherfacewasverypale。
SvidrigailovstoppedatSonia"sroom。
“Allowmetoinquirewhethersheisathome……Sheisnot。Howunfortunate!ButIknowshemaycomequitesoon。Ifshe"sgoneout,itcanonlybetoseealadyabouttheorphans。Theirmotherisdead……I"vebeenmeddlingandmakingarrangementsforthem。IfSofyaSemyonovnadoesnotcomebackintenminutes,Iwillsendhertoyou,to-dayifyoulike。Thisismyflat。Thesearemytworooms。
MadameResslich,mylandlady,hasthenextroom。Now,lookthisway。I
willshowyoumychiefpieceofevidence：thisdoorfrommybedroomleadsintotwoperfectlyemptyrooms,whicharetolet。Heretheyare……Youmustlookintothemwithsomeattention。“
Svidrigailovoccupiedtwofairlylargefurnishedrooms。Douniawaslookingabouthermistrustfully,butsawnothingspecialinthefurnitureorpositionoftherooms。Yettherewassomethingtoobserve,forinstance,thatSvidrigailov"sflatwasexactlybetweentwosetsofalmostuninhabitedapartments。Hisroomswerenotentereddirectlyfromthepassage,butthroughthelandlady"stwoalmostemptyrooms。Unlockingadoorleadingoutofhisbedroom,SvidrigailovshowedDouniathetwoemptyroomsthatweretolet。
Douniastoppedinthedoorway,notknowingwhatshewascalledtolookupon,butSvidrigailovhastenedtoexplain。
“Lookhere,atthissecondlargeroom。Noticethatdoor,it"slocked。Bythedoorstandsachair,theonlyoneinthetworooms。I
broughtitfrommyroomssoastolistenmoreconveniently。JusttheothersideofthedoorisSofyaSemyonovna"stable;shesattheretalkingtoRodionRomanovitch。AndIsatherelisteningontwosuccessiveevenings,fortwohourseachtime-andofcourseIwasabletolearnsomething,whatdoyouthink？”
“Youlistened？”
“Yes,Idid。Nowcomebacktomyroom;wecan"tsitdownhere。“
HebroughtAvdotyaRomanovnabackintohissitting-roomandofferedherachair。Hesatdownattheoppositesideofthetable,atleastsevenfeetfromher,butprobablytherewasthesameglowinhiseyeswhichhadoncefrightenedDouniasomuch。Sheshudderedandoncemorelookedaboutherdistrustfully。Itwasaninvoluntarygesture;sheevidentlydidnotwishtobetrayheruneasiness。ButthesecludedpositionofSvidrigailov"slodginghadsuddenlystruckher。Shewantedtoaskwhetherhislandladyatleastwereathome,butpridekeptherfromasking。Moreover,shehadanothertroubleinherheartincomparablygreaterthanfearforherself。Shewasingreatdistress。
“Hereisyourletter,“shesaid,layingitonthetable。“Canitbetruewhatyouwrite?Youhintatacrimecommitted,yousay,bymybrother。Youhintatittooclearly;youdaren"tdenyitnow。I
musttellyouthatI"dheardofthisstupidstorybeforeyouwroteanddon"tbelieveawordofit。It"sadisgustingandridiculoussuspicion。Iknowthestoryandwhyandhowitwasinvented。Youcanhavenoproofs。Youpromisedtoproveit。Speak!ButletmewarnyouthatIdon"tbelieveyou!Idon"tbelieveyou！”
Douniasaidthis,speakinghurriedly,andforaninstantthecolourrushedtoherface。
“Ifyoudidn"tbelieveit,howcouldyouriskcomingalonetomyrooms?Whyhaveyoucome?Simplyfromcuriosity？”
“Don"ttormentme。Speak,speak！”
“There"snodenyingthatyouareabravegirl。Uponmyword,I
thoughtyouwouldhaveaskedMr。Razumihintoescortyouhere。Buthewasnotwithyounoranywherenear。Iwasonthelook-out。It"sspiritedofyou,itprovesyouwantedtospareRodionRomanovitch。Buteverythingisdivineinyou……Aboutyourbrother,whatamItosaytoyou?You"vejustseenhimyourself。Whatdidyouthinkofhim？”
“Surelythat"snottheonlythingyouarebuildingon？”
“No,notonthat,butonhisownwords。HecamehereontwosuccessiveeveningstoseeSofyaSemyonovna。I"veshownyouwheretheysat。Hemadeafullconfessiontoher。Heisamurderer。Hekilledanoldwoman,apawnbroker,withwhomhehadpawnedthingshimself。Hekilledhersistertoo,apedlarwomancalledLizaveta,whohappenedtocomeinwhilehewasmurderinghersister。Hekilledthemwithanaxehebroughtwithhim。Hemurderedthemtorobthemandhedidrobthem。Hetookmoneyandvariousthings……Hetoldallthis,wordforword,toSofyaSemyonovna,theonlypersonwhoknowshissecret。
Butshehashadnosharebywordordeedinthemurder;shewasashorrifiedatitasyouarenow。Don"tbeanxious,shewon"tbetrayhim。“
“Itcannotbe,“mutteredDounia,withwhitelips。Shegaspedforbreath。“Itcannotbe。Therewasnottheslightestcause,nosortofground……It"salie,alie！”
“Herobbedher,thatwasthecause,hetookmoneyandthings。It"struethatbyhisownadmissionhemadenouseofthemoneyorthings,buthidthemunderastone,wheretheyarenow。Butthatwasbecausehedarednotmakeuseofthem。“
“Buthowcouldhesteal,rob?Howcouldhedreamofit？”criedDounia,andshejumpedupfromthechair。“Why,youknowhim,andyou"veseenhim,canhebeathief？”
SheseemedtobeimploringSvidrigailov;shehadentirelyforgottenherfear。
“Therearethousandsandmillionsofcombinationsandpossibilities,AvdotyaRomanovna。Athiefstealsandknowsheisascoundrel,butI"veheardofagentlemanwhobrokeopenthemail。Whoknows,verylikelyhethoughthewasdoingagentlemanlything!OfcourseIshouldnothavebelieveditmyselfifI"dbeentoldofitasyouhave,butIbelievemyownears。HeexplainedallthecausesofittoSofyaSemyonovnatoo,butshedidnotbelieveherearsatfirst,yetshebelievedherowneyesatlast。“
“What……werethecauses？”
“It"salongstory,AvdotyaRomanovna。Here"s……howshallItellyou?-Atheoryofasort,thesameonebywhichIforinstanceconsiderthatasinglemisdeedispermissibleiftheprincipalaimisright,asolitarywrongdoingandhundredsofgooddeeds!It"sgallingtoo,ofcourse,forayoungmanofgiftsandoverweeningpridetoknowthatifhehad,forinstance,apaltrythreethousand,hiswholecareer,hiswholefuturewouldbedifferentlyshapedandyetnottohavethatthreethousand。Addtothat,nervousirritabilityfromhunger,fromlodginginahole,fromrags,fromavividsenseofthecharmofhissocialpositionandhissister"sandmother"spositiontoo。Aboveall,vanity,prideandvanity,thoughgoodnessknowshemayhavegoodqualitiestoo……Iamnotblaminghim,pleasedon"tthinkit;besides,it"snotmybusiness。Aspeciallittletheorycameintoo-atheoryofasort-dividingmankind,yousee,intomaterialandsuperiorpersons,thatispersonstowhomthelawdoesnotapplyowingtotheirsuperiority,whomakelawsfortherestofmankind,thematerial,thatis。It"sallrightasatheory,unetheoriecommeuneautre。Napoleonattractedhimtremendously,thatis,whataffectedhimwasthatagreatmanymenofgeniushavenothesitatedatwrongdoing,buthaveoversteppedthelawwithoutthinkingaboutit。Heseemstohavefanciedthathewasageniustoo-thatis,hewasconvincedofitforatime。Hehassufferedagreatdealandisstillsufferingfromtheideathathecouldmakeatheory,butwasincapableofboldlyoversteppingthelaw,andsoheisnotamanofgenius。Andthat"shumiliatingforayoungmanofanypride,inourdayespecially……“
“Butremorse?Youdenyhimanymoralfeelingthen?Ishelikethat？”
“Ah,AvdotyaRomanovna,everythingisinamuddlenow;notthatitwaseverinverygoodorder。Russiansingeneralarebroadintheirideas,AvdotyaRomanovna,broadliketheirlandandexceedinglydisposedtothefantastic,thechaotic。Butit"samisfortunetobebroadwithoutaspecialgenius。Doyourememberwhatalotoftalkwehadtogetheronthissubject,sittingintheeveningsontheterraceaftersupper?Why,youusedtoreproachmewithbreadth!Whoknows,perhapsweweretalkingattheverytimewhenhewaslyingherethinkingoverhisplan。Therearenosacredtraditionsamongstus,especiallyintheeducatedclass,AvdotyaRomanovna。Atthebestsomeonewillmakethemupsomehowforhimselfoutofbooksorfromsomeoldchronicle。Butthoseareforthemostpartthelearnedandalloldfogeys,sothatitwouldbealmostill-bredinamanofsociety。Youknowmyopinionsingeneral,though。Ineverblameanyone。Idonothingatall,Ipersevereinthat。Butwe"vetalkedofthismorethanoncebefore。Iwassohappyindeedastointerestyouinmyopinions……Youareverypale,AvdotyaRomanovna。“
“Iknowhistheory。Ireadthatarticleofhisaboutmentowhomallispermitted。Razumihinbroughtittome。“
“Mr。Razumihin?Yourbrother"sarticle?Inamagazine?Istheresuchanarticle?Ididn"tknow。Itmustbeinteresting。Butwhereareyougoing,AvdotyaRomanovna？”
“IwanttoseeSofyaSemyonovna,“Douniaarticulatedfaintly。“HowdoIgotoher?Shehascomein,perhaps。Imustseeheratonce。
Perhapsshe……“
AvdotyaRomanovnacouldnotfinish。Herbreathliterallyfailedher。
“SofyaSemyonovnawillnotbebacktillnight,atleastIbelievenot。Shewastohavebeenbackatonce,butifnot,thenshewillnotbeintillquitelate。“
“Ah,thenyouarelying!Isee……youwerelying……lyingallthetime……Idon"tbelieveyou!Idon"tbelieveyou！”criedDounia,completelylosingherhead。
Almostfainting,shesankontoachairwhichSvidrigailovmadehastetogiveher。
“AvdotyaRomanovna,whatisit?Controlyourself!Hereissomewater。Drinkalittle……“
Hesprinkledsomewateroverher。Douniashudderedandcametoherself。
“Ithasactedviolently,“Svidrigailovmutteredtohimself,frowning。“AvdotyaRomanovna,calmyourself!Believeme,hehasfriends。Wewillsavehim。Wouldyoulikemetotakehimabroad?I
havemoney,Icangetaticketinthreedays。Andasforthemurder,hewilldoallsortsofgooddeedsyet,toatoneforit。Calmyourself。Hemaybecomeagreatmanyet。Well,howareyou?Howdoyoufeel？”
“Cruelman!Tobeabletojeeratit!Letmego……“
“Whereareyougoing？”
“Tohim。Whereishe?Doyouknow?Whyisthisdoorlocked?Wecameinatthatdoorandnowitislocked。Whendidyoumanagetolockit？”
“Wecouldn"tbeshoutingallovertheflatonsuchasubject。Iamfarfromjeering;it"ssimplythatI"msickoftalkinglikethis。
Buthowcanyougoinsuchastate?Doyouwanttobetrayhim?Youwilldrivehimtofury,andhewillgivehimselfup。Letmetellyou,heisalreadybeingwatched;theyarealreadyonhistrack。Youwillsimplybegivinghimaway。Waitalittle：Isawhimandwastalkingtohimjustnow。Hecanstillbesaved。Waitabit,sitdown;letusthinkitovertogether。Iaskedyoutocomeinordertodiscussitalonewithyouandtoconsideritthoroughly。Butdositdown！”
“Howcanyousavehim?Canhereallybesaved？”
Douniasatdown。Svidrigailovsatdownbesideher。
“Italldependsonyou,onyou,onyoualone,“hebeginwithglowingeyes,almostinawhisperandhardlyabletoutterthewordsforemotion。
Douniadrewbackfromhiminalarm。Hetoowastremblingallover。
“You……onewordfromyou,andheissaved。I……I"llsavehim。I
havemoneyandfriends。I"llsendhimawayatonce。I"llgetapassport,twopassports,oneforhimandoneforme。Ihavefriends……
capablepeople……Ifyoulike,I"lltakeapassportforyou……foryourmother……WhatdoyouwantwithRazumihin?Iloveyoutoo……
Iloveyoubeyondeverything……Letmekissthehemofyourdress,letme,letme……Theveryrustleofitistoomuchforme。Tellme,"dothat,"andI"lldoit。I"lldoeverything。Iwilldotheimpossible。Whatyoubelieve,Iwillbelieve。I"lldoanything-
anything!Don"t,don"tlookatmelikethat。Doyouknowthatyouarekillingme?……“
Hewasalmostbeginningtorave……Somethingseemedsuddenlytogotohishead。Douniajumpedupandrushedtothedoor。
“Openit!Openit！”shecalled,shakingthedoor。“Openit!Istherenoonethere？”
Svidrigailovgotupandcametohimself。Hisstilltremblinglipsslowlybrokeintoanangrymockingsmile。
“Thereisnooneathome,“hesaidquietlyandemphatically。“Thelandladyhasgoneout,andit"swasteoftimetoshoutlikethat。
Youareonlyexcitingyourselfuselessly。“
“Whereisthekey?Openthedooratonce,atonce,baseman！”
“Ihavelostthekeyandcannotfindit。“
“Thisisanoutrage,“criedDounia,turningpaleasdeath。Sherushedtothefurthestcorner,whereshemadehastetobarricadeherselfwithalittletable。
Shedidnotscream,butshefixedhereyesonhertormentorandwatchedeverymovementhemade。
Svidrigailovremainedstandingattheotherendoftheroomfacingher。Hewaspositivelycomposed,atleastinappearance,buthisfacewaspaleasbefore。Themockingsmiledidnotleavehisface。
“Youspokeofoutragejustnow,AvdotyaRomanovna。InthatcaseyoumaybesureI"vetakenmeasures。SofyaSemyonovnaisnotathome。TheKapernaumovsarefaraway-therearefivelockedroomsbetween。IamatleasttwiceasstrongasyouareandIhavenothingtofear,besides。Foryoucouldnotcomplainafterwards。Yousurelywouldnotbewillingactuallytobetrayyourbrother?Besides,noonewouldbelieveyou。Howshouldagirlhavecomealonetovisitasolitarymaninhislodgings?Sothatevenifyoudosacrificeyourbrother,youcouldprovenothing。Itisverydifficulttoproveanassault,AvdotyaRomanovna。“
“Scoundrel！”whisperedDouniaindignantly。
“Asyoulike,butobserveIwasonlyspeakingbywayofageneralproposition。It"smypersonalconvictionthatyouareperfectlyright-
violenceishateful。Ionlyspoketoshowyouthatyouneedhavenoremorseevenif……youwerewillingtosaveyourbrotherofyourownaccord,asIsuggesttoyou。Youwouldbesimplysubmittingtocircumstances,toviolence,infact,ifwemustusethatword。Thinkaboutit。Yourbrother"sandyourmother"sfateareinyourhands。I
willbeyourslave……allmylife……Iwillwaithere。“
SvidrigailovsatdownonthesofaabouteightstepsfromDounia。Shehadnottheslightestdoubtnowofhisunbendingdetermination。
Besides,sheknewhim。Suddenlyshepulledoutofherpocketarevolver,cockeditandlaiditinherhandonthetable。Svidrigailovjumpedup。
“Aha!Sothat"sit,isit？”hecried,surprisedbutsmilingmaliciously。“Well,thatcompletelyalterstheaspectofaffairs。
You"vemadethingswonderfullyeasierforme,AvdotyaRomanovna。Butwheredidyougettherevolver?WasitMr。Razumihin?Why,it"smyrevolver,anoldfriend!AndhowI"vehuntedforit!TheshootinglessonsI"vegivenyouinthecountryhavenotbeenthrownaway。“
“It"snotyourrevolver,itbelongedtoMarfaPetrovna,whomyoukilled,wretch!Therewasnothingofyoursinherhouse。ItookitwhenIbegantosuspectwhatyouwerecapableof。Ifyoudaretoadvanceonestep,IswearI"llkillyou。“Shewasfrantic。
“Butyourbrother?Iaskfromcuriosity,“saidSvidrigailov,stillstandingwherehewas。
“Inform,ifyouwantto!Don"tstir!Don"tcomenearer!I"llshoot!Youpoisonedyourwife,Iknow;youareamurdereryourself！”
Sheheldtherevolverready。
“AreyousopositiveIpoisonedMarfaPetrovna？”
“Youdid!Youhintedityourself!youtalkedtomeofpoison……I
knowyouwenttogetit……youhaditinreadiness……Itwasyourdoing……Itmusthavebeenyourdoing……Scoundrel！”
“Evenifthatweretrue,itwouldhavebeenforyoursake……youwouldhavebeenthecause。“
“Youarelying!Ihatedyoualways,always……“
“Oho,AvdotyaRomanovna!Youseemtohaveforgottenhowyousoftenedtomeintheheatofpropaganda。Isawitinyoureyes。Doyourememberthatmoonlightnight,whenthenightingalewassinging？”
“That"salie,“therewasaflashoffuryinDounia"seyes,“that"salieandalibel！”
“Alie?Well,ifyoulike,it"salie。Imadeitup。Womenoughtnottoberemindedofsuchthings,“hesmiled。“Iknowyouwillshoot,youprettywildcreature。Well,shootaway！”
Douniaraisedtherevolver,anddeadlypale,gazedathim,measuringthedistanceandawaitingthefirstmovementonhispart。Herlowerlipwaswhiteandquiveringandherbigblackeyesflashedlikefire。Hehadneverseenhersohandsome。Thefireglowinginhereyesatthemomentsheraisedtherevolverseemedtokindlehimandtherewasapangofanguishinhisheart。Hetookastepforwardandashotrangout。Thebulletgrazedhishairandflewintothewallbehind。Hestoodstillandlaughedsoftly。
“Thewasphasstungme。Sheaimedstraightatmyhead。What"sthis?Blood？”hepulledouthishandkerchieftowipetheblood,whichflowedinathinstreamdownhisrighttemple。Thebulletseemedtohavejustgrazedtheskin。
DounialoweredtherevolverandlookedatSvidrigailovnotsomuchinterrorasinasortofwildamazement。Sheseemednottounderstandwhatshewasdoingandwhatwasgoingon。
“Well,youmissed!Fireagain,I"llwait,“saidSvidrigailovsoftly,stillsmiling,butgloomily。“Ifyougoonlikethat,Ishallhavetimetoseizeyoubeforeyoucockagain。“
Douniastarted,quicklycockedthepistolandagainraisedit。
“Letmebe,“shecriedindespair。“IswearI"llshootagain。I……
I"llkillyou。“
“Well……atthreepacesyoucanhardlyhelpit。Butifyoudon"t……then。“Hiseyesflashedandhetooktwostepsforward。Douniashotagain：itmissedfire。
“Youhaven"tloadeditproperly。Nevermind,youhaveanotherchargethere。Getitready,I"llwait。“
Hestoodfacingher,twopacesaway,waitingandgazingatherwithwilddetermination,withfeverishlypassionate,stubborn,seteyes。Douniasawthathewouldsoonerdiethanlethergo。“And……
now,ofcourseshewouldkillhim,attwopaces！”Suddenlysheflungawaytherevolver。
“She"sdroppedit！”saidSvidrigailovwithsurprise,andhedrewadeepbreath。Aweightseemedtohaverolledfromhisheart-perhapsnotonlythefearofdeath;indeedhemayscarcelyhavefeltitatthatmoment。Itwasthedeliverancefromanotherfeeling,darkerandmorebitter,whichhecouldnothimselfhavedefined。
HewenttoDouniaandgentlyputhisarmroundherwaist。Shedidnotresist,but,tremblinglikealeaf,lookedathimwithsupplianteyes。Hetriedtosaysomething,buthislipsmovedwithoutbeingabletoutterasound。
“Letmego,“Douniaimplored。Svidrigailovshuddered。Hervoicenowwasquitedifferent。
“Thenyoudon"tloveme？”heaskedsoftly。Douniashookherhead。
“And……andyoucan"t?Never？”hewhisperedindespair。
“Never！”
Therefollowedamomentofterrible,dumbstruggleintheheartofSvidrigailov。Helookedatherwithanindescribablegaze。Suddenlyhewithdrewhisarm,turnedquicklytothewindowandstoodfacingit。
Anothermomentpassed。
“Here"sthekey。“
Hetookitoutoftheleftpocketofhiscoatandlaiditonthetablebehindhim,withoutturningorlookingatDounia。
“Takeit!Makehaste！”
Helookedstubbornlyoutofthewindow。Douniawentuptothetabletotakethekey。
“Makehaste!Makehaste！”repeatedSvidrigailov,stillwithoutturningormoving。Butthereseemedaterriblesignificanceinthetoneofthat“makehaste。“
Douniaunderstoodit,snatchedupthekey,flewtothedoor,unlockeditquicklyandrushedoutoftheroom。Aminutelater,besideherself,sheranoutontothecanalbankinthedirectionofX。
Bridge。
Svidrigailovremainedthreeminutesstandingatthewindow。Atlastheslowlyturned,lookedabouthimandpassedhishandoverhisforehead。Astrangesmilecontortedhisface,apitiful,sad,weaksmile,asmileofdespair。Theblood,whichwasalreadygettingdry,smearedhishand。Helookedangrilyatit,thenwettedatowelandwashedhistemple。TherevolverwhichDouniahadflungawaylaynearthedoorandsuddenlycaughthiseye。Hepickeditupandexaminedit。
Itwasalittlepocketthree-barrelrevolverofold-fashionedconstruction。Therewerestilltwochargesandonecapsuleleftinit。
Itcouldbefiredagain。Hethoughtalittle,puttherevolverinhispocket,tookhishatandwentout。
ChapterSixHESPENTthateveningtillteno"clock,goingfromonelowhaunttoanother。Katiatooturnedupandsanganotherguttersong,howacertain“villainandtyrant“-
“begankissingKatia。“-
SvidrigailovtreatedKatiaandtheorgan-grinderandsomesingersandthewaitersandtwolittleclerks。Hewasparticularlydrawntotheseclerksbythefactthattheybothhadcrookednoses,onebenttotheleftandtheothertotheright。Theytookhimfinallytoapleasuregarden,wherehepaidfortheirentrance。Therewasonelankythree-year-oldpinetreeandthreebushesinthegarden,besidesa“Vauxhall,“whichwasinrealityadrinking-barwhereteatoowasserved,andtherewereafewgreentablesandchairsstandingroundit。Achorusofwretchedsingersandadrunken,butexceedinglydepressedGermanclownfromMunichwitharednoseentertainedthepublic。Theclerksquarreledwithsomeotherclerksandafightseemedimminent。Svidrigailovwaschosentodecidethedispute。Helistenedtothemforaquarterofanhour,buttheyshoutedsoloudthattherewasnopossibilityofunderstandingthem。TheonlyfactthatseemedcertainwasthatoneofthemhadstolensomethingandhadevensucceededinsellingitonthespottoaJew,butwouldnotsharethespoilwithhiscompanion。FinallyitappearedthatthestolenobjectwasateaspoonbelongingtotheVauxhall。Itwasmissedandtheaffairbegantoseemtroublesome。Svidrigailovpaidforthespoon,gotup,andwalkedoutofthegarden。Itwasaboutsixo"clock。Hehadnotdrunkadropofwineallthistimeandhadorderedteamoreforthesakeofappearancesthananything。
Itwasadarkandstiflingevening。Threateningstorm-cloudscameovertheskyaboutteno"clock。Therewasaclapofthunder,andtheraincamedownlikeawaterfall。Thewaterfellnotindrops,butbeatontheearthinstreams。Therewereflashesoflightningeveryminuteandeachflashlastedwhileonecouldcountfive。
Drenchedtotheskin,hewenthome,lockedhimselfin,openedthebureau,tookoutallhismoneyandtoreuptwoorthreepapers。
Then,puttingthemoneyinhispocket,hewasabouttochangehisclothes,but,lookingoutofthewindowandlisteningtothethunderandtherain,hegaveuptheidea,tookuphishatandwentoutoftheroomwithoutlockingthedoor。HewentstraighttoSonia。Shewasathome。
Shewasnotalone：thefourKapernaumovchildrenwerewithher。
Shewasgivingthemtea。ShereceivedSvidrigailovinrespectfulsilence,lookingwonderinglyathissoakingclothes。Thechildrenallranawayatonceinindescribableterror。
SvidrigailovsatdownatthetableandaskedSoniatositbesidehim。Shetimidlypreparedtolisten。
“ImaybegoingtoAmerica,SofyaSemyonovna,“saidSvidrigailov,“andasIamprobablyseeingyouforthelasttime,Ihavecometomakesomearrangements。Well,didyouseetheladyto-day?Iknowwhatshesaidtoyou,youneednottellme。“(Soniamadeamovementandblushed。)“Thosepeoplehavetheirownwayofdoingthings。Astoyoursistersandyourbrother,theyarereallyprovidedforandthemoneyassignedtothemI"veputintosafekeepingandhavereceivedacknowledgments。Youhadbettertakechargeofthereceipts,incaseanythinghappens。Here,takethem!Well,nowthat"ssettled。Herearethree5percent。bondstothevalueofthreethousandroubles。
Takethoseforyourself,entirelyforyourself,andletthatbestrictlybetweenourselves,sothatnooneknowsofit,whateveryouhear。Youwillneedthemoney,fortogoonlivingintheoldway,SofyaSemyonovna,isbad,andbesidesthereisnoneedforitnow。“
“Iamsomuchindebtedtoyou,andsoarethechildrenandmystepmother,“saidSoniahurriedly,“andifI"vesaidsolittle……
pleasedon"tconsider……“
“That"senough!that"senough！”
“Butasforthemoney,ArkadyIvanovitch,Iamverygratefultoyou,butIdon"tneeditnow。Icanalwaysearnmyownliving。Don"tthinkmeungrateful。Ifyouaresocharitable,thatmoney……“
“It"sforyou,foryou,SofyaSemyonovna,andpleasedon"twastewordsoverit。Ihaven"ttimeforit。Youwillwantit。RodionRomanovitchhastwoalternatives：abulletinthebrainorSiberia。“
(Sonialookedwildlyathim,andstarted。)“Don"tbeuneasy,IknowallaboutitfromhimselfandIamnotagossip;Iwon"ttellanyone。
Itwasgoodadvicewhenyoutoldhimtogivehimselfupandconfess。
Itwouldbemuchbetterforhim。Well,ifitturnsouttobeSiberia,hewillgoandyouwillfollowhim。That"sso,isn"tit?
Andifso,you"llneedmoney。You"llneeditforhim,doyouunderstand?Givingittoyouisthesameasmygivingittohim。
Besides,youpromisedAmaliaIvanovnatopaywhat"sowing。Iheardyou。Howcanyouundertakesuchobligationssoheedlessly,SofyaSemyonovna?ItwasKaterinaIvanovna"sdebtandnotyours,soyououghtnottohavetakenanynoticeoftheGermanwoman。Youcan"tgetthroughtheworldlikethat。Ifyouareeverquestionedaboutme-to-morroworthedayafteryouwillbeasked-don"tsayanythingaboutmycomingtoseeyounowanddon"tshowthemoneytoanyoneorsayawordaboutit。Well,nowgood-bye。“(Hegotup。)“MygreetingstoRodionRomanovitch。Bytheway,you"dbetterputthemoneyforthepresentinMr。Razumihin"skeeping。YouknowMr。
Razumihin?Ofcourseyoudo。He"snotabadfellow。Takeittohimto-morrowor……whenthetimecomes。Andtillthen,hideitcarefully。“
SoniatoojumpedupfromherchairandlookedindismayatSvidrigailov。Shelongedtospeak,toaskaquestion,butforthefirstmomentsshedidnotdareanddidnotknowhowtobegin。
“Howcanyou……howcanyoubegoingnow,insuchrain？”
“Why,bestartingforAmerica,andbestoppedbyrain!Ha,ha!
Good-bye,SofyaSemyonovna,mydear!Liveandlivelong,youwillbeofusetoothers。Bytheway……tellMr。RazumihinIsendmygreetingstohim。TellhimArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailovsendshisgreetings。
Besureto。“
Hewentout,leavingSoniainastateofwonderinganxietyandvagueapprehension。
Itappearedafterwardsthatonthesameevening,attwentypasteleven,hemadeanotherveryeccentricandunexpectedvisit。Therainstillpersisted。Drenchedtotheskin,hewalkedintothelittleflatwheretheparentsofhisbetrothedlived,inThirdStreetinVassilyevskyIsland。Heknockedsometimebeforehewasadmitted,andhisvisitatfirstcausedgreatperturbation;butSvidrigailovcouldbeveryfascinatingwhenheliked,sothatthefirst,andindeedveryintelligentsurmiseofthesensibleparentsthatSvidrigailovhadprobablyhadsomuchtodrinkthathedidnotknowwhathewasdoingvanishedimmediately。ThedecrepitfatherwaswheeledintoseeSvidrigailovbythetenderandsensiblemother,whoasusualbegantheconversationwithvariousirrelevantquestions。
Sheneveraskedadirectquestion,butbeganbysmilingandrubbingherhandsandthen,ifshewereobligedtoascertainsomething-forinstance,whenSvidrigailovwouldliketohavethewedding-shewouldbeginbyinterestedandalmosteagerquestionsaboutParisandthecourtlifethere,andonlybydegreesbroughttheconversationroundtoThirdStreet。Onotheroccasionsthishadofcoursebeenveryimpressive,butthistimeArkadyIvanovitchseemedparticularlyimpatient,andinsistedonseeinghisbetrothedatonce,thoughhehadbeeninformedtobeginwiththatshehadalreadygonetobed。Thegirlofcourseappeared。
SvidrigailovinformedheratoncethathewasobligedbyveryimportantaffairstoleavePetersburgforatime,andthereforebroughtherfifteenthousandroublesandbeggedheracceptthemasapresentfromhim,ashehadlongbeenintendingtomakeherthistriflingpresentbeforetheirwedding。Thelogicalconnectionofthepresentwithhisimmediatedepartureandtheabsolutenecessityofvisitingthemforthatpurposeinpouringrainatmidnightwasnotmadeclear。Butitallwentoffverywell;eventheinevitableejaculationsofwonderandregret,theinevitablequestionswereextraordinarilyfewandrestrained。Ontheotherhand,thegratitudeexpressedwasmostglowingandwasreinforcedbytearsfromthemostsensibleofmothers。Svidrigailovgotup,laughed,kissedhisbetrothed,pattedhercheek,declaredhewouldsooncomeback,andnoticinginhereyes,togetherwithchildishcuriosity,asortofearnestdumbinquiry,reflectedandkissedheragain,thoughhefeltsincereangerinwardlyatthethoughtthathispresentwouldbeimmediatelylockedupinthekeepingofthemostsensibleofmothers。Hewentaway,leavingthemallinastateofextraordinaryexcitement,butthetendermamma,speakingquietlyinahalfwhisper,settledsomeofthemostimportantoftheirdoubts,concludingthatSvidrigailovwasagreatman,amanofgreataffairsandconnectionsandofgreatwealth-therewasnoknowingwhathehadinhismind。Hewouldstartoffonajourneyandgiveawaymoneyjustasthefancytookhim,sothattherewasnothingsurprisingaboutit。Ofcourseitwasstrangethathewaswetthrough,butEnglishmen,forinstance,areevenmoreeccentric,andallthesepeopleofhighsocietydidn"tthinkofwhatwassaidofthemanddidn"tstandonceremony。Possibly,indeed,hecamelikethatonpurposetoshowthathewasnotafraidofanyone。Aboveall,notawordshouldbesaidaboutit,forGodknowswhatmightcomeofit,andthemoneymustbelockedup,anditwasmostfortunatethatFedosya,thecook,hadnotleftthekitchen。Andaboveallnotawordmustbesaidtothatoldcat,MadameResslich,andsoonandsoon。Theysatupwhisperingtilltwoo"clock,butthegirlwenttobedmuchearlier,amazedandrathersorrowful。
Svidrigailovmeanwhile,exactlyatmidnight,crossedthebridgeonthewaybacktothemainland。Therainhadceasedandtherewasaroaringwind。Hebeganshivering,andforonemomenthegazedattheblackwatersoftheLittleNevawithalookofspecialinterest,eveninquiry。Buthesoonfeltitverycold,standingbythewater;heturnedandwenttowardsY。Prospect。Hewalkedalongthatendlessstreetforalongtime,almosthalfanhour,morethanoncestumblinginthedarkonthewoodenpavement,butcontinuallylookingforsomethingontherightsideofthestreet。Hehadnoticedpassingthroughthisstreetlatelythattherewasahotelsomewheretowardstheend,builtofwood,butfairlylarge。anditsnameherememberedwassomethinglikeAdrianople。Hewasnotmistaken：
thehotelwassoconspicuousinthatGod-forsakenplacethathecouldnotfailtoseeiteveninthedark。Itwasalong,blackenedwoodenbuilding,andinspiteofthelatehourtherewerelightsinthewindowsandsignsoflifewithin。Hewentinandaskedaraggedfellowwhomethiminthecorridorforaroom。Thelatter,scanningSvidrigailov,pulledhimselftogetherandledhimatoncetoacloseandtinyroominthedistance,attheendofthecorridor,underthestairs。Therewasnoother,allwereoccupied。Theraggedfellowlookedinquiringly。
“Istheretea？”askedSvidrigailov。
“Yes,sir。“
“Whatelseisthere？”
“Veal,vodka,savouries。“
“Bringmeteaandveal。“
“Andyouwantnothingelse？”heaskedwithapparentsurprise。
“Nothing,nothing。“
Theraggedmanwentaway,completelydisillusioned。
“Itmustbeaniceplace,“thoughtSvidrigailov。“HowwasitI
didn"tknowit?IexpectIlookasifIcamefromacafechantantandhavehadsomeadventureontheway。Itwouldbeinterestingtoknowwhostayedhere。“
Helightedthecandleandlookedattheroommorecarefully。Itwasaroomsolow-pitchedthatSvidrigailovcouldnotonlyjuststandupinit;ithadonewindow;thebed,whichwasverydirty,andtheplainstainedchairandtablealmostfilleditup。Thewallslookedasthoughtheyweremadeofplanks,coveredwithshabbypaper,sotornanddustythatthepatternwasindistinguishable,thoughthegeneralcolour-yellow-couldstillbemadeout。Oneofthewallswascutshortbytheslopingceiling,thoughtheroomwasnotanattic,butjustunderthestairs。
Svidrigailovsetdownthecandle,satdownonthebedandsankintothought。Butastrangepersistentmurmurwhichsometimesrosetoashoutinthenextroomattractedhisattention。Themurmurhadnotceasedfromthemomentheenteredtheroom。Helistened：someonewasupbraidingandalmosttearfullyscolding,butheheardonlyonevoice。
Svidrigailovgotup,shadedthelightwithhishandandatoncehesawlightthroughacrackinthewall;hewentupandpeepedthrough。Theroom,whichwassomewhatlargerthanhis,hadtwooccupants。Oneofthem,averycurly-headedmanwitharedinflamedface,wasstandingintheposeofanorator,withouthiscoat,withhislegswideaparttopreservehisbalance,andsmitinghimselfonthebreast。Hereproachedtheotherwithbeingabeggar,withhavingnostandingwhatever。Hedeclaredthathehadtakentheotheroutofthegutterandhecouldturnhimoutwhenheliked,andthatonlythefingerofProvidenceseesitall。Theobjectofhisreproacheswassittinginachair,andhadtheairofamanwhowantsdreadfullytosneeze,butcan"t。Hesometimesturnedsheepishandbefoggedeyesonthespeaker,butobviouslyhadnottheslightestideawhathewastalkingaboutandscarcelyheardit。Acandlewasburningdownonthetable;therewerewineglasses,anearlyemptybottleofvodka,breadandcucumber,andglasseswiththedregsofstaletea。Aftergazingattentivelyatthis,Svidrigailovturnedawayindifferentlyandsatdownonthebed。
Theraggedattendant,returningwiththetea,couldnotresistaskinghimagainwhetherhedidn"twantanythingmore,andagainreceivinganegativereply,finallywithdrew。Svidrigailovmadehastetodrinkaglassofteatowarmhimself,butcouldnoteatanything。Hebegantofeelfeverish。Hetookoffhiscoatand,wrappinghimselfintheblanket,laydownonthebed。Hewasannoyed。“Itwouldhavebeenbettertobewellfortheoccasion,“hethoughtwithasmile。Theroomwasclose,thecandleburntdimly,thewindwasroaringoutside,heheardamousescratchinginthecornerandtheroomsmeltofmiceandofleather。Helayinasortofreverie：onethoughtfollowedanother。Hefeltalongingtofixhisimaginationonsomething。“Itmustbeagardenunderthewindow,“hethought。“There"sasoundoftrees。HowIdislikethesoundoftreesonastormynight,inthedark!Theygiveoneahorridfeeling。“HerememberedhowhehaddislikeditwhenhepassedPetrovskyParkjustnow。ThisremindedhimofthebridgeovertheLittleNevaandhefeltcoldagainashehadwhenstandingthere。“Ineverhavelikedwater,“hethought,“eveninalandscape,“andhesuddenlysmiledagainatastrangeidea：“Surelynowallthesequestionsoftasteandcomfortoughtnottomatter,butI"vebecomemoreparticular,likeananimalthatpicksoutaspecialplace……forsuchanoccasion。I
oughttohavegoneintothePetrovskyPark!Isupposeitseemeddark,cold,ha-ha!AsthoughIwereseekingpleasantsensations!……Bytheway,whyhaven"tIputoutthecandle？”heblewitout。“They"vegonetobednextdoor,“hethought,notseeingthelightatthecrack。
“Well,now,MarfaPetrovna,nowisthetimeforyoutoturnup;it"sdark,andtheverytimeandplaceforyou。Butnowyouwon"tcome！”
Hesuddenlyrecalledhow,anhourbeforecarryingouthisdesignonDounia,hehadrecommendedRaskolnikovtotrusthertoRazumihin"skeeping。“IsupposeIreallydidsayit,asRaskolnikovguessed,toteasemyself。ButwhataroguethatRaskolnikovis!He"sgonethroughagooddeal。Hemaybeasuccessfulrogueintimewhenhe"sgotoverhisnonsense。Butnowhe"stooeagerforlife。Theseyoungmenarecontemptibleonthatpoint。But,hangthefellow!Lethimpleasehimself,it"snothingtodowithme。“
Hecouldnotgettosleep。BydegreesDounia"simagerosebeforehim,andashudderranoverhim。“No,Imustgiveupallthatnow,“hethought,rousinghimself。“Imustthinkofsomethingelse。It"squeerandfunny。Ineverhadagreathatredforanyone,Ineverparticularlydesiredtorevengemyselfeven,andthat"sabadsign,abadsign,abadsign。Ineverlikedquarrellingeither,andneverlostmytemper-that"sabadsigntoo。AndthepromisesImadeherjustnow,too-Damnation!But-whoknows?-perhapsshewouldhavemadeanewmanofmesomehow……“
Hegroundhisteethandsankintosilenceagain。AgainDounia"simagerosebeforehim,justasshewaswhen,aftershootingthefirsttime,shehadloweredtherevolverinterrorandgazedblanklyathim,sothathemighthaveseizedhertwiceoverandshewouldnothaveliftedahandtodefendherselfifhehadnotremindedher。
Herecalledhowatthatinstanthefeltalmostsorryforher,howhehadfeltapangathisheart……
“Aie!Damnation,thesethoughtsagain!Imustputitaway！”
Hewasdozingoff;thefeverishshiverhadceased,whensuddenlysomethingseemedtorunoverhisarmandlegunderthebedclothes。
Hestarted。“Ugh!hangit!Ibelieveit"samouse,“hethought,“that"sthevealIleftonthetable。“Hefeltfearfullydisinclinedtopullofftheblanket,getup,getcold,butallatoncesomethingunpleasantranoverhislegagain。Hepulledofftheblanketandlightedthecandle。Shakingwithfeverishchillhebentdowntoexaminethebed：therewasnothing。Heshooktheblanketandsuddenlyamousejumpedoutonthesheet。Hetriedtocatchit,butthemouserantoandfroinzigzagswithoutleavingthebed,slippedbetweenhisfingers,ranoverhishandandsuddenlydartedunderthepillow。Hethrewdownthepillow,butinoneinstantfeltsomethingleaponhischestanddartoverhisbodyanddownhisbackunderhisshirt。Hetremblednervouslyandwokeup。
Theroomwasdark。Hewaslyingonthebedandwrappedupintheblanketasbefore。Thewindwashowlingunderthewindow。“Howdisgusting,“hethoughtwithannoyance。
Hegotupandsatontheedgeofthebedsteadwithhisbacktothewindow。“It"sbetternottosleepatall,“hedecided。Therewasacolddampdraughtfromthewindow,however;withoutgettinguphedrewtheblanketoverhimandwrappedhimselfinit。Hewasnotthinkingofanythinganddidnotwanttothink。Butoneimageroseafteranother,incoherentscrapsofthoughtwithoutbeginningorendpassedthroughhismind。Hesankintodrowsiness。Perhapsthecold,orthedampness,orthedark,orthewindthathowledunderthewindowandtossedthetreesrousedasortofpersistentcravingforthefantastic。Hekeptdwellingonimagesofflowers,hefanciedacharmingflowergarden,abright,warm,almosthotday,aholiday-
Trinityday。Afine,sumptuouscountrycottageintheEnglishtasteovergrownwithfragrantflowers,withflowerbedsgoingroundthehouse;theporch,wreathedinclimbers,wassurroundedwithbedsofroses。Alight,coolstaircase,carpetedwithrichrugs,wasdecoratedwithrareplantsinchinapots。Henoticedparticularlyinthewindowsnosegaysoftender,white,heavilyfragrantnarcissusbendingovertheirbright,green,thicklongstalks。Hewasreluctanttomoveawayfromthem,buthewentupthestairsandcameintoalarge,highdrawing-roomandagaineverywhere-atthewindows,thedoorsontothebalcony,andonthebalconyitself-wereflowers。Thefloorswerestrewnwithfreshly-cutfragranthay,thewindowswereopen,afresh,cool,lightaircameintotheroom。Thebirdswerechirrupingunderthewindow,andinthemiddleoftheroom,onatablecoveredwithawhitesatinshroud,stoodacoffin。Thecoffinwascoveredwithwhitesilkandedgedwithathickwhitefrill;wreathsofflowerssurroundeditonallsides。Amongtheflowerslayagirlinawhitemuslindress,withherarmscrossedandpressedonherbosom,asthoughcarvedoutofmarble。Butherloosefairhairwaswet;therewasawreathofrosesonherhead。Thesternandalreadyrigidprofileofherfacelookedasthoughchiselledofmarbletoo,andthesmileonherpalelipswasfullofanimmenseunchildishmiseryandsorrowfulappeal。Svidrigailovknewthatgirl;therewasnoholyimage,noburningcandlebesidethecoffin;nosoundofprayers：thegirlhaddrownedherself。Shewasonlyfourteen,butherheartwasbroken。
Andshehaddestroyedherself,crushedbyaninsultthathadappalledandamazedthatchildishsoul,hadsmirchedthatangelpuritywithunmeriteddisgraceandtornfromheralastscreamofdespair,unheededandbrutallydisregarded,onadarknightinthecoldandwetwhilethewindhowled……
Svidrigailovcametohimself,gotupfromthebedandwenttothewindow。Hefeltforthelatchandopenedit。Thewindlashedfuriouslyintothelittleroomandstunghisfaceandhischest,onlycoveredwithhisshirt,asthoughwithfrost。Underthewindowtheremusthavebeensomethinglikeagarden,andapparentlyapleasuregarden。There,too,probablytherewereteatablesandsinginginthedaytime。Nowdropsofrainflewinatthewindowfromthetreesandbushes;itwasdarkasinacellar,sothathecouldonlyjustmakeoutsomedarkblursofobjects。Svidrigailov,bendingdownwithelbowsonthewindow-sill,gazedforfiveminutesintothedarkness;theboomofacannon,followedbyasecondone,resoundedinthedarknessofthenight。“Ah,thesignal!Theriverisoverflowing,“hethought。“Bymorningitwillbeswirlingdownthestreetinthelowerparts,floodingthebasementsandcellars。Thecellarratswillswimout,andmenwillcurseintherainandwindastheydragtheirrubbishtotheirupperstoreys。Whattimeisitnow？”Andhehadhardlythoughtitwhen,somewherenear,aclockonthewall,tickingawayhurriedly,struckthree。
“Aha!Itwillbelightinanhour!Whywait?I"llgooutatoncestraighttothepark。I"llchooseagreatbushtheredrenchedwithrain,sothatassoonasone"sshouldertouchesit,millionsofdropsdriponone"shead。“
Hemovedawayfromthewindow,shutit,lightedthecandle,putonhiswaistcoat,hisovercoatandhishatandwentout,carryingthecandle,intothepassagetolookfortheraggedattendantwhowouldbeasleepsomewhereinthemidstofcandleendsandallsortsofrubbish,topayhimfortheroomandleavethehotel。“It"sthebestminute;
Icouldn"tchooseabetter。“
Hewalkedforsometimethroughalongnarrowcorridorwithoutfindinganyoneandwasjustgoingtocallout,whensuddenlyinadarkcornerbetweenanoldcupboardandthedoorhecaughtsightofastrangeobjectwhichseemedtobealive。Hebentdownwiththecandleandsawalittlegirl,notmorethanfiveyearsold,shiveringandcrying,withherclothesaswetasasoakinghouse-flannel。ShedidnotseemafraidofSvidrigailov,butlookedathimwithblankamazementoutofherbigblackeyes。Nowandthenshesobbedaschildrendowhentheyhavebeencryingalongtime,butarebeginningtobecomforted。Thechild"sfacewaspaleandtired,shewasnumbwithcold。“Howcanshehavecomehere?Shemusthavehiddenhereandnotsleptallnight。“Hebeganquestioningher。
Thechildsuddenlybecominganimated,chatteredawayinherbabylanguage,somethingabout“mammy“andthat“mammywouldbeather,“andaboutsomecupthatshehad“bwoken。“Thechildchatteredonwithoutstopping。Hecouldonlyguessfromwhatshesaidthatshewasaneglectedchild,whosemother,probablyadrunkencook,intheserviceofthehotel,whippedandfrightenedher;thatthechildhadbrokenacupofhermother"sandwassofrightenedthatshehadrunawaytheeveningbefore,hadhiddenforalongwhilesomewhereoutsideintherain,atlasthadmadeherwayinhere,hiddenbehindthecupboardandspentthenightthere,cryingandtremblingfromthedamp,thedarknessandthefearthatshewouldbebadlybeatenforit。Hetookherinhisarms,wentbacktohisroom,satheronthebed,andbeganundressingher。Thetornshoeswhichshehadonherstockinglessfeetwereaswetasiftheyhadbeenstandinginapuddleallnight。
Whenhehadundressedher,heputheronthebed,coveredherupandwrappedherintheblanketfromherheaddownwards。Shefellasleepatonce。Thenhesankintodrearymusingagain。
“Whatfollytotroublemyself,“hedecidedsuddenlywithanoppressivefeelingofannoyance。“Whatidiocy！”Invexationhetookupthecandletogoandlookfortheraggedattendantagainandmakehastetogoaway。“Damnthechild！”hethoughtasheopenedthedoor,butheturnedagaintoseewhetherthechildwasasleep。Heraisedtheblanketcarefully。Thechildwassleepingsoundly,shehadgotwarmundertheblanket,andherpalecheekswereflushed。
Butstrangetosaythatflushseemedbrighterandcoarserthantherosycheeksofchildhood。“It"saflushoffever,“thoughtSvidrigailov。Itwasliketheflushfromdrinking,asthoughshehadbeengivenafullglasstodrink。Hercrimsonlipswerehotandglowing;butwhatwasthis?Hesuddenlyfanciedthatherlongblackeyelasheswerequivering,asthoughthelidswereopeningandaslycraftyeyepeepedoutwithanunchildlikewink,asthoughthelittlegirlwerenotasleep,butpretending。Yes,itwasso。Herlipspartedinasmile。Thecornersofhermouthquivered,asthoughsheweretryingtocontrolthem。Butnowshequitegaveupalleffort,nowitwasagrin,abroadgrin;therewassomethingshameless,provocativeinthatquiteunchildishface;itwasdepravity,itwasthefaceofaharlot,theshamelessfaceofaFrenchharlot。Nowbotheyesopenedwide;theyturnedaglowing,shamelessglanceuponhim;theylaughed,invitedhim……Therewassomethinginfinitelyhideousandshockinginthatlaugh,inthoseeyes,insuchnastinessinthefaceofachild。“What,atfiveyearsold？”Svidrigailovmutteredingenuinehorror。“Whatdoesitmean？”Andnowsheturnedtohim,herlittlefaceallaglow,holdingoutherarms……“Accursedchild！”Svidrigailovcried,raisinghishandtostrikeher,butatthatmomenthewokeup。
Hewasinthesamebed,stillwrappedintheblanket。Thecandlehadnotbeenlighted,anddaylightwasstreaminginatthewindows。
“I"vehadnightmareallnight！”Hegotupangrily,feelingutterlyshattered;hisbonesached。Therewasathickmistoutsideandhecouldseenothing。Itwasnearlyfive。Hehadoverslepthimself!Hegotup,putonhisstilldampjacketandovercoat。Feelingtherevolverinhispocket,hetookitoutandthenhesatdown,tookanotebookoutofhispocketandinthemostconspicuousplaceonthetitlepagewroteafewlinesinlargeletters。Readingthemover,hesankintothoughtwithhiselbowsonthetable。Therevolverandthenotebooklaybesidehim。Someflieswokeupandsettledontheuntouchedveal,whichwasstillonthetable。Hestaredatthemandatlastwithhisfreerighthandbegantryingtocatchone。Hetriedtillhewastired,butcouldnotcatchit。Atlast,realisingthathewasengagedinthisinterestingpursuit,hestarted,gotupandwalkedresolutelyoutoftheroom。Aminutelaterhewasinthestreet。