第7章

Razumihinwakedupnextmorningateighto’clock，troubledandserious。Hefoundhimselfconfrontedwithmanynewandunlooked-forperplexities。Hehadneverexpectedthathewouldeverwakeupfeelinglikethat。Herememberedeverydetailofthepreviousdayandheknewthataperfectlynovelexperiencehadbefallenhim，thathehadreceivedanimpressionunlikeanythinghehadknownbefore。Atthesametimeherecognisedclearlythatthedreamwhichhadfiredhisimaginationwashopelesslyunattainable—sounattainablethathefeltpositivelyashamedofit，andhehastenedtopasstotheothermorepracticalcaresanddifficultiesbequeathedhimbythat“thriceaccursedyesterday。”

Themostawfulrecollectionofthepreviousdaywasthewayhehadshownhimself“baseandmean，”notonlybecausehehadbeendrunk，butbecausehehadtakenadvantageoftheyounggirl’spositiontoabuseherfianceinhisstupidjealousy，knowingnothingoftheirmutualrelationsandobligationsandnexttonothingofthemanhimself。Andwhatrighthadhetocriticisehiminthathastyandunguardedmanner？Whohadaskedforhisopinion？WasitthinkablethatsuchacreatureasAvdotyaRomanovnawouldbemarryinganunworthymanformoney？Sotheremustbesomethinginhim。Thelodgings？Butafterallhowcouldheknowthecharacterofthelodgings？Hewasfurnishingaflat…Foo！howdespicableitallwas！Andwhatjustificationwasitthathewasdrunk？Suchastupidexcusewasevenmoredegrading！Inwineistruth，andthetruthhadallcomeout，“thatis，alltheuncleannessofhiscoarseandenviousheart”！Andwouldsuchadreameverbepermissibletohim，Razumihin？Whatwashebesidesuchagirl—he，thedrunkennoisybraggartoflastnight？Wasitpossibletoimaginesoabsurdandcynicalajuxtaposition？RazumihinblusheddesperatelyattheveryideaandsuddenlytherecollectionforceditselfvividlyuponhimofhowhehadsaidlastnightonthestairsthatthelandladywouldbejealousofAvdotyaRomanovna…thatwassimplyintolerable。Hebroughthisfistdownheavilyonthekitchenstove，hurthishandandsentoneofthebricksflying。

“Ofcourse，”hemutteredtohimselfaminutelaterwithafeelingofself-abasement，“ofcourse，alltheseinfamiescanneverbewipedoutorsmoothedover…andsoit’suselesseventothinkofit，andImustgototheminsilenceanddomyduty…insilence，too…andnotaskforgiveness，andsaynothing…forallislostnow！”

Andyetashedressedheexaminedhisattiremorecarefullythanusual。Hehadn’tanothersuit—ifhehadhad，perhapshewouldn’thaveputiton。“Iwouldhavemadeapointofnotputtingiton。”Butinanycasehecouldnotremainacynicandadirtysloven；hehadnorighttooffendthefeelingsofothers，especiallywhentheywereinneedofhisassistanceandaskinghimtoseethem。Hebrushedhisclothescarefully。Hislinenwasalwaysdecent；inthatrespecthewasespeciallyclean。

Hewashedthatmorningscrupulously—hegotsomesoapfromNastasya—hewashedhishair，hisneckandespeciallyhishands。Whenitcametothequestionwhethertoshavehisstubblychinornot(PraskovyaPavlovnahadcapitalrazorsthathadbeenleftbyherlatehusband)，thequestionwasangrilyansweredinthenegative。“Letitstayasitis！WhatiftheythinkthatIshavedonpurposeto…？Theycertainlywouldthinkso！Notonanyaccount！”

“And…theworstofitwashewassocoarse，sodirty，hehadthemannersofapothouse；and…andevenadmittingthatheknewhehadsomeoftheessentialsofagentleman…whatwasthereinthattobeproudof？Everyoneoughttobeagentlemanandmorethanthat…andallthesame(heremembered)he，too，haddonelittlethings…notexactlydishonest，andyet。…Andwhatthoughtshesometimeshad；hm…andtosetallthatbesideAvdotyaRomanovna！Confoundit！Sobeit！Well，he’dmakeapointthenofbeingdirty，greasy，pothouseinhismannersandhewouldn’tcare！He’dbeworse！”

HewasengagedinsuchmonologueswhenZossimov，whohadspentthenightinPraskovyaPavlovna’sparlour，camein。

Hewasgoinghomeandwasinahurrytolookattheinvalidfirst。RazumihininformedhimthatRaskolnikovwassleepinglikeadormouse。Zossimovgaveordersthattheyshouldn’twakehimandpromisedtoseehimagainabouteleven。

“Ifheisstillathome，”headded。“Damnitall！Ifonecan’tcontrolone’spatients，howisonetocurethem？Doyouknowwhetherhewillgotothem，orwhethertheyarecominghere？”

“Theyarecoming，Ithink，”saidRazumihin，understandingtheobjectofthequestion，“andtheywilldiscusstheirfamilyaffairs，nodoubt。I’llbeoff。You，asthedoctor，havemorerighttobeherethanI。”

“ButIamnotafatherconfessor；Ishallcomeandgoaway；I’veplentytodobesideslookingafterthem。”

“Onethingworriesme，”interposedRazumihin，frowning。“OnthewayhomeItalkedalotofdrunkennonsensetohim…allsortsofthings…andamongstthemthatyouwereafraidthathe…mightbecomeinsane。”

“Youtoldtheladiesso，too。”

“Iknowitwasstupid！Youmaybeatmeifyoulike！Didyouthinksoseriously？”

“That’snonsense，Itellyou，howcouldIthinkitseriously？You，yourself，describedhimasamonomaniacwhenyoufetchedmetohim…andweaddedfueltothefireyesterday，youdid，thatis，withyourstoryaboutthepainter；itwasaniceconversation，whenhewas，perhaps，madonthatverypoint！IfonlyI’dknownwhathappenedthenatthepolicestationandthatsomewretch…hadinsultedhimwiththissuspicion！Hm…Iwouldnothaveallowedthatconversationyesterday。Thesemonomaniacswillmakeamountainoutofamole-hill…andseetheirfanciesassolidrealities。…AsfarasIremember，itwasZametov’sstorythatcleareduphalfthemystery，tomymind。Why，Iknowonecaseinwhichahypochondriac，amanofforty，cutthethroatofalittleboyofeight，becausehecouldn’tendurethejokeshemadeeverydayattable！Andinthiscasehisrags，theinsolentpoliceofficer，thefeverandthissuspicion！Allthatworkinguponamanhalffranticwithhypochondria，andwithhismorbidexceptionalvanity！Thatmaywellhavebeenthestarting-pointofillness。Well，botheritall！…And，bytheway，thatZametovcertainlyisanicefellow，buthm…heshouldn’thavetoldallthatlastnight。Heisanawfulchatterbox！”

“Butwhomdidhetellitto？Youandme？”

“AndPorfiry。”

“Whatdoesthatmatter？”

“And，bytheway，haveyouanyinfluenceonthem，hismotherandsister？Tellthemtobemorecarefulwithhimto-day。…”

“They’llgetonallright！”Razumihinansweredreluctantly。

“WhyishesosetagainstthisLuzhin？Amanwithmoneyandshedoesn’tseemtodislikehim…andtheyhaven’tafarthing，Isuppose？eh？”

“Butwhatbusinessisitofyours？”Razumihincriedwithannoyance。“HowcanItellwhetherthey’veafarthing？Askthemyourselfandperhapsyou’llfindout。…”

“Foo！whatanassyouaresometimes！night’swinehasnotgoneoffyet。…Good-bye；thankyourPraskovyaPavlovnafrommeformynight’slodging。Shelockedherselfin，madenoreplytomybonjourthroughthedoor；shewasupatseveno’clock，thesamovarwastakenintoherfromthekitchen。Iwasnotvouchsafedapersonalinterview。…”

Atnineo’clockpreciselyRazumihinreachedthelodgingsatBakaleyev’shouse。Bothladieswerewaitingforhimwithnervousimpatience。Theyhadrisenatseveno’clockorearlier。Heenteredlookingasblackasnight，bowedawkwardlyandwasatoncefuriouswithhimselfforit。Hehadreckonedwithouthishost:PulcheriaAlexandrovnafairlyrushedathim，seizedhimbybothhandsandwasalmostkissingthem。HeglancedtimidlyatAvdotyaRomanovna，butherproudcountenanceworeatthatmomentanexpressionofsuchgratitudeandfriendliness，suchcompleteandunlooked-forrespect(inplaceofthesneeringlooksandill-disguisedcontempthehadexpected)，thatitthrewhimintogreaterconfusionthanifhehadbeenmetwithabuse。Fortunatelytherewasasubjectforconversation，andhemadehastetosnatchatit。

HearingthateverythingwasgoingwellandthatRodyahadnotyetwaked，PulcheriaAlexandrovnadeclaredthatshewasgladtohearit，because“shehadsomethingwhichitwasvery，verynecessarytotalkoverbeforehand。”Thenfollowedaninquiryaboutbreakfastandaninvitationtohaveitwiththem；theyhadwaitedtohaveitwithhim。AvdotyaRomanovnarangthebell:itwasansweredbyaraggeddirtywaiter，andtheyaskedhimtobringteawhichwasservedatlast，butinsuchadirtyanddisorderlywaythattheladieswereashamed。Razumihinvigorouslyattackedthelodgings，but，rememberingLuzhin，stoppedinembarrassmentandwasgreatlyrelievedbyPulcheriaAlexandrovna’squestions，whichshoweredinacontinualstreamuponhim。

Hetalkedforthreequartersofanhour，beingconstantlyinterruptedbytheirquestions，andsucceededindescribingtothemallthemostimportantfactsheknewofthelastyearofRaskolnikov’slife，concludingwithacircumstantialaccountofhisillness。Heomitted，however，manythings，whichwerebetteromitted，includingthesceneatthepolicestationwithallitsconsequences。Theylistenedeagerlytohisstory，and，whenhethoughthehadfinishedandsatisfiedhislisteners，hefoundthattheyconsideredhehadhardlybegun。

“Tellme，tellme！Whatdoyouthink…？Excuseme，Istilldon’tknowyourname！”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaputinhastily。

“DmitriProkofitch。”

“Ishouldlikevery，verymuchtoknow，DmitriProkofitch…howhelooks…onthingsingeneralnow，thatis，howcanIexplain，whatarehislikesanddislikes？Ishealwayssoirritable？Tellme，ifyoucan，whatarehishopesand，sotosay，hisdreams？Underwhatinfluencesishenow？Inaword，Ishouldlike…”

“Ah，mother，howcanheanswerallthatatonce？”observedDounia。

“Goodheavens，Ihadnotexpectedtofindhimintheleastlikethis，DmitriProkofitch！”

“Naturally，”answeredRazumihin。“Ihavenomother，butmyunclecomeseveryyearandalmosteverytimehecanscarcelyrecogniseme，eveninappearance，thoughheisacleverman；andyourthreeyears’separationmeansagreatdeal。WhatamItotellyou？IhaveknownRodionforayearandahalf；heismorose，gloomy，proudandhaughty，andoflate—andperhapsforalongtimebefore—hehasbeensuspiciousandfanciful。Hehasanoblenatureandakindheart。Hedoesnotlikeshowinghisfeelingsandwouldratherdoacruelthingthanopenhisheartfreely。Sometimes，though，heisnotatallmorbid，butsimplycoldandinhumanlycallous；it’sasthoughhewerealternatingbetweentwocharacters。Sometimesheisfearfullyreserved！Hesaysheissobusythateverythingisahindrance，andyetheliesinbeddoingnothing。Hedoesn’tjeeratthings，notbecausehehasn’tthewit，butasthoughhehadn’ttimetowasteonsuchtrifles。Heneverlistenstowhatissaidtohim。Heisneverinterestedinwhatinterestsotherpeopleatanygivenmoment。Hethinksveryhighlyofhimselfandperhapsheisright。Well，whatmore？Ithinkyourarrivalwillhaveamostbeneficialinfluenceuponhim。”

“Godgrantitmay，”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna，distressedbyRazumihin’saccountofherRodya。

AndRazumihinventuredtolookmoreboldlyatAvdotyaRomanovnaatlast。Heglancedatheroftenwhilehewastalking，butonlyforamomentandlookedawayagainatonce。AvdotyaRomanovnasatatthetable，listeningattentively，thengotupagainandbeganwalkingtoandfrowithherarmsfoldedandherlipscompressed，occasionallyputtinginaquestion，withoutstoppingherwalk。Shehadthesamehabitofnotlisteningtowhatwassaid。Shewaswearingadressofthindarkstuffandshehadawhitetransparentscarfroundherneck。Razumihinsoondetectedsignsofextremepovertyintheirbelongings。HadAvdotyaRomanovnabeendressedlikeaqueen，hefeltthathewouldnotbeafraidofher，butperhapsjustbecauseshewaspoorlydressedandthathenoticedallthemiseryofhersurroundings，hisheartwasfilledwithdreadandhebegantobeafraidofeverywordheuttered，everygesturehemade，whichwasverytryingforamanwhoalreadyfeltdiffident。

“You’vetoldusagreatdealthatisinterestingaboutmybrother’scharacter…andhavetolditimpartially。Iamglad。Ithoughtthatyouweretoouncriticallydevotedtohim，”observedAvdotyaRomanovnawithasmile。“Ithinkyouarerightthatheneedsawoman’scare，”sheaddedthoughtfully。

“Ididn’tsayso；butIdaresayyouareright，only…”

“What？”

“Helovesnooneandperhapsheneverwill，”Razumihindeclareddecisively。

“Youmeanheisnotcapableoflove？”

“Doyouknow，AvdotyaRomanovna，youareawfullylikeyourbrother，ineverything，indeed！”heblurtedoutsuddenlytohisownsurprise，butrememberingatoncewhathehadjustbeforesaidofherbrother，heturnedasredasacrabandwasovercomewithconfusion。AvdotyaRomanovnacouldn’thelplaughingwhenshelookedathim。

“YoumaybothbemistakenaboutRodya，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaremarked，slightlypiqued。“Iamnottalkingofourpresentdifficulty，Dounia。WhatPyotrPetrovitchwritesinthisletterandwhatyouandIhavesupposedmaybemistaken，butyoucan’timagine，DmitriProkofitch，howmoodyand，sotosay，capriciousheis。Inevercoulddependonwhathewoulddowhenhewasonlyfifteen。AndIamsurethathemightdosomethingnowthatnobodyelsewouldthinkofdoing…Well，forinstance，doyouknowhowayearandahalfagoheastoundedmeandgavemeashockthatnearlykilledme，whenhehadtheideaofmarryingthatgirl—whatwashername—hislandlady’sdaughter？”

“Didyouhearaboutthataffair？”askedAvdotyaRomanovna。

“Doyousuppose——”PulcheriaAlexandrovnacontinuedwarmly。“Doyousupposethatmytears，myentreaties，myillness，mypossibledeathfromgrief，ourpovertywouldhavemadehimpause？No，hewouldcalmlyhavedisregardedallobstacles。Andyetitisn’tthathedoesn’tloveus！”

“Hehasneverspokenawordofthataffairtome，”Razumihinansweredcautiously。“ButIdidhearsomethingfromPraskovyaPavlovnaherself，thoughsheisbynomeansagossip。AndwhatIheardcertainlywasratherstrange。”

“Andwhatdidyouhear？”boththeladiesaskedatonce。

“Well，nothingveryspecial。Ionlylearnedthatthemarriage，whichonlyfailedtotakeplacethroughthegirl’sdeath，wasnotatalltoPraskovyaPavlovna’sliking。Theysay，too，thegirlwasnotatallpretty，infactIamtoldpositivelyugly…andsuchaninvalid…andqueer。Butsheseemstohavehadsomegoodqualities。Shemusthavehadsomegoodqualitiesorit’squiteinexplicable。…Shehadnomoneyeitherandhewouldn’thaveconsideredhermoney。…Butit’salwaysdifficulttojudgeinsuchmatters。”

“Iamsureshewasagoodgirl，”AvdotyaRomanovnaobservedbriefly。

“Godforgiveme，Isimplyrejoicedatherdeath。ThoughIdon’tknowwhichofthemwouldhavecausedmostmiserytotheother—hetoherorshetohim，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaconcluded。ThenshebegantentativelyquestioninghimaboutthesceneonthepreviousdaywithLuzhin，hesitatingandcontinuallyglancingatDounia，obviouslytothelatter’sannoyance。Thisincidentmorethanalltherestevidentlycausedheruneasiness，evenconsternation。Razumihindescribeditindetailagain，butthistimeheaddedhisownconclusions:heopenlyblamedRaskolnikovforintentionallyinsultingPyotrPetrovitch，notseekingtoexcusehimonthescoreofhisillness。

“Hehadplanneditbeforehisillness，”headded。

“Ithinkso，too，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaagreedwithadejectedair。ButshewasverymuchsurprisedathearingRazumihinexpresshimselfsocarefullyandevenwithacertainrespectaboutPyotrPetrovitch。AvdotyaRomanovna，too，wasstruckbyit。

“SothisisyouropinionofPyotrPetrovitch？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnacouldnotresistasking。

“Icanhavenootheropinionofyourdaughter’sfuturehusband，”Razumihinansweredfirmlyandwithwarmth，“andIdon’tsayitsimplyfromvulgarpoliteness，butbecause…simplybecauseAvdotyaRomanovnahasofherownfreewilldeignedtoacceptthisman。IfIspokesorudelyofhimlastnight，itwasbecauseIwasdisgustinglydrunkand…madbesides；yes，mad，crazy，Ilostmyheadcompletely…andthismorningIamashamedofit。”

Hecrimsonedandceasedspeaking。AvdotyaRomanovnaflushed，butdidnotbreakthesilence。ShehadnotutteredawordfromthemomenttheybegantospeakofLuzhin。

WithouthersupportPulcheriaAlexandrovnaobviouslydidnotknowwhattodo。Atlast，falteringandcontinuallyglancingatherdaughter，sheconfessedthatshewasexceedinglyworriedbyonecircumstance。

“Yousee，DmitriProkofitch，”shebegan。“I’llbeperfectlyopenwithDmitriProkofitch，Dounia？”

“Ofcourse，mother，”saidAvdotyaRomanovnaemphatically。

“Thisiswhatitis，”shebeganinhaste，asthoughthepermissiontospeakofhertroubleliftedaweightoffhermind。“VeryearlythismorningwegotanotefromPyotrPetrovitchinreplytoourletterannouncingourarrival。Hepromisedtomeetusatthestation，youknow；insteadofthathesentaservanttobringustheaddressoftheselodgingsandtoshowustheway；andhesentamessagethathewouldbeherehimselfthismorning。Butthismorningthisnotecamefromhim。You’dbetterreadityourself；thereisonepointinitwhichworriesmeverymuch…youwillsoonseewhatthatis，and…tellmeyourcandidopinion，DmitriProkofitch！YouknowRodya’scharacterbetterthananyoneandnoonecanadviseusbetterthanyoucan。Dounia，Imusttellyou，madeherdecisionatonce，butIstilldon’tfeelsurehowtoactandI…I’vebeenwaitingforyouropinion。”

Razumihinopenedthenotewhichwasdatedthepreviouseveningandreadasfollows:

“DearMadam，PulcheriaAlexandrovna，IhavethehonourtoinformyouthatowingtounforeseenobstaclesIwasrenderedunabletomeetyouattherailwaystation；Isentaverycompetentpersonwiththesameobjectinview。Ilikewiseshallbedeprivedofthehonourofaninterviewwithyouto-morrowmorningbybusinessintheSenatethatdoesnotadmitofdelay，andalsothatImaynotintrudeonyourfamilycirclewhileyouaremeetingyourson，andAvdotyaRomanovnaherbrother。Ishallhavethehonourofvisitingyouandpayingyoumyrespectsatyourlodgingsnotlaterthanto-morroweveningateighto’clockprecisely，andherewithIventuretopresentmyearnestand，Imayadd，imperativerequestthatRodionRomanovitchmaynotbepresentatourinterview—asheofferedmeagrossandunprecedentedaffrontontheoccasionofmyvisittohiminhisillnessyesterday，and，moreover，sinceIdesirefromyoupersonallyanindispensableandcircumstantialexplanationuponacertainpoint，inregardtowhichIwishtolearnyourowninterpretation。Ihavethehonourtoinformyou，inanticipation，thatif，inspiteofmyrequest，ImeetRodionRomanovitch，Ishallbecompelledtowithdrawimmediatelyandthenyouhaveonlyyourselftoblame。IwriteontheassumptionthatRodionRomanovitchwhoappearedsoillatmyvisit，suddenlyrecoveredtwohourslaterandso，beingabletoleavethehouse，mayvisityoualso。Iwasconfirmedinthatbeliefbythetestimonyofmyowneyesinthelodgingofadrunkenmanwhowasrunoverandhassincedied，towhosedaughter，ayoungwomanofnotoriousbehaviour，hegavetwenty-fiveroublesonthepretextofthefuneral，whichgravelysurprisedmeknowingwhatpainsyouwereattoraisethatsum。Herewithexpressingmyspecialrespecttoyourestimabledaughter，AvdotyaRomanovna，Ibegyoutoaccepttherespectfulhomageof

“Yourhumbleservant，

“P。Luzhin。”

“WhatamItodonow，DmitriProkofitch？”beganPulcheriaAlexandrovna，almostweeping。“HowcanIaskRodyanottocome？YesterdayheinsistedsoearnestlyonourrefusingPyotrPetrovitchandnowweareorderednottoreceiveRodya！Hewillcomeonpurposeifheknows，and…whatwillhappenthen？”

“ActonAvdotyaRomanovna’sdecision，”Razumihinansweredcalmlyatonce。

“Oh，dearme！Shesays…goodnessknowswhatshesays，shedoesn’texplainherobject！Shesaysthatitwouldbebest，atleast，notthatitwouldbebest，butthatit’sabsolutelynecessarythatRodyashouldmakeapointofbeinghereateighto’clockandthattheymustmeet。…Ididn’twanteventoshowhimtheletter，buttopreventhimfromcomingbysomestratagemwithyourhelp…becauseheissoirritable。…BesidesIdon’tunderstandaboutthatdrunkardwhodiedandthatdaughter，andhowhecouldhavegiventhedaughterallthemoney…which…”

“Whichcostyousuchsacrifice，mother，”putinAvdotyaRomanovna。

“Hewasnothimselfyesterday，”Razumihinsaidthoughtfully，“ifyouonlyknewwhathewasuptoinarestaurantyesterday，thoughtherewassenseinittoo。…Hm！Hedidsaysomething，asweweregoinghomeyesterdayevening，aboutadeadmanandagirl，butIdidn’tunderstandaword。…Butlastnight，Imyself…”

“Thebestthing，mother，willbeforustogotohimourselvesandthereIassureyouweshallseeatoncewhat’stobedone。Besides，it’sgettinglate—goodheavens，it’spastten，”shecriedlookingatasplendidgoldenamelledwatchwhichhungroundherneckonathinVenetianchain，andlookedentirelyoutofkeepingwiththerestofherdress。“Apresentfromherfiance，”thoughtRazumihin。

“Wemuststart，Dounia，wemuststart，”hermothercriedinaflutter。“Hewillbethinkingwearestillangryafteryesterday，fromourcomingsolate。Mercifulheavens！”

Whileshesaidthisshewashurriedlyputtingonherhatandmantle；Dounia，too，putonherthings。Hergloves，asRazumihinnoticed，werenotmerelyshabbybuthadholesinthem，andyetthisevidentpovertygavethetwoladiesanairofspecialdignity，whichisalwaysfoundinpeoplewhoknowhowtowearpoorclothes。RazumihinlookedreverentlyatDouniaandfeltproudofescortingher。“Thequeenwhomendedherstockingsinprison，”hethought，“musthavelookedtheneveryinchaqueenandevenmoreaqueenthanatsumptuousbanquetsandlevees。”

“MyGod！”exclaimedPulcheriaAlexandrovna，“littledidIthinkthatIshouldeverfearseeingmyson，mydarling，darlingRodya！Iamafraid，DmitriProkofitch，”sheadded，glancingathimtimidly。

“Don’tbeafraid，mother，”saidDounia，kissingher，“betterhavefaithinhim。”

“Oh，dear，Ihavefaithinhim，butIhaven’tsleptallnight，”exclaimedthepoorwoman。

Theycameoutintothestreet。

“Doyouknow，Dounia，whenIdozedalittlethismorningIdreamedofMarfaPetrovna…shewasallinwhite…shecameuptome，tookmyhand，andshookherheadatme，butsosternlyasthoughshewereblamingme。…Isthatagoodomen？Oh，dearme！Youdon’tknow，DmitriProkofitch，thatMarfaPetrovna’sdead！”

“No，Ididn’tknow；whoisMarfaPetrovna？”

“Shediedsuddenly；andonlyfancy…”

“Afterwards，mamma，”putinDounia。“Hedoesn’tknowwhoMarfaPetrovnais。”

“Ah，youdon’tknow？AndIwasthinkingthatyouknewallaboutus。Forgiveme，DmitriProkofitch，Idon’tknowwhatIamthinkingabouttheselastfewdays。Ilookuponyoureallyasaprovidenceforus，andsoItookitforgrantedthatyouknewallaboutus。Ilookonyouasarelation。…Don’tbeangrywithmeforsayingso。Dearme，what’sthematterwithyourrighthand？Haveyouknockedit？”

“Yes，Ibruisedit，”mutteredRazumihinoverjoyed。

“Isometimesspeaktoomuchfromtheheart，sothatDouniafindsfaultwithme。…But，dearme，whatacupboardhelivesin！Iwonderwhetherheisawake？Doesthiswoman，hislandlady，consideritaroom？Listen，yousayhedoesnotliketoshowhisfeelings，soperhapsIshallannoyhimwithmy…weaknesses？Doadviseme，DmitriProkofitch，howamItotreathim？Ifeelquitedistracted，youknow。”

“Don’tquestionhimtoomuchaboutanythingifyouseehimfrown；don’taskhimtoomuchabouthishealth；hedoesn’tlikethat。”

“Ah，DmitriProkofitch，howharditistobeamother！Butherearethestairs。…Whatanawfulstaircase！”

“Mother，youarequitepale，don’tdistressyourself，darling，”saidDouniacaressingher，thenwithflashingeyessheadded:“Heoughttobehappyatseeingyou，andyouaretormentingyourselfso。”

“Wait，I’llpeepinandseewhetherhehaswakedup。”

TheladiesslowlyfollowedRazumihin，whowentonbefore，andwhentheyreachedthelandlady’sdooronthefourthstorey，theynoticedthatherdoorwasatinycrackopenandthattwokeenblackeyeswerewatchingthemfromthedarknesswithin。Whentheireyesmet，thedoorwassuddenlyshutwithsuchaslamthatPulcheriaAlexandrovnaalmostcriedout。

“Heiswell，quitewell！”Zossimovcriedcheerfullyastheyentered。

Hehadcomeintenminutesearlierandwassittinginthesameplaceasbefore，onthesofa。Raskolnikovwassittingintheoppositecorner，fullydressedandcarefullywashedandcombed，ashehadnotbeenforsometimepast。Theroomwasimmediatelycrowded，yetNastasyamanagedtofollowthevisitorsinandstayedtolisten。

Raskolnikovreallywasalmostwell，ascomparedwithhisconditionthedaybefore，buthewasstillpale，listless，andsombre。Helookedlikeawoundedmanoronewhohasundergonesometerriblephysicalsuffering。Hisbrowswereknitted，hislipscompressed，hiseyesfeverish。Hespokelittleandreluctantly，asthoughperformingaduty，andtherewasarestlessnessinhismovements。

Heonlywantedaslingonhisarmorabandageonhisfingertocompletetheimpressionofamanwithapainfulabscessorabrokenarm。Thepale，sombrefacelightedupforamomentwhenhismotherandsisterentered，butthisonlygaveitalookofmoreintensesuffering，inplaceofitslistlessdejection。Thelightsoondiedaway，butthelookofsufferingremained，andZossimov，watchingandstudyinghispatientwithallthezestofayoungdoctorbeginningtopractise，noticedinhimnojoyatthearrivalofhismotherandsister，butasortofbitter，hiddendeterminationtobearanotherhourortwoofinevitabletorture。Hesawlaterthatalmosteverywordofthefollowingconversationseemedtotouchonsomesoreplaceandirritateit。Butatthesametimehemarvelledatthepowerofcontrollinghimselfandhidinghisfeelingsinapatientwhothepreviousdayhad，likeamonomaniac，fallenintoafrenzyattheslightestword。

“Yes，IseemyselfnowthatIamalmostwell，”saidRaskolnikov，givinghismotherandsisterakissofwelcomewhichmadePulcheriaAlexandrovnaradiantatonce。“AndIdon’tsaythisasIdidyesterday，”hesaid，addressingRazumihin，withafriendlypressureofhishand。

“Yes，indeed，Iamquitesurprisedathimto-day，”beganZossimov，muchdelightedattheladies’entrance，forhehadnotsucceededinkeepingupaconversationwithhispatientfortenminutes。“Inanotherthreeorfourdays，ifhegoesonlikethis，hewillbejustasbefore，thatis，ashewasamonthago，ortwo…orperhapseventhree。Thishasbeencomingonforalongwhile。…eh？Confess，now，thatithasbeenperhapsyourownfault？”headded，withatentativesmile，asthoughstillafraidofirritatinghim。

“Itisverypossible，”answeredRaskolnikovcoldly。

“Ishouldsay，too，”continuedZossimovwithzest，“thatyourcompleterecoverydependssolelyonyourself。Nowthatonecantalktoyou，Ishouldliketoimpressuponyouthatitisessentialtoavoidtheelementary，sotospeak，fundamentalcausestendingtoproduceyourmorbidcondition:inthatcaseyouwillbecured，ifnot，itwillgofrombadtoworse。ThesefundamentalcausesIdon’tknow，buttheymustbeknowntoyou。Youareanintelligentman，andmusthaveobservedyourself，ofcourse。Ifancythefirststageofyourderangementcoincideswithyourleavingtheuniversity。Youmustnotbeleftwithoutoccupation，andso，workandadefiniteaimsetbeforeyoumight，Ifancy，beverybeneficial。”

“Yes，yes；youareperfectlyright。…Iwillmakehasteandreturntotheuniversity:andtheneverythingwillgosmoothly。…”

Zossimov，whohadbegunhissageadvicepartlytomakeaneffectbeforetheladies，wascertainlysomewhatmystified，when，glancingathispatient，heobservedunmistakablemockeryonhisface。Thislastedaninstant，however。PulcheriaAlexandrovnabeganatoncethankingZossimov，especiallyforhisvisittotheirlodgingthepreviousnight。

“What！hesawyoulastnight？”Raskolnikovasked，asthoughstartled。“Thenyouhavenotslepteitherafteryourjourney。”

“Ach，Rodya，thatwasonlytilltwoo’clock。DouniaandInevergotobedbeforetwoathome。”

“Idon’tknowhowtothankhimeither，”Raskolnikovwenton，suddenlyfrowningandlookingdown。“Settingasidethequestionofpayment—forgivemeforreferringtoit(heturnedtoZossimov)—Ireallydon’tknowwhatIhavedonetodeservesuchspecialattentionfromyou！Isimplydon’tunderstandit…and…and…itweighsuponme，indeed，becauseIdon’tunderstandit。Itellyousocandidly。”

“Don’tbeirritated。”Zossimovforcedhimselftolaugh。“Assumethatyouaremyfirstpatient—well—wefellowsjustbeginningtopractiseloveourfirstpatientsasiftheywereourchildren，andsomealmostfallinlovewiththem。And，ofcourse，Iamnotrichinpatients。”

“Isaynothingabouthim，”addedRaskolnikov，pointingtoRazumihin，“thoughhehashadnothingfrommeeitherbutinsultandtrouble。”

“Whatnonsenseheistalking！Why，youareinasentimentalmoodto-day，areyou？”shoutedRazumihin。

Ifhehadhadmorepenetrationhewouldhaveseenthattherewasnotraceofsentimentalityinhim，butsomethingindeedquitetheopposite。ButAvdotyaRomanovnanoticedit。Shewasintentlyanduneasilywatchingherbrother。

“Asforyou，mother，Idon’tdaretospeak，”hewenton，asthoughrepeatingalessonlearnedbyheart。“Itisonlyto-daythatIhavebeenabletorealisealittlehowdistressedyoumusthavebeenhereyesterday，waitingformetocomeback。”

Whenhehadsaidthis，hesuddenlyheldouthishandtohissister，smilingwithoutaword。Butinthissmiletherewasaflashofrealunfeignedfeeling。Douniacaughtitatonce，andwarmlypressedhishand，overjoyedandthankful。Itwasthefirsttimehehadaddressedhersincetheirdisputethepreviousday。Themother’sfacelightedupwithecstatichappinessatthesightofthisconclusiveunspokenreconciliation。“Yes，thatiswhatIlovehimfor，”Razumihin，exaggeratingitall，mutteredtohimself，withavigorousturninhischair。“Hehasthesemovements。”

“Andhowwellhedoesitall，”themotherwasthinkingtoherself。“Whatgenerousimpulseshehas，andhowsimply，howdelicatelyheputanendtoallthemisunderstandingwithhissister—simplybyholdingouthishandattherightminuteandlookingatherlikethat。…Andwhatfineeyeshehas，andhowfinehiswholefaceis！…HeisevenbetterlookingthanDounia。…But，goodheavens，whatasuit—howterriblyhe’sdressed！…Vasya，themessengerboyinAfanasyIvanitch’sshop，isbetterdressed！Icouldrushathimandhughim…weepoverhim—butIamafraid。…Oh，dear，he’ssostrange！He’stalkingkindly，butI’mafraid！Why，whatamIafraidof？…”

“Oh，Rodya，youwouldn’tbelieve，”shebegansuddenly，inhastetoanswerhiswordstoher，“howunhappyDouniaandIwereyesterday！Nowthatit’salloveranddonewithandwearequitehappyagain—Icantellyou。Fancy，weranherealmoststraightfromthetraintoembraceyouandthatwoman—ah，heresheis！Goodmorning，Nastasya！…Shetoldusatoncethatyouwerelyinginahighfeverandhadjustrunawayfromthedoctorindelirium，andtheywerelookingforyouinthestreets。Youcan’timaginehowwefelt！Icouldn’thelpthinkingofthetragicendofLieutenantPotanchikov，afriendofyourfather’s—youcan’trememberhim，Rodya—whoranoutinthesamewayinahighfeverandfellintothewellinthecourt-yardandtheycouldn’tpullhimouttillnextday。Ofcourse，weexaggeratedthings。WewereonthepointofrushingtofindPyotrPetrovitchtoaskhimtohelp。…Becausewewerealone，utterlyalone，”shesaidplaintivelyandstoppedshort，suddenly，recollectingitwasstillsomewhatdangeroustospeakofPyotrPetrovitch，although“wearequitehappyagain。”

“Yes，yes。…Ofcourseit’sveryannoying。…”Raskolnikovmutteredinreply，butwithsuchapreoccupiedandinattentiveairthatDouniagazedathiminperplexity。

“WhatelsewasitIwantedtosay？”Hewentontryingtorecollect。“Oh，yes；mother，andyoutoo，Dounia，pleasedon’tthinkthatIdidn’tmeantocomeandseeyouto-dayandwaswaitingforyoutocomefirst。”

“Whatareyousaying，Rodya？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。She，too，wassurprised。

“Isheansweringusasaduty？”Douniawondered。“Ishebeingreconciledandaskingforgivenessasthoughhewereperformingariteorrepeatingalesson？”

“I’veonlyjustwakedup，andwantedtogotoyou，butwasdelayedowingtomyclothes；Iforgotyesterdaytoaskher…Nastasya…towashouttheblood…I’veonlyjustdressed。”

“Blood！Whatblood？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaaskedinalarm。

“Oh，nothing—don’tbeuneasy。ItwaswhenIwaswanderingaboutyesterday，ratherdelirious，Ichanceduponamanwhohadbeenrunover…aclerk…”

“Delirious？Butyouremembereverything！”Razumihininterrupted。

“That’strue，”Raskolnikovansweredwithspecialcarefulness。“Iremembereverythingeventotheslightestdetail，andyet—whyIdidthatandwentthereandsaidthat，Ican’tclearlyexplainnow。”

“Afamiliarphenomenon，”interposedZossimov，“actionsaresometimesperformedinamasterlyandmostcunningway，whilethedirectionoftheactionsisderangedanddependentonvariousmorbidimpressions—it’slikeadream。”

“Perhapsit’sagoodthingreallythatheshouldthinkmealmostamadman，”thoughtRaskolnikov。

“Why，peopleinperfecthealthactinthesamewaytoo，”observedDounia，lookinguneasilyatZossimov。

“Thereissometruthinyourobservation，”thelatterreplied。“Inthatsensewearecertainlyallnotinfrequentlylikemadmen，butwiththeslightdifferencethatthederangedaresomewhatmadder，forwemustdrawaline。Anormalman，itistrue，hardlyexists。Amongdozens—perhapshundredsofthousands—hardlyoneistobemetwith。”

Attheword“madman，”carelesslydroppedbyZossimovinhischatteronhisfavouritesubject，everyonefrowned。

Raskolnikovsatseemingnottopayattention，plungedinthoughtwithastrangesmileonhispalelips。Hewasstillmeditatingonsomething。

“Well，whataboutthemanwhowasrunover？Iinterruptedyou！”Razumihincriedhastily。

“What？”Raskolnikovseemedtowakeup。“Oh…Igotspatteredwithbloodhelpingtocarryhimtohislodging。Bytheway，mamma，Ididanunpardonablethingyesterday。Iwasliterallyoutofmymind。Igaveawayallthemoneyyousentme…tohiswifeforthefuneral。She’sawidownow，inconsumption，apoorcreature…threelittlechildren，starving…nothinginthehouse…there’sadaughter，too…perhapsyou’dhavegivenityourselfifyou’dseenthem。ButIhadnorighttodoitIadmit，especiallyasIknewhowyouneededthemoneyyourself。Tohelpothersonemusthavetherighttodoit，orelseCrevez，chiens，sivousn’etespascontents。”Helaughed，“That’sright，isn’tit，Dounia？”

“No，it’snot，”answeredDouniafirmly。

“Bah！you，too，haveideals，”hemuttered，lookingatheralmostwithhatred，andsmilingsarcastically。“Ioughttohaveconsideredthat。…Well，that’spraiseworthy，andit’sbetterforyou…andifyoureachalineyouwon’toverstep，youwillbeunhappy…andifyouoverstepit，maybeyouwillbestillunhappier。…Butallthat’snonsense，”headdedirritably，vexedatbeingcarriedaway。“IonlymeanttosaythatIbegyourforgiveness，mother，”heconcluded，shortlyandabruptly。

“That’senough，Rodya，Iamsurethateverythingyoudoisverygood，”saidhismother，delighted。

“Don’tbetoosure，”heanswered，twistinghismouthintoasmile。

Asilencefollowed。Therewasacertainconstraintinallthisconversation，andinthesilence，andinthereconciliation，andintheforgiveness，andallwerefeelingit。

“Itisasthoughtheywereafraidofme，”Raskolnikovwasthinkingtohimself，lookingaskanceathismotherandsister。PulcheriaAlexandrovnawasindeedgrowingmoretimidthelongershekeptsilent。

“YetintheirabsenceIseemedtolovethemsomuch，”flashedthroughhismind。

“Doyouknow，Rodya，MarfaPetrovnaisdead，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnasuddenlyblurtedout。

“WhatMarfaPetrovna？”

“Oh，mercyonus—MarfaPetrovnaSvidrigailov。Iwroteyousomuchabouther。”

“A-a-h！Yes，Iremember。…Soshe’sdead！Oh，really？”herousedhimselfsuddenly，asifwakingup。“Whatdidshedieof？”

“Onlyimagine，quitesuddenly，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaansweredhurriedly，encouragedbyhiscuriosity。“OntheverydayIwassendingyouthatletter！Wouldyoubelieveit，thatawfulmanseemstohavebeenthecauseofherdeath。Theysayhebeatherdreadfully。”

“Why，weretheyonsuchbadterms？”heasked，addressinghissister。

“Notatall。Quitethecontraryindeed。Withher，hewasalwaysverypatient，considerateeven。Infact，allthosesevenyearsoftheirmarriedlifehegavewaytoher，toomuchsoindeed，inmanycases。Allofasuddenheseemstohavelostpatience。”

“Thenhecouldnothavebeensoawfulifhecontrolledhimselfforsevenyears？Youseemtobedefendinghim，Dounia？”

“No，no，he’sanawfulman！Icanimaginenothingmoreawful！”Douniaanswered，almostwithashudder，knittingherbrows，andsinkingintothought。

“Thathadhappenedinthemorning，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnawentonhurriedly。“Anddirectlyafterwardssheorderedthehorsestobeharnessedtodrivetothetownimmediatelyafterdinner。Shealwaysusedtodrivetothetowninsuchcases。Sheateaverygooddinner，Iamtold。…”

“Afterthebeating？”

“Thatwasalwaysher…habit；andimmediatelyafterdinner，soasnottobelateinstarting，shewenttothebath-house。…Yousee，shewasundergoingsometreatmentwithbaths。Theyhaveacoldspringthere，andsheusedtobatheinitregularlyeveryday，andnosoonerhadshegotintothewaterwhenshesuddenlyhadastroke！”

“Ishouldthinkso，”saidZossimov。

“Anddidhebeatherbadly？”

“Whatdoesthatmatter！”putinDounia。

“H’m！ButIdon’tknowwhyyouwanttotellussuchgossip，mother，”saidRaskolnikovirritably，asitwereinspiteofhimself。

“Ah，mydear，Idon’tknowwhattotalkabout，”brokefromPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“Why，areyouallafraidofme？”heasked，withaconstrainedsmile。

“That’scertainlytrue，”saidDounia，lookingdirectlyandsternlyatherbrother。“Motherwascrossingherselfwithterrorasshecameupthestairs。”

Hisfaceworked，asthoughinconvulsion。

“Ach，whatareyousaying，Dounia！Don’tbeangry，please，Rodya。…Whydidyousaythat，Dounia？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnabegan，overwhelmed—“Yousee，cominghere，Iwasdreamingalltheway，inthetrain，howweshouldmeet，howweshouldtalkovereverythingtogether。…AndIwassohappy，Ididnotnoticethejourney！ButwhatamIsaying？Iamhappynow。…Youshouldnot，Dounia。…Iamhappynow—simplyinseeingyou，Rodya。…”

“Hush，mother，”hemutteredinconfusion，notlookingather，butpressingherhand。“Weshallhavetimetospeakfreelyofeverything！”

Ashesaidthis，hewassuddenlyoverwhelmedwithconfusionandturnedpale。Againthatawfulsensationhehadknownoflatepassedwithdeadlychilloverhissoul。Againitbecamesuddenlyplainandperceptibletohimthathehadjusttoldafearfullie—thathewouldnevernowbeabletospeakfreelyofeverything—thathewouldneveragainbeabletospeakofanythingtoanyone。Theanguishofthisthoughtwassuchthatforamomenthealmostforgothimself。Hegotupfromhisseat，andnotlookingatanyonewalkedtowardsthedoor。

“Whatareyouabout？”criedRazumihin，clutchinghimbythearm。

Hesatdownagain，andbeganlookingabouthim，insilence。Theywerealllookingathiminperplexity。

“Butwhatareyouallsodullfor？”heshouted，suddenlyandquiteunexpectedly。“Dosaysomething！What’stheuseofsittinglikethis？Come，dospeak。Letustalk。…Wemeettogetherandsitinsilence。…Come，anything！”

“ThankGod；Iwasafraidthesamethingasyesterdaywasbeginningagain，”saidPulcheriaAlexandrovna，crossingherself。

“Whatisthematter，Rodya？”askedAvdotyaRomanovna，distrustfully。

“Oh，nothing！Irememberedsomething，”heanswered，andsuddenlylaughed。

“Well，ifyourememberedsomething；that’sallright！…Iwasbeginningtothink…”mutteredZossimov，gettingupfromthesofa。“Itistimeformetobeoff。Iwilllookinagainperhaps…ifIcan…”Hemadehisbows，andwentout。

“Whatanexcellentman！”observedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“Yes，excellent，splendid，well-educated，intelligent，”Raskolnikovbegan，suddenlyspeakingwithsurprisingrapidity，andalivelinesshehadnotshowntillthen。“Ican’trememberwhereImethimbeforemyillness。…IbelieveIhavemethimsomewhere——…Andthisisagoodman，too，”henoddedatRazumihin。“Doyoulikehim，Dounia？”heaskedher；andsuddenly，forsomeunknownreason，laughed。

“Verymuch，”answeredDounia。

“Foo！—whatapigyouare！”Razumihinprotested，blushinginterribleconfusion，andhegotupfromhischair。PulcheriaAlexandrovnasmiledfaintly，butRaskolnikovlaughedaloud。

“Whereareyouoffto？”

“Imustgo。”

“Youneednotatall。Stay。Zossimovhasgone，soyoumust。Don’tgo。What’sthetime？Isittwelveo’clock？Whataprettywatchyouhavegot，Dounia。Butwhyareyouallsilentagain？Idoallthetalking。”

“ItwasapresentfromMarfaPetrovna，”answeredDounia。

“Andaveryexpensiveone！”addedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“A-ah！Whatabigone！Hardlylikealady’s。”

“Ilikethatsort，”saidDounia。

“Soitisnotapresentfromherfiance，”thoughtRazumihin，andwasunreasonablydelighted。

“IthoughtitwasLuzhin’spresent，”observedRaskolnikov。

“No，hehasnotmadeDouniaanypresentsyet。”

“A-ah！Anddoyouremember，mother，Iwasinloveandwantedtogetmarried？”hesaidsuddenly，lookingathismother，whowasdisconcertedbythesuddenchangeofsubjectandthewayhespokeofit。

“Oh，yes，mydear。”

PulcheriaAlexandrovnaexchangedglanceswithDouniaandRazumihin。

“H’m，yes。WhatshallItellyou？Idon’tremembermuchindeed。Shewassuchasicklygirl，”hewenton，growingdreamyandlookingdownagain。“Quiteaninvalid。Shewasfondofgivingalmstothepoor，andwasalwaysdreamingofanunnery，andoncesheburstintotearswhenshebegantalkingtomeaboutit。Yes，yes，Iremember。Irememberverywell。Shewasanuglylittlething。Ireallydon’tknowwhatdrewmetoherthen—Ithinkitwasbecauseshewasalwaysill。Ifshehadbeenlameorhunchback，IbelieveIshouldhavelikedherbetterstill，”hesmileddreamily。“Yes，itwasasortofspringdelirium。”

“No，itwasnotonlyspringdelirium，”saidDounia，withwarmfeeling。

Hefixedastrainedintentlookonhissister，butdidnothearordidnotunderstandherwords。Then，completelylostinthought，hegotup，wentuptohismother，kissedher，wentbacktohisplaceandsatdown。

“Youloveherevennow？”saidPulcheriaAlexandrovna，touched。

“Her？Now？Oh，yes。…Youaskabouther？No…that’sallnow，asitwere，inanotherworld…andsolongago。Andindeedeverythinghappeninghereseemssomehowfaraway。”Helookedattentivelyatthem。“You，now…Iseemtobelookingatyoufromathousandmilesaway…but，goodnessknowswhywearetalkingofthat！Andwhat’stheuseofaskingaboutit？”headdedwithannoyance，andbitinghisnails，fellintodreamysilenceagain。

“Whatawretchedlodgingyouhave，Rodya！It’slikeatomb，”saidPulcheriaAlexandrovna，suddenlybreakingtheoppressivesilence。“Iamsureit’squitehalfthroughyourlodgingyouhavebecomesomelancholy。”

“Mylodging，”heanswered，listlessly。“Yes，thelodginghadagreatdealtodowithit。…Ithoughtthat，too。…Ifonlyyouknew，though，whatastrangethingyousaidjustnow，mother，”hesaid，laughingstrangely。

Alittlemore，andtheircompanionship，thismotherandthissister，withhimafterthreeyears’absence，thisintimatetoneofconversation，infaceoftheutterimpossibilityofreallyspeakingaboutanything，wouldhavebeenbeyondhispowerofendurance。Buttherewasoneurgentmatterwhichmustbesettledonewayortheotherthatday—sohehaddecidedwhenhewoke。Nowhewasgladtorememberit，asameansofescape。

“Listen，Dounia，”hebegan，gravelyanddrily，“ofcourseIbegyourpardonforyesterday，butIconsideritmydutytotellyouagainthatIdonotwithdrawfrommychiefpoint。ItismeorLuzhin。IfIamascoundrel，youmustnotbe。Oneisenough。IfyoumarryLuzhin，Iceaseatoncetolookonyouasasister。”

“Rodya，Rodya！Itisthesameasyesterdayagain，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnacried，mournfully。“Andwhydoyoucallyourselfascoundrel？Ican’tbearit。Yousaidthesameyesterday。”

“Brother，”Douniaansweredfirmlyandwiththesamedryness。“Inallthisthereisamistakeonyourpart。Ithoughtitoveratnight，andfoundoutthemistake。ItisallbecauseyouseemtofancyIamsacrificingmyselftosomeoneandforsomeone。Thatisnotthecaseatall。Iamsimplymarryingformyownsake，becausethingsarehardforme。Though，ofcourse，IshallbegladifIsucceedinbeingusefultomyfamily。Butthatisnotthechiefmotiveformydecision。…”

“Sheislying，”hethoughttohimself，bitinghisnailsvindictively。“Proudcreature！Shewon’tadmitshewantstodoitoutofcharity！Toohaughty！Oh，basecharacters！Theyevenloveasthoughtheyhate。…Oh，howI…hatethemall！”

“Infact，”continuedDounia，“IammarryingPyotrPetrovitchbecauseoftwoevilsIchoosetheless。Iintendtodohonestlyallheexpectsofme，soIamnotdeceivinghim。…Whydidyousmilejustnow？”She，too，flushed，andtherewasagleamofangerinhereyes。

“All？”heasked，withamalignantgrin。

“Withincertainlimits。BoththemannerandformofPyotrPetrovitch’scourtshipshowedmeatoncewhathewanted。Hemay，ofcourse，thinktoowellofhimself，butIhopeheesteemsme，too。…Whyareyoulaughingagain？”

“Andwhyareyoublushingagain？Youarelying，sister。Youareintentionallylying，simplyfromfeminineobstinacy，simplytoholdyourownagainstme。…YoucannotrespectLuzhin。Ihaveseenhimandtalkedwithhim。Soyouaresellingyourselfformoney，andsoinanycaseyouareactingbasely，andIamgladatleastthatyoucanblushforit。”

“Itisnottrue。Iamnotlying，”criedDounia，losinghercomposure。“IwouldnotmarryhimifIwerenotconvincedthatheesteemsmeandthinkshighlyofme。IwouldnotmarryhimifIwerenotfirmlyconvincedthatIcanrespecthim。Fortunately，Icanhaveconvincingproofofitthisveryday…andsuchamarriageisnotavileness，asyousay！Andevenifyouwereright，ifIreallyhaddeterminedonavileaction，isitnotmercilessonyourparttospeaktomelikethat？Whydoyoudemandofmeaheroismthatperhapsyouhavenoteither？Itisdespotism；itistyranny。IfIruinanyone，itisonlymyself。…Iamnotcommittingamurder。Whydoyoulookatmelikethat？Whyareyousopale？Rodya，darling，what’sthematter？”

“Goodheavens！Youhavemadehimfaint，”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“No，no，nonsense！It’snothing。Alittlegiddiness—notfainting。Youhavefaintingonthebrain。H’m，yes，whatwasIsaying？Oh，yes。Inwhatwaywillyougetconvincingproofto-daythatyoucanrespecthim，andthathe…esteemsyou，asyousaid。Ithinkyousaidto-day？”

“Mother，showRodyaPyotrPetrovitch’sletter，”saidDounia。

Withtremblinghands，PulcheriaAlexandrovnagavehimtheletter。Hetookitwithgreatinterest，but，beforeopeningit，hesuddenlylookedwithasortofwonderatDounia。

“Itisstrange，”hesaid，slowly，asthoughstruckbyanewidea。“WhatamImakingsuchafussfor？Whatisitallabout？Marrywhomyoulike！”

Hesaidthisasthoughtohimself，butsaiditaloud，andlookedforsometimeathissister，asthoughpuzzled。Heopenedtheletteratlast，stillwiththesamelookofstrangewonderonhisface。Then，slowlyandattentively，hebeganreading，andreaditthroughtwice。PulcheriaAlexandrovnashowedmarkedanxiety，andallindeedexpectedsomethingparticular。

“Whatsurprisesme，”hebegan，afterashortpause，handingthelettertohismother，butnotaddressinganyoneinparticular，“isthatheisabusinessman，alawyer，andhisconversationispretentiousindeed，andyethewritessuchanuneducatedletter。”

Theyallstarted。Theyhadexpectedsomethingquitedifferent。

“Buttheyallwritelikethat，youknow，”Razumihinobserved，abruptly。

“Haveyoureadit？”

“Yes。”

“Weshowedhim，Rodya。We…consultedhimjustnow，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnabegan，embarrassed。

“That’sjustthejargonofthecourts，”Razumihinputin。“Legaldocumentsarewrittenlikethattothisday。”

“Legal？Yes，it’sjustlegal—businesslanguage—notsoveryuneducated，andnotquiteeducated—businesslanguage！”

“PyotrPetrovitchmakesnosecretofthefactthathehadacheapeducation，heisproudindeedofhavingmadehisownway，”AvdotyaRomanovnaobserved，somewhatoffendedbyherbrother’stone。

“Well，ifhe’sproudofit，hehasreason，Idon’tdenyit。Youseemtobeoffended，sister，atmymakingonlysuchafrivolouscriticismontheletter，andtothinkthatIspeakofsuchtriflingmattersonpurposetoannoyyou。Itisquitethecontrary，anobservationaproposofthestyleoccurredtomethatisbynomeansirrelevantasthingsstand。Thereisoneexpression，‘blameyourselves’putinverysignificantlyandplainly，andthereisbesidesathreatthathewillgoawayatonceifIampresent。Thatthreattogoawayisequivalenttoathreattoabandonyoubothifyouaredisobedient，andtoabandonyounowaftersummoningyoutoPetersburg。Well，whatdoyouthink？CanoneresentsuchanexpressionfromLuzhin，asweshouldifhe(hepointedtoRazumihin)hadwrittenit，orZossimov，oroneofus？”

“N-no，”answeredDounia，withmoreanimation。“Isawclearlythatitwastoonaivelyexpressed，andthatperhapshesimplyhasnoskillinwriting…thatisatruecriticism，brother。Ididnotexpect，indeed…”

“Itisexpressedinlegalstyle，andsoundscoarserthanperhapsheintended。ButImustdisillusionyoualittle。Thereisoneexpressionintheletter，oneslanderaboutme，andratheracontemptibleone。Igavethemoneylastnighttothewidow，awomaninconsumption，crushedwithtrouble，andnot‘onthepretextofthefuneral，’butsimplytopayforthefuneral，andnottothedaughter—ayoungwoman，ashewrites，ofnotoriousbehaviour(whomIsawlastnightforthefirsttimeinmylife)—buttothewidow。InallthisIseeatoohastydesiretoslandermeandtoraisedissensionbetweenus。Itisexpressedagaininlegaljargon，thatistosay，withatooobviousdisplayoftheaim，andwithaverynaiveeagerness。Heisamanofintelligence，buttoactsensibly，intelligenceisnotenough。Itallshowsthemanand…Idon’tthinkhehasagreatesteemforyou。Itellyouthissimplytowarnyou，becauseIsincerelywishforyourgood…”

Douniadidnotreply。Herresolutionhadbeentaken。Shewasonlyawaitingtheevening。

“Thenwhatisyourdecision，Rodya？”askedPulcheriaAlexandrovna，whowasmoreuneasythaneveratthesudden，newbusinessliketoneofhistalk。

“Whatdecision？”

“YouseePyotrPetrovitchwritesthatyouarenottobewithusthisevening，andthathewillgoawayifyoucome。Sowillyou…come？”

“That，ofcourse，isnotformetodecide，butforyoufirst，ifyouarenotoffendedbysucharequest；andsecondly，byDounia，ifshe，too，isnotoffended。Iwilldowhatyouthinkbest，”headded，drily。

“Douniahasalreadydecided，andIfullyagreewithher，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnahastenedtodeclare。

“Idecidedtoaskyou，Rodya，tourgeyounottofailtobewithusatthisinterview，”saidDounia。“Willyoucome？”

“Yes。”

“Iwillaskyou，too，tobewithusateighto’clock，”shesaid，addressingRazumihin。“Mother，Iaminvitinghim，too。”

“Quiteright，Dounia。Well，sinceyouhavedecided，”addedPulcheriaAlexandrovna，“sobeit。Ishallfeeleasiermyself。Idonotlikeconcealmentanddeception。Betterletushavethewholetruth。…PyotrPetrovitchmaybeangryornot，now！”

Atthatmomentthedoorwassoftlyopened，andayounggirlwalkedintotheroom，lookingtimidlyabouther。Everyoneturnedtowardsherwithsurpriseandcuriosity。Atfirstsight，Raskolnikovdidnotrecogniseher。ItwasSofyaSemyonovnaMarmeladov。Hehadseenheryesterdayforthefirsttime，butatsuchamoment，insuchsurroundingsandinsuchadress，thathismemoryretainedaverydifferentimageofher。Nowshewasamodestlyandpoorly-dressedyounggirl，veryyoung，indeed，almostlikeachild，withamodestandrefinedmanner，withacandidbutsomewhatfrightened-lookingface。Shewaswearingaveryplainindoordress，andhadonashabbyold-fashionedhat，butshestillcarriedaparasol。Unexpectedlyfindingtheroomfullofpeople，shewasnotsomuchembarrassedascompletelyoverwhelmedwithshyness，likealittlechild。Shewasevenabouttoretreat。“Oh…it’syou！”saidRaskolnikov，extremelyastonished，andhe，too，wasconfused。HeatoncerecollectedthathismotherandsisterknewthroughLuzhin’sletterof“someyoungwomanofnotoriousbehaviour。”HehadonlyjustbeenprotestingagainstLuzhin’scalumnyanddeclaringthathehadseenthegirllastnightforthefirsttime，andsuddenlyshehadwalkedin。Heremembered，too，thathehadnotprotestedagainsttheexpression“ofnotoriousbehaviour。”Allthispassedvaguelyandfleetinglythroughhisbrain，butlookingathermoreintently，hesawthatthehumiliatedcreaturewassohumiliatedthathefeltsuddenlysorryforher。Whenshemadeamovementtoretreatinterror，itsentapangtohisheart。

“Ididnotexpectyou，”hesaid，hurriedly，withalookthatmadeherstop。“Pleasesitdown。Youcome，nodoubt，fromKaterinaIvanovna。Allowme—notthere。Sithere。…”

AtSonia’sentrance，Razumihin，whohadbeensittingononeofRaskolnikov’sthreechairs，closetothedoor，gotuptoallowhertoenter。RaskolnikovhadatfirstshownhertheplaceonthesofawhereZossimovhadbeensitting，butfeelingthatthesofawhichservedhimasabed，wastoofamiliaraplace，hehurriedlymotionedhertoRazumihin’schair。

“Yousithere，”hesaidtoRazumihin，puttinghimonthesofa。

Soniasatdown，almostshakingwithterror，andlookedtimidlyatthetwoladies。Itwasevidentlyalmostinconceivabletoherselfthatshecouldsitdownbesidethem。Atthethoughtofit，shewassofrightenedthatshehurriedlygotupagain，andinutterconfusionaddressedRaskolnikov。

“I…I…havecomeforoneminute。Forgivemefordisturbingyou，”shebeganfalteringly。“IcomefromKaterinaIvanovna，andshehadnoonetosend。KaterinaIvanovnatoldmetobegyou…tobeattheservice…inthemorning…atMitrofanievsky…andthen…tous…toher…todoherthehonour…shetoldmetobegyou…”Soniastammeredandceasedspeaking。

“Iwilltry，certainly，mostcertainly，”answeredRaskolnikov。He，too，stoodup，andhe，too，falteredandcouldnotfinishhissentence。“Pleasesitdown，”hesaid，suddenly。“Iwanttotalktoyou。Youareperhapsinahurry，butplease，besokind，sparemetwominutes，”andhedrewupachairforher。

Soniasatdownagain，andagaintimidlyshetookahurried，frightenedlookatthetwoladies，anddroppedhereyes。Raskolnikov’spalefaceflushed，ashudderpassedoverhim，hiseyesglowed。

“Mother，”hesaid，firmlyandinsistently，“thisisSofyaSemyonovnaMarmeladov，thedaughterofthatunfortunateMr。Marmeladov，whowasrunoveryesterdaybeforemyeyes，andofwhomIwasjusttellingyou。”

PulcheriaAlexandrovnaglancedatSonia，andslightlyscreweduphereyes。InspiteofherembarrassmentbeforeRodya’surgentandchallenginglook，shecouldnotdenyherselfthatsatisfaction。Douniagazedgravelyandintentlyintothepoorgirl’sface，andscrutinisedherwithperplexity。Sonia，hearingherselfintroduced，triedtoraisehereyesagain，butwasmoreembarrassedthanever。

“Iwantedtoaskyou，”saidRaskolnikov，hastily，“howthingswerearrangedyesterday。Youwerenotworriedbythepolice，forinstance？”

“No，thatwasallright…itwastooevident，thecauseofdeath…theydidnotworryus…onlythelodgersareangry。”

“Why？”

“Atthebody’sremainingsolong。Youseeitishotnow。Sothat，to-day，theywillcarryittothecemetery，intothechapel，untilto-morrow。AtfirstKaterinaIvanovnawasunwilling，butnowsheseesherselfthatit’snecessary…”

“To-day，then？”

“Shebegsyoutodousthehonourtobeinthechurchto-morrowfortheservice，andthentobepresentatthefunerallunch。”

“Sheisgivingafunerallunch？”

“Yes…justalittle。…Shetoldmetothankyouverymuchforhelpingusyesterday。Butforyou，weshouldhavehadnothingforthefuneral。”

Allatonceherlipsandchinbegantrembling，but，withaneffort，shecontrolledherself，lookingdownagain。

Duringtheconversation，Raskolnikovwatchedhercarefully。Shehadathin，verythin，palelittleface，ratherirregularandangular，withasharplittlenoseandchin。Shecouldnothavebeencalledpretty，butherblueeyesweresoclear，andwhentheylightedup，therewassuchakindlinessandsimplicityinherexpressionthatonecouldnothelpbeingattracted。Herface，andherwholefigureindeed，hadanotherpeculiarcharacteristic。Inspiteofhereighteenyears，shelookedalmostalittlegirl—almostachild。Andinsomeofhergestures，thischildishnessseemedalmostabsurd。

“ButhasKaterinaIvanovnabeenabletomanagewithsuchsmallmeans？Doessheevenmeantohaveafunerallunch？”Raskolnikovasked，persistentlykeepinguptheconversation。

“Thecoffinwillbeplain，ofcourse…andeverythingwillbeplain，soitwon’tcostmuch。KaterinaIvanovnaandIhavereckoneditallout，sothattherewillbeenoughleft…andKaterinaIvanovnawasveryanxiousitshouldbeso。Youknowonecan’t…it’sacomforttoher…sheislikethat，youknow。…”

“Iunderstand，Iunderstand…ofcourse…whydoyoulookatmyroomlikethat？Mymotherhasjustsaiditislikeatomb。”

“Yougaveuseverythingyesterday，”Soniasaidsuddenly，inreply，inaloudrapidwhisper；andagainshelookeddowninconfusion。Herlipsandchinweretremblingoncemore。ShehadbeenstruckatoncebyRaskolnikov’spoorsurroundings，andnowthesewordsbrokeoutspontaneously。Asilencefollowed。TherewasalightinDounia’seyes，andevenPulcheriaAlexandrovnalookedkindlyatSonia。

“Rodya，”shesaid，gettingup，“weshallhavedinnertogether，ofcourse。Come，Dounia。…Andyou，Rodya，hadbettergoforalittlewalk，andthenrestandliedownbeforeyoucometoseeus。…Iamafraidwehaveexhaustedyou。…”

“Yes，yes，I’llcome，”heanswered，gettingupfussily。“ButIhavesomethingtoseeto。”

“Butsurelyyouwillhavedinnertogether？”criedRazumihin，lookinginsurpriseatRaskolnikov。“Whatdoyoumean？”

“Yes，yes，Iamcoming…ofcourse，ofcourse！Andyoustayaminute。Youdonotwanthimjustnow，doyou，mother？OrperhapsIamtakinghimfromyou？”

“Oh，no，no。Andwillyou，DmitriProkofitch，dousthefavourofdiningwithus？”

“Pleasedo，”addedDounia。

Razumihinbowed，positivelyradiant。Foronemoment，theywereallstrangelyembarrassed。

“Good-bye，Rodya，thatistillwemeet。Idonotlikesayinggood-bye。Good-bye，Nastasya。Ah，Ihavesaidgood-byeagain。”

PulcheriaAlexandrovnameanttogreetSonia，too；butitsomehowfailedtocomeoff，andshewentinaflutteroutoftheroom。

ButAvdotyaRomanovnaseemedtoawaitherturn，andfollowinghermotherout，gaveSoniaanattentive，courteousbow。Sonia，inconfusion，gaveahurried，frightenedcurtsy。Therewasalookofpoignantdiscomfortinherface，asthoughAvdotyaRomanovna’scourtesyandattentionwereoppressiveandpainfultoher。

“Dounia，good-bye，”calledRaskolnikov，inthepassage。“Givemeyourhand。”

“Why，Ididgiveittoyou。Haveyouforgotten？”saidDounia，turningwarmlyandawkwardlytohim。

“Nevermind，giveittomeagain。”Andhesqueezedherfingerswarmly。

Douniasmiled，flushed，pulledherhandaway，andwentoffquitehappy。

“Come，that’scapital，”hesaidtoSonia，goingbackandlookingbrightlyather。“Godgivepeacetothedead，thelivinghavestilltolive。Thatisright，isn’tit？”

Sonialookedsurprisedatthesuddenbrightnessofhisface。Helookedatherforsomemomentsinsilence。Thewholehistoryofthedeadfatherfloatedbeforehismemoryinthosemoments。…

“Heavens，Dounia，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnabegan，assoonastheywereinthestreet，“Ireallyfeelrelievedmyselfatcomingaway—moreatease。HowlittledidIthinkyesterdayinthetrainthatIcouldeverbegladofthat。”

“Itellyouagain，mother，heisstillveryill。Don’tyouseeit？Perhapsworryingaboutusupsethim。Wemustbepatient，andmuch，muchcanbeforgiven。”

“Well，youwerenotverypatient！”PulcheriaAlexandrovnacaughtherup，hotlyandjealously。“Doyouknow，Dounia，Iwaslookingatyoutwo。Youaretheveryportraitofhim，andnotsomuchinfaceasinsoul。Youarebothmelancholy，bothmoroseandhot-tempered，bothhaughtyandbothgenerous。…Surelyhecan’tbeanegoist，Dounia。Eh？WhenIthinkofwhatisinstoreforusthisevening，myheartsinks！”

“Don’tbeuneasy，mother。Whatmustbe，willbe。”

“Dounia，onlythinkwhatapositionwearein！WhatifPyotrPetrovitchbreaksitoff？”poorPulcheriaAlexandrovnablurtedout，incautiously。

“Hewon’tbeworthmuchifhedoes，”answeredDounia，sharplyandcontemptuously。

“Wedidwelltocomeaway，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnahurriedlybrokein。“Hewasinahurryaboutsomebusinessorother。Ifhegetsoutandhasabreathofair…itisfearfullycloseinhisroom。…Butwhereisonetogetabreathofairhere？Theverystreetsherefeellikeshut-uprooms。Goodheavens！whatatown！…stay…thisside…theywillcrushyou—carryingsomething。Why，itisapianotheyhavegot，Ideclare…howtheypush！…Iamverymuchafraidofthatyoungwoman，too。”

“Whatyoungwoman，mother？

“Why，thatSofyaSemyonovna，whowastherejustnow。”

“Why？”

“Ihaveapresentiment，Dounia。Well，youmaybelieveitornot，butassoonasshecamein，thatveryminute，Ifeltthatshewasthechiefcauseofthetrouble。…”

“Nothingofthesort！”criedDounia，invexation。“Whatnonsense，withyourpresentiments，mother！Heonlymadeheracquaintancetheeveningbefore，andhedidnotknowherwhenshecamein。”

“Well，youwillsee。…Sheworriesme；butyouwillsee，youwillsee！Iwassofrightened。Shewasgazingatmewiththoseeyes。Icouldscarcelysitstillinmychairwhenhebeganintroducingher，doyouremember？Itseemssostrange，butPyotrPetrovitchwriteslikethatabouther，andheintroduceshertous—toyou！Sohemustthinkagreatdealofher。”

“Peoplewillwriteanything。Weweretalkedaboutandwrittenabout，too。Haveyouforgotten？Iamsurethatsheisagoodgirl，andthatitisallnonsense。”

“Godgrantitmaybe！”

“AndPyotrPetrovitchisacontemptibleslanderer，”Douniasnappedout，suddenly。

PulcheriaAlexandrovnawascrushed；theconversationwasnotresumed。

“IwilltellyouwhatIwantwithyou，”saidRaskolnikov，drawingRazumihintothewindow。

“ThenIwilltellKaterinaIvanovnathatyouarecoming，”Soniasaidhurriedly，preparingtodepart。

“Oneminute，SofyaSemyonovna。Wehavenosecrets。Youarenotinourway。Iwanttohaveanotherwordortwowithyou。Listen！”heturnedsuddenlytoRazumihinagain。“Youknowthat…what’shisname…PorfiryPetrovitch？”

“Ishouldthinkso！Heisarelation。Why？”addedthelatter，withinterest。

“Isnothemanagingthatcase…youknow，aboutthatmurder？…Youwerespeakingaboutityesterday。”

“Yes…well？”Razumihin’seyesopenedwide。

“Hewasinquiringforpeoplewhohadpawnedthings，andIhavesomepledgesthere，too—trifles—aringmysistergavemeasakeepsakewhenIlefthome，andmyfather’ssilverwatch—theyareonlyworthfiveorsixroublesaltogether…butIvaluethem。SowhatamItodonow？Idonotwanttolosethethings，especiallythewatch。Iwasquakingjustnow，forfearmotherwouldasktolookatit，whenwespokeofDounia’swatch。Itistheonlythingoffather’sleftus。Shewouldbeillifitwerelost。Youknowwhatwomenare。Sotellmewhattodo。IknowIoughttohavegivennoticeatthepolicestation，butwoulditnotbebettertogostraighttoPorfiry？Eh？Whatdoyouthink？Themattermightbesettledmorequickly。Yousee，mothermayaskforitbeforedinner。”

“Certainlynottothepolicestation。CertainlytoPorfiry，”Razumihinshoutedinextraordinaryexcitement。“Well，howgladIam。Letusgoatonce。Itisacoupleofsteps。Weshallbesuretofindhim。”

“Verywell，letusgo。”

“Andhewillbevery，verygladtomakeyouracquaintance。Ihaveoftentalkedtohimofyouatdifferenttimes。Iwasspeakingofyouyesterday。Letusgo。Soyouknewtheoldwoman？Sothat’sit！Itisallturningoutsplendidly。…Oh，yes，SofyaIvanovna…”

“SofyaSemyonovna，”correctedRaskolnikov。“SofyaSemyonovna，thisismyfriendRazumihin，andheisagoodman。”

“Ifyouhavetogonow，”Soniawasbeginning，notlookingatRazumihinatall，andstillmoreembarrassed。

“Letusgo，”decidedRaskolnikov。“Iwillcometoyouto-day，SofyaSemyonovna。Onlytellmewhereyoulive。”

Hewasnotexactlyillatease，butseemedhurried，andavoidedhereyes。Soniagaveheraddress，andflushedasshedidso。Theyallwentouttogether。

“Don’tyoulockup？”askedRazumihin，followinghimontothestairs。

“Never，”answeredRaskolnikov。“Ihavebeenmeaningtobuyalockforthesetwoyears。Peoplearehappywhohavenoneedoflocks，”hesaid，laughing，toSonia。Theystoodstillinthegateway。

“Doyougototheright，SofyaSemyonovna？Howdidyoufindme，bytheway？”headded，asthoughhewantedtosaysomethingquitedifferent。Hewantedtolookathersoftcleareyes，butthiswasnoteasy。

“Why，yougaveyouraddresstoPolenkayesterday。”

“Polenka？Oh，yes；Polenka，thatisthelittlegirl。Sheisyoursister？DidIgivehertheaddress？”

“Why，hadyouforgotten？”

“No，Iremember。”

“Ihadheardmyfatherspeakofyou…onlyIdidnotknowyourname，andhedidnotknowit。AndnowIcame…andasIhadlearntyourname，Iaskedto-day，‘WheredoesMr。Raskolnikovlive？’Ididnotknowyouhadonlyaroomtoo。…Good-bye，IwilltellKaterinaIvanovna。”

Shewasextremelygladtoescapeatlast；shewentawaylookingdown，hurryingtogetoutofsightassoonaspossible，towalkthetwentystepstotheturningontherightandtobeatlastalone，andthenmovingrapidlyalong，lookingatnoone，noticingnothing，tothink，toremember，tomeditateoneveryword，everydetail。Never，neverhadshefeltanythinglikethis。Dimlyandunconsciouslyawholenewworldwasopeningbeforeher。SherememberedsuddenlythatRaskolnikovmeanttocometoherthatday，perhapsatonce！

“Onlynotto-day，please，notto-day！”shekeptmutteringwithasinkingheart，asthoughentreatingsomeone，likeafrightenedchild。“Mercy！tome…tothatroom…hewillsee…oh，dear！”

Shewasnotcapableatthatinstantofnoticinganunknowngentlemanwhowaswatchingherandfollowingatherheels。Hehadaccompaniedherfromthegateway。AtthemomentwhenRazumihin，Raskolnikov，andshestoodstillatpartingonthepavement，thisgentleman，whowasjustpassing，startedonhearingSonia’swords:“andIaskedwhereMr。Raskolnikovlived？”Heturnedarapidbutattentivelookuponallthree，especiallyuponRaskolnikov，towhomSoniawasspeaking；thenlookedbackandnotedthehouse。Allthiswasdoneinaninstantashepassed，andtryingnottobetrayhisinterest，hewalkedonmoreslowlyasthoughwaitingforsomething。HewaswaitingforSonia；hesawthattheywereparting，andthatSoniawasgoinghome。

“Home？Where？I’veseenthatfacesomewhere，”hethought。“Imustfindout。”

Attheturninghecrossedover，lookedround，andsawSoniacomingthesameway，noticingnothing。Sheturnedthecorner。Hefollowedherontheotherside。Afteraboutfiftypaceshecrossedoveragain，overtookherandkepttwoorthreeyardsbehindher。

Hewasamanaboutfifty，rathertallandthicklyset，withbroadhighshoulderswhichmadehimlookasthoughhestoopedalittle。Heworegoodandfashionableclothes，andlookedlikeagentlemanofposition。Hecarriedahandsomecane，whichhetappedonthepavementateachstep；hisgloveswerespotless。Hehadabroad，ratherpleasantfacewithhighcheek-bonesandafreshcolour，notoftenseeninPetersburg。Hisflaxenhairwasstillabundant，andonlytouchedhereandtherewithgrey，andhisthicksquarebeardwasevenlighterthanhishair。Hiseyeswereblueandhadacoldandthoughtfullook；hislipswerecrimson。Hewasaremarkedlywell-preservedmanandlookedmuchyoungerthanhisyears。

WhenSoniacameoutonthecanalbank，theyweretheonlytwopersonsonthepavement。Heobservedherdreaminessandpreoccupation。Onreachingthehousewhereshelodged，Soniaturnedinatthegate；hefollowedher，seemingrathersurprised。Inthecourtyardsheturnedtotherightcorner。“Bah！”mutteredtheunknowngentleman，andmountedthestairsbehindher。OnlythenSonianoticedhim。Shereachedthethirdstorey，turneddownthepassage，andrangatNo。9。Onthedoorwasinscribedinchalk，“Kapernaumov，Tailor。”“Bah！”thestrangerrepeatedagain，wonderingatthestrangecoincidence，andherangnextdoor，atNo。8。Thedoorsweretwoorthreeyardsapart。

“YoulodgeatKapernaumov’s，”hesaid，lookingatSoniaandlaughing。“Healteredawaistcoatformeyesterday。IamstayingclosehereatMadameResslich’s。Howodd！”Sonialookedathimattentively。

“Weareneighbours，”hewentongaily。“Ionlycametotownthedaybeforeyesterday。Good-byeforthepresent。”

Soniamadenoreply；thedooropenedandsheslippedin。Shefeltforsomereasonashamedanduneasy。

OnthewaytoPorfiry’s，Razumihinwasobviouslyexcited。

“That’scapital，brother，”herepeatedseveraltimes，“andIamglad！Iamglad！”

“Whatareyougladabout？”Raskolnikovthoughttohimself。

“Ididn’tknowthatyoupledgedthingsattheoldwoman’s，too。And…wasitlongago？Imean，wasitlongsinceyouwerethere？”

“Whatasimple-heartedfoolheis！”

“Whenwasit？”Raskolnikovstoppedstilltorecollect。“Twoorthreedaysbeforeherdeathitmusthavebeen。ButIamnotgoingtoredeemthethingsnow，”heputinwithasortofhurriedandconspicuoussolicitudeaboutthethings。“I’venotmorethanasilverroubleleft…afterlastnight’saccurseddelirium！”

Helaidspecialemphasisonthedelirium。

“Yes，yes，”Razumihinhastenedtoagree—withwhatwasnotclear。“Thenthat’swhyyou…werestuck…partly…youknowinyourdeliriumyouwerecontinuallymentioningsomeringsorchains！Yes，yes…that’sclear，it’sallclearnow。”

“Hullo！Howthatideamusthavegotaboutamongthem。Herethismanwillgotothestakeforme，andIfindhimdelightedathavingitclearedupwhyIspokeofringsinmydelirium！Whataholdtheideamusthaveonallofthem！”

“Shallwefindhim？”heaskedsuddenly。

“Oh，yes，”Razumihinansweredquickly。“Heisanicefellow，youwillsee，brother。Ratherclumsy，thatistosay，heisamanofpolishedmanners，butImeanclumsyinadifferentsense。Heisanintelligentfellow，verymuchsoindeed，buthehashisownrangeofideas。…Heisincredulous，sceptical，cynical…helikestoimposeonpeople，orrathertomakefunofthem。Hisistheold，circumstantialmethod。…Butheunderstandshiswork…thoroughly。…yearheclearedupacaseofmurderinwhichthepolicehadhardlyaclue。Heisvery，veryanxioustomakeyouracquaintance！”

“Onwhatgroundsishesoanxious？”

“Oh，it’snotexactly…yousee，sinceyou’vebeenillIhappentohavementionedyouseveraltimes。…So，whenheheardaboutyou…aboutyourbeingalawstudentandnotabletofinishyourstudies，hesaid，‘Whatapity！’AndsoIconcluded…fromeverythingtogether，notonlythat；yesterdayZametov…youknow，Rodya，Italkedsomenonsenseonthewayhometoyouyesterday，whenIwasdrunk…Iamafraid，brother，ofyourexaggeratingit，yousee。”

“What？ThattheythinkIamamadman？Maybetheyareright，”hesaidwithaconstrainedsmile。

“Yes，yes。…Thatis，pooh，no！…ButallthatIsaid(andtherewassomethingelsetoo)itwasallnonsense，drunkennonsense。”

“Butwhyareyouapologising？Iamsosickofitall！”Raskolnikovcriedwithexaggeratedirritability。Itwaspartlyassumed，however。

“Iknow，Iknow，Iunderstand。Believeme，Iunderstand。One’sashamedtospeakofit。”

“Ifyouareashamed，thendon’tspeakofit。”

Bothweresilent。RazumihinwasmorethanecstaticandRaskolnikovperceiveditwithrepulsion。Hewasalarmed，too，bywhatRazumihinhadjustsaidaboutPorfiry。

“Ishallhavetopullalongfacewithhimtoo，”hethought，withabeatingheart，andheturnedwhite，“anddoitnaturally，too。Butthemostnaturalthingwouldbetodonothingatall。Carefullydonothingatall！No，carefullywouldnotbenaturalagain。…Oh，well，weshallseehowitturnsout。…Weshallsee…directly。Isitagoodthingtogoornot？Thebutterflyfliestothelight。Myheartisbeating，that’swhat’sbad！”

“Inthisgreyhouse，”saidRazumihin。

“Themostimportantthing，doesPorfiryknowthatIwasattheoldhag’sflatyesterday…andaskedabouttheblood？Imustfindthatoutinstantly，assoonasIgoin，findoutfromhisface；otherwise…I’llfindout，ifit’smyruin。”

“Isay，brother，”hesaidsuddenly，addressingRazumihin，withaslysmile，“Ihavebeennoticingalldaythatyouseemtobecuriouslyexcited。Isn’titso？”

“Excited？Notabitofit，”saidRazumihin，stungtothequick。

“Yes，brother，Iassureyouit’snoticeable。Why，yousatonyourchairinawayyouneverdosit，ontheedgesomehow，andyouseemedtobewrithingallthetime。Youkeptjumpingupfornothing。Onemomentyouwereangry，andthenextyourfacelookedlikeasweetmeat。Youevenblushed；especiallywhenyouwereinvitedtodinner，youblushedawfully。”

“Nothingofthesort，nonsense！Whatdoyoumean？”

“Butwhyareyouwrigglingoutofit，likeaschoolboy？ByJove，therehe’sblushingagain。”

“Whatapigyouare！”

“Butwhyareyousoshamefacedaboutit？Romeo！Stay，I’lltellofyouto-day。Ha-ha-ha！I’llmakemotherlaugh，andsomeoneelse，too…”

“Listen，listen，listen，thisisserious。…Whatnext，youfiend！”Razumihinwasutterlyoverwhelmed，turningcoldwithhorror。“Whatwillyoutellthem？Come，brother…foo！whatapigyouare！”

“Youarelikeasummerrose。Andifonlyyouknewhowitsuitsyou；aRomeooversixfoothigh！Andhowyou’vewashedto-day—youcleanedyournails，Ideclare。Eh？That’ssomethingunheardof！Why，Idobelieveyou’vegotpomatumonyourhair！Benddown。”

“Pig！”

Raskolnikovlaughedasthoughhecouldnotrestrainhimself。Solaughing，theyenteredPorfiryPetrovitch’sflat。ThisiswhatRaskolnikovwanted:fromwithintheycouldbeheardlaughingastheycamein，stillguffawinginthepassage。

“NotawordhereorI’ll…brainyou！”Razumihinwhisperedfuriously，seizingRaskolnikovbytheshoulder。