第9章

“Youarefondoffighting？”heaskedcarelessly。

“No，notvery，”Svidrigailovanswered，calmly。“AndMarfaPetrovnaandIscarcelyeverfought。Welivedveryharmoniously，andshewasalwayspleasedwithme。Ionlyusedthewhiptwiceinalloursevenyears(notcountingathirdoccasionofaveryambiguouscharacter)。Thefirsttime，twomonthsafterourmarriage，immediatelyafterwearrivedinthecountry，andthelasttimewasthatofwhichwearespeaking。DidyousupposeIwassuchamonster，suchareactionary，suchaslavedriver？Ha，ha！Bytheway，doyouremember，RodionRomanovitch，howafewyearsago，inthosedaysofbeneficentpublicity，anobleman，I’veforgottenhisname，wasputtoshameeverywhere，inallthepapers，forhavingthrashedaGermanwomanintherailwaytrain。Youremember？Itwasinthosedays，thatveryyearIbelieve，the‘disgracefulactionoftheAge’tookplace(youknow，‘TheEgyptianNights，’thatpublicreading，youremember？Thedarkeyes，youknow！Ah，thegoldendaysofouryouth，wherearethey？)。Well，asforthegentlemanwhothrashedtheGerman，Ifeelnosympathywithhim，becauseafterallwhatneedisthereforsympathy？ButImustsaythattherearesometimessuchprovoking‘Germans’thatIdon’tbelievethereisaprogressivewhocouldquiteanswerforhimself。Noonelookedatthesubjectfromthatpointofviewthen，butthat’sthetrulyhumanepointofview，Iassureyou。”

Aftersayingthis，Svidrigailovbrokeintoasuddenlaughagain。Raskolnikovsawclearlythatthiswasamanwithafirmpurposeinhismindandabletokeepittohimself。

“Iexpectyou’venottalkedtoanyoneforsomedays？”heasked。

“Scarcelyanyone。Isupposeyouarewonderingatmybeingsuchanadaptableman？”

“No，Iamonlywonderingatyourbeingtooadaptableaman。”

“BecauseIamnotoffendedattherudenessofyourquestions？Isthatit？Butwhytakeoffence？Asyouasked，soIanswered，”hereplied，withasurprisingexpressionofsimplicity。“Youknow，there’shardlyanythingItakeinterestin，”hewenton，asitweredreamily，“especiallynow，I’venothingtodo。…YouarequiteatlibertytoimaginethoughthatIammakinguptoyouwithamotive，particularlyasItoldyouIwanttoseeyoursisteraboutsomething。ButI’llconfessfrankly，Iamverymuchbored。Thelastthreedaysespecially，soIamdelightedtoseeyou。…Don’tbeangry，RodionRomanovitch，butyouseemtobesomehowawfullystrangeyourself。Saywhatyoulike，there’ssomethingwrongwithyou，andnow，too…notthisveryminute，Imean，butnow，generally。…Well，well，Iwon’t，Iwon’t，don’tscowl！Iamnotsuchabear，youknow，asyouthink。”

Raskolnikovlookedgloomilyathim。

“Youarenotabear，perhaps，atall，”hesaid。“Ifancyindeedthatyouareamanofverygoodbreeding，oratleastknowhowonoccasiontobehavelikeone。”

“Iamnotparticularlyinterestedinanyone’sopinion，”Svidrigailovanswered，drylyandevenwithashadeofhaughtiness，“andthereforewhynotbevulgarattimeswhenvulgarityissuchaconvenientcloakforourclimate…andespeciallyifonehasanaturalpropensitythatway，”headded，laughingagain。

“ButI’veheardyouhavemanyfriendshere。Youare，astheysay，‘notwithoutconnections。’Whatcanyouwantwithme，then，unlessyou’vesomespecialobject？”

“That’struethatIhavefriendshere，”Svidrigailovadmitted，notreplyingtothechiefpoint。“I’vemetsomealready。I’vebeenloungingaboutforthelastthreedays，andI’veseenthem，orthey’veseenme。That’samatterofcourse。Iamwelldressedandreckonednotapoorman；theemancipationoftheserfshasn’taffectedme；mypropertyconsistschieflyofforestsandwatermeadows。Therevenuehasnotfallenoff；but…Iamnotgoingtoseethem，Iwassickofthemlongago。I’vebeenherethreedaysandhavecalledonnoone。…Whatatownitis！Howhasitcomeintoexistenceamongus，tellmethat？Atownofofficialsandstudentsofallsorts。Yes，there’sagreatdealIdidn’tnoticewhenIwashereeightyearsago，kickingupmyheels。…Myonlyhopenowisinanatomy，byJove，itis！”

“Anatomy？”

“Butasfortheseclubs，Dussauts，parades，orprogress，indeed，maybe—well，allthatcangoonwithoutme，”hewenton，againwithoutnoticingthequestion。“Besides，whowantstobeacard-sharper？”

“Why，haveyoubeenacard-sharperthen？”

“HowcouldIhelpbeing？Therewasaregularsetofus，menofthebestsociety，eightyearsago；wehadafinetime。Andallmenofbreeding，youknow，poets，menofproperty。AndindeedasaruleinourRussiansocietythebestmannersarefoundamongthosewho’vebeenthrashed，haveyounoticedthat？I’vedeterioratedinthecountry。ButIdidgetintoprisonfordebt，throughalowGreekwhocamefromNezhin。ThenMarfaPetrovnaturnedup；shebargainedwithhimandboughtmeoffforthirtythousandsilverpieces(Iowedseventythousand)。Wewereunitedinlawfulwedlockandsheboremeoffintothecountrylikeatreasure。YouknowshewasfiveyearsolderthanI。Shewasveryfondofme。ForsevenyearsIneverleftthecountry。And，takenote，thatallmylifesheheldadocumentoverme，theIOUforthirtythousandroubles，soifIweretoelecttoberestiveaboutanythingIshouldbetrappedatonce！Andshewouldhavedoneit！Womenfindnothingincompatibleinthat。”

“Ifithadn’tbeenforthat，wouldyouhavegivenhertheslip？”

“Idon’tknowwhattosay。Itwasscarcelythedocumentrestrainedme。Ididn’twanttogoanywhereelse。MarfaPetrovnaherselfinvitedmetogoabroad，seeingIwasbored，butI’vebeenabroadbefore，andalwaysfeltsickthere。Fornoreason，butthesunrise，thebayofNaples，thesea—youlookatthemanditmakesyousad。What’smostrevoltingisthatoneisreallysad！No，it’sbetterathome。Hereatleastoneblamesothersforeverythingandexcusesoneself。IshouldhavegoneperhapsonanexpeditiontotheNorthPole，becausej’ailevinmauvaisandhatedrinking，andthere’snothingleftbutwine。Ihavetriedit。But，Isay，I’vebeentoldBergisgoingupinagreatballoonnextSundayfromtheYusupovGardenandwilltakeuppassengersatafee。Isittrue？”

“Why，wouldyougoup？”

“I…No，oh，no，”mutteredSvidrigailovreallyseemingtobedeepinthought。

“Whatdoeshemean？Isheinearnest？”Raskolnikovwondered。

“No，thedocumentdidn’trestrainme，”Svidrigailovwenton，meditatively。“Itwasmyowndoing，notleavingthecountry，andnearlyayearagoMarfaPetrovnagavemebackthedocumentonmyname-dayandmademeapresentofaconsiderablesumofmoney，too。Shehadafortune，youknow。‘YouseehowItrustyou，ArkadyIvanovitch’—thatwasactuallyherexpression。Youdon’tbelievesheusedit？ButdoyouknowImanagedtheestatequitedecently，theyknowmeintheneighbourhood。Iorderedbooks，too。MarfaPetrovnaatfirstapproved，butafterwardsshewasafraidofmyover-studying。”

“YouseemtobemissingMarfaPetrovnaverymuch？”

“Missingher？Perhaps。Really，perhapsIam。And，bytheway，doyoubelieveinghosts？”

“Whatghosts？”

“Why，ordinaryghosts。”

“Doyoubelieveinthem？”

“Perhapsnot，pourvousplaire。…Iwouldn’tsaynoexactly。”

“Doyouseethem，then？”

Svidrigailovlookedathimratheroddly。

“MarfaPetrovnaispleasedtovisitme，”hesaid，twistinghismouthintoastrangesmile。

“Howdoyoumean‘sheispleasedtovisityou’？”

“Shehasbeenthreetimes。Isawherfirstontheverydayofthefuneral，anhouraftershewasburied。ItwasthedaybeforeIlefttocomehere。Thesecondtimewasthedaybeforeyesterday，atdaybreak，onthejourneyatthestationofMalayaVishera，andthethirdtimewastwohoursagointheroomwhereIamstaying。Iwasalone。”

“Wereyouawake？”

“Quiteawake。Iwaswideawakeeverytime。Shecomes，speakstomeforaminuteandgoesoutatthedoor—alwaysatthedoor。Icanalmosthearher。”

“Whatmademethinkthatsomethingofthesortmustbehappeningtoyou？”Raskolnikovsaidsuddenly。

Atthesamemomenthewassurprisedathavingsaidit。Hewasmuchexcited。

“What！Didyouthinkso？”Svidrigailovaskedinastonishment。“Didyoureally？Didn’tIsaythattherewassomethingincommonbetweenus，eh？”

“Youneversaidso！”Raskolnikovcriedsharplyandwithheat。

“Didn’tI？”

“No！”

“IthoughtIdid。WhenIcameinandsawyoulyingwithyoureyesshut，pretending，Isaidtomyselfatonce，‘Here’stheman。’”

“Whatdoyoumeanby‘theman？’Whatareyoutalkingabout？”criedRaskolnikov。

“WhatdoImean？Ireallydon’tknow。…”Svidrigailovmutteredingenuously，asthoughhe，too，werepuzzled。

Foraminutetheyweresilent。Theystaredineachother’sfaces。

“That’sallnonsense！”Raskolnikovshoutedwithvexation。“Whatdoesshesaywhenshecomestoyou？”

“She！Wouldyoubelieveit，shetalksofthesilliesttriflesand—manisastrangecreature—itmakesmeangry。Thefirsttimeshecamein(Iwastiredyouknow:thefuneralservice，thefuneralceremony，thelunchafterwards。AtlastIwasleftaloneinmystudy。Ilightedacigarandbegantothink)，shecameinatthedoor。‘You’vebeensobusyto-day，ArkadyIvanovitch，youhaveforgottentowindthedining-roomclock，’shesaid。AllthosesevenyearsI’vewoundthatclockeveryweek，andifIforgotitshewouldalwaysremindme。ThenextdayIsetoffonmywayhere。Igotoutatthestationatdaybreak；I’dbeenasleep，tiredout，withmyeyeshalfopen，Iwasdrinkingsomecoffee。IlookedupandtherewassuddenlyMarfaPetrovnasittingbesidemewithapackofcardsinherhands。‘ShallItellyourfortuneforthejourney，ArkadyIvanovitch？’Shewasagreathandattellingfortunes。Ishallneverforgivemyselffornotaskingherto。Iranawayinafright，and，besides，thebellrang。Iwassittingto-day，feelingveryheavyafteramiserabledinnerfromacookshop；Iwassittingsmoking，allofasuddenMarfaPetrovnaagain。Shecameinverysmartinanewgreensilkdresswithalongtrain。‘Goodday，ArkadyIvanovitch！Howdoyoulikemydress？Aniskacan’tmakelikethis。’(Aniskawasadressmakerinthecountry，oneofourformerserfgirlswhohadbeentrainedinMoscow，aprettywench。)Shestoodturningroundbeforeme。Ilookedatthedress，andthenIlookedcarefully，verycarefully，atherface。‘Iwonderyoutroubletocometomeaboutsuchtrifles，MarfaPetrovna。’‘Goodgracious，youwon’tletonedisturbyouaboutanything！’ToteaseherIsaid，‘Iwanttogetmarried，MarfaPetrovna。’‘That’sjustlikeyou，ArkadyIvanovitch；itdoesyouverylittlecredittocomelookingforabridewhenyou’vehardlyburiedyourwife。Andifyoucouldmakeagoodchoice，atleast，butIknowitwon’tbeforyourhappinessorhers，youwillonlybealaughing-stocktoallgoodpeople。’Thenshewentoutandhertrainseemedtorustle。Isn’titnonsense，eh？”

“Butperhapsyouaretellinglies？”Raskolnikovputin。

“Irarelylie，”answeredSvidrigailovthoughtfully，apparentlynotnoticingtherudenessofthequestion。

“Andinthepast，haveyoueverseenghostsbefore？”

“Y-yes，Ihaveseenthem，butonlyonceinmylife，sixyearsago。Ihadaserf，Filka；justafterhisburialIcalledoutforgetting‘Filka，mypipe！’Hecameinandwenttothecupboardwheremypipeswere。Isatstillandthought‘heisdoingitoutofrevenge，’becausewehadaviolentquarreljustbeforehisdeath。‘Howdareyoucomeinwithaholeinyourelbow？’Isaid。‘Goaway，youscamp！’Heturnedandwentout，andnevercameagain。Ididn’ttellMarfaPetrovnaatthetime。Iwantedtohaveaservicesungforhim，butIwasashamed。”

“Youshouldgotoadoctor。”

“IknowIamnotwell，withoutyourtellingme，thoughIdon’tknowwhat’swrong；IbelieveIamfivetimesasstrongasyouare。Ididn’taskyouwhetheryoubelievethatghostsareseen，butwhetheryoubelievethattheyexist。”

“No，Iwon’tbelieveit！”Raskolnikovcried，withpositiveanger。

“Whatdopeoplegenerallysay？”mutteredSvidrigailov，asthoughspeakingtohimself，lookingasideandbowinghishead。“Theysay，‘Youareill，sowhatappearstoyouisonlyunrealfantasy。’Butthat’snotstrictlylogical。Iagreethatghostsonlyappeartothesick，butthatonlyprovesthattheyareunabletoappearexcepttothesick，notthattheydon’texist。”

“Nothingofthesort，”Raskolnikovinsistedirritably。

“No？Youdon’tthinkso？”Svidrigailovwenton，lookingathimdeliberately。“Butwhatdoyousaytothisargument(helpmewithit):ghostsare，asitwere，shredsandfragmentsofotherworlds，thebeginningofthem。Amaninhealthhas，ofcourse，noreasontoseethem，becauseheisaboveallamanofthisearthandisboundforthesakeofcompletenessandordertoliveonlyinthislife。Butassoonasoneisill，assoonasthenormalearthlyorderoftheorganismisbroken，onebeginstorealisethepossibilityofanotherworld；andthemoreseriouslyilloneis，thecloserbecomesone’scontactwiththatotherworld，sothatassoonasthemandieshestepsstraightintothatworld。Ithoughtofthatlongago。Ifyoubelieveinafuturelife，youcouldbelieveinthat，too。”

“Idon’tbelieveinafuturelife，”saidRaskolnikov。

Svidrigailovsatlostinthought。

“Andwhatifthereareonlyspidersthere，orsomethingofthatsort，”hesaidsuddenly。

“Heisamadman，”thoughtRaskolnikov。

“Wealwaysimagineeternityassomethingbeyondourconception，somethingvast，vast！Butwhymustitbevast？Insteadofallthat，whatifit’sonelittleroom，likeabathhouseinthecountry，blackandgrimyandspidersineverycorner，andthat’salleternityis？Isometimesfancyitlikethat。”

“Canitbeyoucanimaginenothingjusterandmorecomfortingthanthat？”Raskolnikovcried，withafeelingofanguish。

“Juster？Andhowcanwetell，perhapsthatisjust，anddoyouknowit’swhatIwouldcertainlyhavemadeit，”answeredSvidrigailov，withavaguesmile。

ThishorribleanswersentacoldchillthroughRaskolnikov。Svidrigailovraisedhishead，lookedathim，andsuddenlybeganlaughing。

“Onlythink，”hecried，“halfanhouragowehadneverseeneachother，weregardedeachotherasenemies；thereisamatterunsettledbetweenus；we’vethrownitaside，andawaywe’vegoneintotheabstract！Wasn’tIrightinsayingthatwewerebirdsofafeather？”

“Kindlyallowme，”Raskolnikovwentonirritably，“toaskyoutoexplainwhyyouhavehonouredmewithyourvisit…and…andIaminahurry，Ihavenotimetowaste。Iwanttogoout。”

“Byallmeans，byallmeans。Yoursister，AvdotyaRomanovna，isgoingtobemarriedtoMr。Luzhin，PyotrPetrovitch？”

“Canyourefrainfromanyquestionaboutmysisterandfrommentioninghername？Ican’tunderstandhowyoudareutterhernameinmypresence，ifyoureallyareSvidrigailov。”

“Why，butI’vecomeheretospeakabouther；howcanIavoidmentioningher？”

“Verygood，speak，butmakehaste。”

“IamsurethatyoumusthaveformedyourownopinionofthisMr。Luzhin，whoisaconnectionofminethroughmywife，ifyouhaveonlyseenhimforhalfanhour，orheardanyfactsabouthim。HeisnomatchforAvdotyaRomanovna。IbelieveAvdotyaRomanovnaissacrificingherselfgenerouslyandimprudentlyforthesakeof…forthesakeofherfamily。IfanciedfromallIhadheardofyouthatyouwouldbeverygladifthematchcouldbebrokenoffwithoutthesacrificeofworldlyadvantages。NowIknowyoupersonally，Iamconvincedofit。”

“Allthisisverynaive…excuseme，Ishouldhavesaidimpudentonyourpart，”saidRaskolnikov。

“YoumeantosaythatIamseekingmyownends。Don’tbeuneasy，RodionRomanovitch，ifIwereworkingformyownadvantage，Iwouldnothavespokenoutsodirectly。Iamnotquiteafool。Iwillconfesssomethingpsychologicallycuriousaboutthat:justnow，defendingmyloveforAvdotyaRomanovna，IsaidIwasmyselfthevictim。Well，letmetellyouthatI’venofeelingoflovenow，nottheslightest，sothatIwondermyselfindeed，forIreallydidfeelsomething…”

“Throughidlenessanddepravity，”Raskolnikovputin。

“Icertainlyamidleanddepraved，butyoursisterhassuchqualitiesthatevenIcouldnothelpbeingimpressedbythem。Butthat’sallnonsense，asIseemyselfnow。”

“Haveyouseenthatlong？”

“Ibegantobeawareofitbefore，butwasonlyperfectlysureofitthedaybeforeyesterday，almostatthemomentIarrivedinPetersburg。IstillfanciedinMoscow，though，thatIwascomingtotrytogetAvdotyaRomanovna’shandandtocutoutMr。Luzhin。”

“Excusemeforinterruptingyou；kindlybebrief，andcometotheobjectofyourvisit。Iaminahurry，Iwanttogoout…”

“Withthegreatestpleasure。Onarrivinghereanddeterminingonacertain…journey，Ishouldliketomakesomenecessarypreliminaryarrangements。Ileftmychildrenwithanaunt；theyarewellprovidedfor；andtheyhavenoneedofmepersonally。AndanicefatherIshouldmake，too！IhavetakennothingbutwhatMarfaPetrovnagavemeayearago。That’senoughforme。Excuseme，Iamjustcomingtothepoint。Beforethejourneywhichmaycomeoff，IwanttosettleMr。Luzhin，too。It’snotthatIdetesthimsomuch，butitwasthroughhimIquarrelledwithMarfaPetrovnawhenIlearnedthatshehaddishedupthismarriage。IwantnowtoseeAvdotyaRomanovnathroughyourmediation，andifyoulikeinyourpresence，toexplaintoherthatinthefirstplaceshewillnevergainanythingbutharmfromMr。Luzhin。Then，beggingherpardonforallpastunpleasantness，tomakeherapresentoftenthousandroublesandsoassisttherupturewithMr。Luzhin，arupturetowhichIbelievesheisherselfnotdisinclined，ifshecouldseethewaytoit。”

“Youarecertainlymad，”criedRaskolnikovnotsomuchangeredasastonished。“Howdareyoutalklikethat！”

“Iknewyouwouldscreamatme；butinthefirstplace，thoughIamnotrich，thistenthousandroublesisperfectlyfree；Ihaveabsolutelynoneedforit。IfAvdotyaRomanovnadoesnotacceptit，Ishallwasteitinsomemorefoolishway。That’sthefirstthing。Secondly，myconscienceisperfectlyeasy；Imaketheofferwithnoulteriormotive。Youmaynotbelieveit，butintheendAvdotyaRomanovnaandyouwillknow。Thepointis，thatIdidactuallycauseyoursister，whomIgreatlyrespect，sometroubleandunpleasantness，andso，sincerelyregrettingit，Iwant—nottocompensate，nottorepayherfortheunpleasantness，butsimplytodosomethingtoheradvantage，toshowthatIamnot，afterall，privilegedtodonothingbutharm。Iftherewereamillionthfractionofself-interestinmyoffer，Ishouldnothavemadeitsoopenly；andIshouldnothaveofferedhertenthousandonly，whenfiveweeksagoIofferedhermore，Besides，Imay，perhaps，verysoonmarryayounglady，andthataloneoughttopreventsuspicionofanydesignonAvdotyaRomanovna。Inconclusion，letmesaythatinmarryingMr。Luzhin，sheistakingmoneyjustthesame，onlyfromanotherman。Don’tbeangry，RodionRomanovitch，thinkitovercoollyandquietly。”

Svidrigailovhimselfwasexceedinglycoolandquietashewassayingthis。

“Ibegyoutosaynomore，”saidRaskolnikov。“Inanycasethisisunpardonableimpertinence。”

“Notintheleast。Thenamanmaydonothingbutharmtohisneighbourinthisworld，andispreventedfromdoingthetiniestbitofgoodbytrivialconventionalformalities。That’sabsurd。IfIdied，forinstance，andleftthatsumtoyoursisterinmywill，surelyshewouldn’trefuseit？”

“Verylikelyshewould。”

“Oh，no，indeed。However，ifyourefuseit，sobeit，thoughtenthousandroublesisacapitalthingtohaveonoccasion。InanycaseIbegyoutorepeatwhatIhavesaidtoAvdotyaRomanovna。”

“No，Iwon’t。”

“Inthatcase，RodionRomanovitch，Ishallbeobligedtotryandseehermyselfandworryherbydoingso。”

“AndifIdotellher，willyounottrytoseeher？”

“Idon’tknowreallywhattosay。Ishouldlikeverymuchtoseeheroncemore。”

“Don’thopeforit。”

“I’msorry。Butyoudon’tknowme。Perhapswemaybecomebetterfriends。”

“Youthinkwemaybecomefriends？”

“Andwhynot？”Svidrigailovsaid，smiling。Hestoodupandtookhishat。“Ididn’tquiteintendtodisturbyouandIcameherewithoutreckoningonit…thoughIwasverymuchstruckbyyourfacethismorning。”

“Wheredidyouseemethismorning？”Raskolnikovaskeduneasily。

“Isawyoubychance。…Ikeptfancyingthereissomethingaboutyoulikeme。…Butdon’tbeuneasy。Iamnotintrusive；Iusedtogetonallrightwithcard-sharpers，andIneverboredPrinceSvirbey，agreatpersonagewhoisadistantrelationofmine，andIcouldwriteaboutRaphael’sMadonnainMadamPrilukov’salbum，andIneverleftMarfaPetrovna’ssideforsevenyears，andIusedtostaythenightatViazemsky’shouseintheHayMarketintheolddays，andImaygoupinaballoonwithBerg，perhaps。”

“Oh，allright。Areyoustartingsoononyourtravels，mayIask？”

“Whattravels？”

“Why，onthat‘journey’；youspokeofityourself。”

“Ajourney？Oh，yes。Ididspeakofajourney。Well，that’sawidesubject。…ifonlyyouknewwhatyouareasking，”headded，andgaveasudden，loud，shortlaugh。“PerhapsI’llgetmarriedinsteadofthejourney。They’remakingamatchforme。”

“Here？”

“Yes。”

“Howhaveyouhadtimeforthat？”

“ButIamveryanxioustoseeAvdotyaRomanovnaonce。Iearnestlybegit。Well，good-byeforthepresent。Oh，yes。Ihaveforgottensomething。Tellyoursister，RodionRomanovitch，thatMarfaPetrovnarememberedherinherwillandleftherthreethousandroubles。That’sabsolutelycertain。MarfaPetrovnaarrangeditaweekbeforeherdeath，anditwasdoneinmypresence。AvdotyaRomanovnawillbeabletoreceivethemoneyintwoorthreeweeks。”

“Areyoutellingthetruth？”

“Yes，tellher。Well，yourservant。Iamstayingverynearyou。”

Ashewentout，SvidrigailovranupagainstRazumihininthedoorway。

Itwasnearlyeighto’clock。ThetwoyoungmenhurriedtoBakaleyev’s，toarrivebeforeLuzhin。

“Why，whowasthat？”askedRazumihin，assoonastheywereinthestreet。

“ItwasSvidrigailov，thatlandownerinwhosehousemysisterwasinsultedwhenshewastheirgoverness。Throughhispersecutingherwithhisattentions，shewasturnedoutbyhiswife，MarfaPetrovna。ThisMarfaPetrovnabeggedDounia’sforgivenessafterwards，andshe’sjustdiedsuddenly。Itwasofherweweretalkingthismorning。Idon’tknowwhyI’mafraidofthatman。Hecamehereatonceafterhiswife’sfuneral。Heisverystrange，andisdeterminedondoingsomething。…WemustguardDouniafromhim…that’swhatIwantedtotellyou，doyouhear？”

“Guardher！WhatcanhedotoharmAvdotyaRomanovna？Thankyou，Rodya，forspeakingtomelikethat。…Wewill，wewillguardher。Wheredoeshelive？”

“Idon’tknow。”

“Whydidn’tyouask？Whatapity！I’llfindout，though。”

“Didyouseehim？”askedRaskolnikovafterapause。

“Yes，Inoticedhim，Inoticedhimwell。”

“Youdidreallyseehim？Yousawhimclearly？”Raskolnikovinsisted。

“Yes，Irememberhimperfectly，Ishouldknowhiminathousand；Ihaveagoodmemoryforfaces。”

Theyweresilentagain。

“Hm！…that’sallright，”mutteredRaskolnikov。“Doyouknow，Ifancied…Ikeepthinkingthatitmayhavebeenanhallucination。”

“Whatdoyoumean？Idon’tunderstandyou。”

“Well，youallsay，”Raskolnikovwenton，twistinghismouthintoasmile，“thatIammad。IthoughtjustnowthatperhapsIreallyammad，andhaveonlyseenaphantom。”

“Whatdoyoumean？”

“Why，whocantell？PerhapsIamreallymad，andperhapseverythingthathappenedallthesedaysmaybeonlyimagination。”

“Ach，Rodya，youhavebeenupsetagain！…Butwhatdidhesay，whatdidhecomefor？”

Raskolnikovdidnotanswer。Razumihinthoughtaminute。

“Nowletmetellyoumystory，”hebegan，“Icametoyou，youwereasleep。ThenwehaddinnerandthenIwenttoPorfiry’s，Zametovwasstillwithhim。Itriedtobegin，butitwasnouse。Icouldn’tspeakintherightway。Theydon’tseemtounderstandandcan’tunderstand，butarenotabitashamed。IdrewPorfirytothewindow，andbegantalkingtohim，butitwasstillnouse。HelookedawayandIlookedaway。AtlastIshookmyfistinhisuglyface，andtoldhimasacousinI’dbrainhim。Hemerelylookedatme，Icursedandcameaway。Thatwasall。Itwasverystupid。ToZametovIdidn’tsayaword。But，yousee，IthoughtI’dmadeamessofit，butasIwentdownstairsabrilliantideastruckme:whyshouldwetrouble？Ofcourseifyouwereinanydangeroranything，butwhyneedyoucare？Youneedn’tcareahangforthem。Weshallhavealaughatthemafterwards，andifIwereinyourplaceI’dmystifythemmorethanever。Howashamedthey’llbeafterwards！Hangthem！Wecanthrashthemafterwards，butlet’slaughatthemnow！”

“Tobesure，”answeredRaskolnikov。“Butwhatwillyousayto-morrow？”hethoughttohimself。Strangetosay，tillthatmomentithadneveroccurredtohimtowonderwhatRazumihinwouldthinkwhenheknew。Ashethoughtit，Raskolnikovlookedathim。Razumihin’saccountofhisvisittoPorfiryhadverylittleinterestforhim，somuchhadcomeandgonesincethen。

InthecorridortheycameuponLuzhin；hehadarrivedpunctuallyateight，andwaslookingforthenumber，sothatallthreewentintogetherwithoutgreetingorlookingatoneanother。Theyoungmenwalkedinfirst，whilePyotrPetrovitch，forgoodmanners，lingeredalittleinthepassage，takingoffhiscoat。PulcheriaAlexandrovnacameforwardatoncetogreethiminthedoorway，Douniawaswelcomingherbrother。PyotrPetrovitchwalkedinandquiteamiably，thoughwithredoubleddignity，bowedtotheladies。Helooked，however，asthoughhewerealittleputoutandcouldnotyetrecoverhimself。PulcheriaAlexandrovna，whoseemedalsoalittleembarrassed，hastenedtomakethemallsitdownattheroundtablewhereasamovarwasboiling。DouniaandLuzhinwerefacingoneanotheronoppositesidesofthetable。RazumihinandRaskolnikovwerefacingPulcheriaAlexandrovna，RazumihinwasnexttoLuzhinandRaskolnikovwasbesidehissister。

Amoment’ssilencefollowed。PyotrPetrovitchdeliberatelydrewoutacambrichandkerchiefreekingofscentandblewhisnosewithanairofabenevolentmanwhofelthimselfslighted，andwasfirmlyresolvedtoinsistonanexplanation。Inthepassagetheideahadoccurredtohimtokeeponhisovercoatandwalkaway，andsogivethetwoladiesasharpandemphaticlessonandmakethemfeelthegravityoftheposition。Buthecouldnotbringhimselftodothis。Besides，hecouldnotendureuncertainty，andhewantedanexplanation:ifhisrequesthadbeensoopenlydisobeyed，therewassomethingbehindit，andinthatcaseitwasbettertofinditoutbeforehand；itrestedwithhimtopunishthemandtherewouldalwaysbetimeforthat。

“Itrustyouhadafavourablejourney，”heinquiredofficiallyofPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“Oh，very，PyotrPetrovitch。”

“Iamgratifiedtohearit。AndAvdotyaRomanovnaisnotover-fatiguedeither？”

“Iamyoungandstrong，Idon’tgettired，butitwasagreatstrainformother，”answeredDounia。

“That’sunavoidable！ournationalrailwaysareofterriblelength。‘MotherRussia，’astheysay，isavastcountry。…Inspiteofallmydesiretodoso，Iwasunabletomeetyouyesterday。ButItrustallpassedoffwithoutinconvenience？”

“Oh，no，PyotrPetrovitch，itwasallterriblydisheartening，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnahastenedtodeclarewithpeculiarintonation，“andifDmitriProkofitchhadnotbeensentus，IreallybelievebyGodHimself，weshouldhavebeenutterlylost。Here，heis！DmitriProkofitchRazumihin，”sheadded，introducinghimtoLuzhin。

“Ihadthepleasure…yesterday，”mutteredPyotrPetrovitchwithahostileglancesidelongatRazumihin；thenhescowledandwassilent。

PyotrPetrovitchbelongedtothatclassofpersons，onthesurfaceverypoliteinsociety，whomakeagreatpointofpunctiliousness，butwho，directlytheyarecrossedinanything，arecompletelydisconcerted，andbecomemorelikesacksofflourthanelegantandlivelymenofsociety。Againallwassilent；Raskolnikovwasobstinatelymute，AvdotyaRomanovnawasunwillingtoopentheconversationtoosoon。Razumihinhadnothingtosay，soPulcheriaAlexandrovnawasanxiousagain。

“MarfaPetrovnaisdead，haveyouheard？”shebeganhavingrecoursetoherleadingitemofconversation。

“Tobesure，Iheardso。Iwasimmediatelyinformed，andIhavecometomakeyouacquaintedwiththefactthatArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailovsetoffinhasteforPetersburgimmediatelyafterhiswife’sfuneral。SoatleastIhaveexcellentauthorityforbelieving。”

“ToPetersburg？here？”Douniaaskedinalarmandlookedathermother。

“Yes，indeed，anddoubtlessnotwithoutsomedesign，havinginviewtherapidityofhisdeparture，andallthecircumstancesprecedingit。”

“Goodheavens！won’theleaveDouniainpeaceevenhere？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

“IimaginethatneitheryounorAvdotyaRomanovnahaveanygroundsforuneasiness，unless，ofcourse，youareyourselvesdesirousofgettingintocommunicationwithhim。FormypartIamonmyguard，andamnowdiscoveringwhereheislodging。”

“Oh，PyotrPetrovitch，youwouldnotbelievewhatafrightyouhavegivenme，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnawenton:“I’veonlyseenhimtwice，butIthoughthimterrible，terrible！IamconvincedthathewasthecauseofMarfaPetrovna’sdeath。”

“It’simpossibletobecertainaboutthat。Ihavepreciseinformation。Idonotdisputethathemayhavecontributedtoacceleratethecourseofeventsbythemoralinfluence，sotosay，oftheaffront；butastothegeneralconductandmoralcharacteristicsofthatpersonage，Iaminagreementwithyou。Idonotknowwhetherheiswelloffnow，andpreciselywhatMarfaPetrovnalefthim；thiswillbeknowntomewithinaveryshortperiod；butnodoubthereinPetersburg，ifhehasanypecuniaryresources，hewillrelapseatonceintohisoldways。Heisthemostdepraved，andabjectlyviciousspecimenofthatclassofmen。IhaveconsiderablereasontobelievethatMarfaPetrovna，whowassounfortunateastofallinlovewithhimandtopayhisdebtseightyearsago，wasofservicetohimalsoinanotherway。Solelybyherexertionsandsacrifices，acriminalcharge，involvinganelementoffantasticandhomicidalbrutalityforwhichhemightwellhavebeensentencedtoSiberia，washushedup。That’sthesortofmanheis，ifyoucaretoknow。”

“Goodheavens！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Raskolnikovlistenedattentively。

“Areyouspeakingthetruthwhenyousaythatyouhavegoodevidenceofthis？”Douniaaskedsternlyandemphatically。

“IonlyrepeatwhatIwastoldinsecretbyMarfaPetrovna。Imustobservethatfromthelegalpointofviewthecasewasfarfromclear。Therewas，andIbelievestillis，livinghereawomancalledResslich，aforeigner，wholentsmallsumsofmoneyatinterest，anddidothercommissions，andwiththiswomanSvidrigailovhadforalongwhilecloseandmysteriousrelations。Shehadarelation，anieceIbelieve，livingwithher，adeafanddumbgirloffifteen，orperhapsnotmorethanfourteen。Resslichhatedthisgirl，andgrudgedhereverycrust；sheusedtobeathermercilessly。Onedaythegirlwasfoundhanginginthegarret。Attheinquesttheverdictwassuicide。Aftertheusualproceedingsthematterended，but，lateron，informationwasgiventhatthechildhadbeen…cruellyoutragedbySvidrigailov。Itistrue，thiswasnotclearlyestablished，theinformationwasgivenbyanotherGermanwomanofloosecharacterwhosewordcouldnotbetrusted；nostatementwasactuallymadetothepolice，thankstoMarfaPetrovna’smoneyandexertions；itdidnotgetbeyondgossip。Andyetthestoryisaverysignificantone。Youheard，nodoubt，AvdotyaRomanovna，whenyouwerewiththemthestoryoftheservantPhilipwhodiedofilltreatmenthereceivedsixyearsago，beforetheabolitionofserfdom。”

“Iheard，onthecontrary，thatthisPhiliphangedhimself。”

“Quiteso，butwhatdrovehim，orratherperhapsdisposedhim，tosuicidewasthesystematicpersecutionandseverityofMr。Svidrigailov。”

“Idon’tknowthat，”answeredDounia，dryly。“IonlyheardaqueerstorythatPhilipwasasortofhypochondriac，asortofdomesticphilosopher，theservantsusedtosay，‘hereadhimselfsilly，’andthathehangedhimselfpartlyonaccountofMr。Svidrigailov’smockeryofhimandnothisblows。WhenIwastherehebehavedwelltotheservants，andtheywereactuallyfondofhim，thoughtheycertainlydidblamehimforPhilip’sdeath。”

“Iperceive，AvdotyaRomanovna，thatyouseemdisposedtoundertakehisdefenceallofasudden，”Luzhinobserved，twistinghislipsintoanambiguoussmile，“there’snodoubtthatheisanastuteman，andinsinuatingwhereladiesareconcerned，ofwhichMarfaPetrovna，whohasdiedsostrangely，isaterribleinstance。Myonlydesirehasbeentobeofservicetoyouandyourmotherwithmyadvice，inviewoftherenewedeffortswhichmaycertainlybeanticipatedfromhim。Formypartit’smyfirmconviction，thathewillendinadebtor’sprisonagain。MarfaPetrovnahadnottheslightestintentionofsettlinganythingsubstantialonhim，havingregardforhischildren’sinterests，and，ifshelefthimanything，itwouldonlybethemerestsufficiency，somethinginsignificantandephemeral，whichwouldnotlastayearforamanofhishabits。”

“PyotrPetrovitch，Ibegyou，”saidDounia，“saynomoreofMr。Svidrigailov。Itmakesmemiserable。”

“Hehasjustbeentoseeme，”saidRaskolnikov，breakinghissilenceforthefirsttime。

Therewereexclamationsfromall，andtheyallturnedtohim。EvenPyotrPetrovitchwasroused。

“Anhourandahalfago，hecameinwhenIwasasleep，wakedme，andintroducedhimself，”Raskolnikovcontinued。“Hewasfairlycheerfulandatease，andquitehopesthatweshallbecomefriends。Heisparticularlyanxious，bytheway，Dounia，foraninterviewwithyou，atwhichheaskedmetoassist。Hehasapropositiontomaketoyou，andhetoldmeaboutit。Hetoldme，too，thataweekbeforeherdeathMarfaPetrovnaleftyouthreethousandroublesinherwill，Dounia，andthatyoucanreceivethemoneyveryshortly。”

“ThankGod！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna，crossingherself。“Prayforhersoul，Dounia！”

“It’safact！”brokefromLuzhin。

“Tellus，whatmore？”DouniaurgedRaskolnikov。

“Thenhesaidthathewasn’trichandalltheestatewaslefttohischildrenwhoarenowwithanaunt，thenthathewasstayingsomewherenotfarfromme，butwhere，Idon’tknow，Ididn’task。…”

“Butwhat，whatdoeshewanttoproposetoDounia？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovnainafright。“Didhetellyou？”

“Yes。”

“Whatwasit？”

“I’lltellyouafterwards。”

Raskolnikovceasedspeakingandturnedhisattentiontohistea。

PyotrPetrovitchlookedathiswatch。

“Iamcompelledtokeepabusinessengagement，andsoIshallnotbeinyourway，”headdedwithanairofsomepiqueandhebegangettingup。

“Don’tgo，PyotrPetrovitch，”saidDounia，“youintendedtospendtheevening。Besides，youwroteyourselfthatyouwantedtohaveanexplanationwithmother。”

“Preciselyso，AvdotyaRomanovna，”PyotrPetrovitchansweredimpressively，sittingdownagain，butstillholdinghishat。“Icertainlydesiredanexplanationwithyouandyourhonouredmotheruponaveryimportantpointindeed。ButasyourbrothercannotspeakopenlyinmypresenceofsomeproposalsofMr。Svidrigailov，I，too，donotdesireandamnotabletospeakopenly…inthepresenceofothers…ofcertainmattersofthegreatestgravity。Moreover，mymostweightyandurgentrequesthasbeendisregarded。…”

Assuminganaggrievedair，Luzhinrelapsedintodignifiedsilence。

“Yourrequestthatmybrothershouldnotbepresentatourmeetingwasdisregardedsolelyatmyinstance，”saidDounia。“Youwrotethatyouhadbeeninsultedbymybrother；Ithinkthatthismustbeexplainedatonce，andyoumustbereconciled。AndifRodyareallyhasinsultedyou，thenheshouldandwillapologise。”

PyotrPetrovitchtookastrongerline。

“Thereareinsults，AvdotyaRomanovna，whichnogoodwillcanmakeusforget。Thereisalineineverythingwhichitisdangeroustooverstep；andwhenithasbeenoverstepped，thereisnoreturn。”

“Thatwasn’twhatIwasspeakingofexactly，PyotrPetrovitch，”Douniainterruptedwithsomeimpatience。“Pleaseunderstandthatourwholefuturedependsnowonwhetherallthisisexplainedandsetrightassoonaspossible。ItellyoufranklyatthestartthatIcannotlookatitinanyotherlight，andifyouhavetheleastregardforme，allthisbusinessmustbeendedto-day，howeverhardthatmaybe。Irepeatthatifmybrotheristoblamehewillaskyourforgiveness。”

“Iamsurprisedatyourputtingthequestionlikethat，”saidLuzhin，gettingmoreandmoreirritated。“Esteeming，andsotosay，adoringyou，Imayatthesametime，verywellindeed，beabletodislikesomememberofyourfamily。ThoughIlayclaimtothehappinessofyourhand，Icannotacceptdutiesincompatiblewith…”

“Ah，don’tbesoreadytotakeoffence，PyotrPetrovitch，”Douniainterruptedwithfeeling，“andbethesensibleandgenerousmanIhavealwaysconsidered，andwishtoconsider，youtobe。I’vegivenyouagreatpromise，Iamyourbetrothed。Trustmeinthismatterand，believeme，Ishallbecapableofjudgingimpartially。Myassumingthepartofjudgeisasmuchasurpriseformybrotherasforyou。WhenIinsistedonhiscomingtoourinterviewto-dayafteryourletter，ItoldhimnothingofwhatImeanttodo。Understandthat，ifyouarenotreconciled，Imustchoosebetweenyou—itmustbeeitheryouorhe。Thatishowthequestionrestsonyoursideandonhis。Idon’twanttobemistakeninmychoice，andImustnotbe。ForyoursakeImustbreakoffwithmybrother，formybrother’ssakeImustbreakoffwithyou。Icanfindoutforcertainnowwhetherheisabrothertome，andIwanttoknowit；andofyou，whetherIamdeartoyou，whetheryouesteemme，whetheryouarethehusbandforme。”

“AvdotyaRomanovna，”Luzhindeclaredhuffily，“yourwordsareoftoomuchconsequencetome；Iwillsaymore，theyareoffensiveinviewofthepositionIhavethehonourtooccupyinrelationtoyou。Tosaynothingofyourstrangeandoffensivesettingmeonalevelwithanimpertinentboy，youadmitthepossibilityofbreakingyourpromisetome。Yousay‘youorhe，’showingtherebyofhowlittleconsequenceIaminyoureyes…Icannotletthispassconsideringtherelationshipand…theobligationsexistingbetweenus。”

“What！”criedDounia，flushing。“Isetyourinterestbesideallthathashithertobeenmostpreciousinmylife，whathasmadeupthewholeofmylife，andhereyouareoffendedatmymakingtoolittleaccountofyou。”

Raskolnikovsmiledsarcastically，Razumihinfidgeted，butPyotrPetrovitchdidnotacceptthereproof；onthecontrary，ateverywordhebecamemorepersistentandirritable，asthoughherelishedit。

“Loveforthefuturepartnerofyourlife，foryourhusband，oughttooutweighyourloveforyourbrother，”hepronouncedsententiously，“andinanycaseIcannotbeputonthesamelevel。…AlthoughIsaidsoemphaticallythatIwouldnotspeakopenlyinyourbrother’spresence，nevertheless，Iintendnowtoaskyourhonouredmotherforanecessaryexplanationonapointofgreatimportancecloselyaffectingmydignity。Yourson，”heturnedtoPulcheriaAlexandrovna，“yesterdayinthepresenceofMr。Razsudkin(or…Ithinkthat’sit？excusemeIhaveforgottenyoursurname，”hebowedpolitelytoRazumihin)“insultedmebymisrepresentingtheideaIexpressedtoyouinaprivateconversation，drinkingcoffee，thatis，thatmarriagewithapoorgirlwhohashadexperienceoftroubleismoreadvantageousfromtheconjugalpointofviewthanwithonewhohaslivedinluxury，sinceitismoreprofitableforthemoralcharacter。Yoursonintentionallyexaggeratedthesignificanceofmywordsandmadethemridiculous，accusingmeofmaliciousintentions，and，asfarasIcouldsee，relieduponyourcorrespondencewithhim。Ishallconsidermyselfhappy，PulcheriaAlexandrovna，ifitispossibleforyoutoconvincemeofanoppositeconclusion，andtherebyconsideratelyreassureme。KindlyletmeknowinwhattermspreciselyyourepeatedmywordsinyourlettertoRodionRomanovitch。”

“Idon’tremember，”falteredPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“IrepeatedthemasIunderstoodthem。Idon’tknowhowRodyarepeatedthemtoyou，perhapsheexaggerated。”

“Hecouldnothaveexaggeratedthem，exceptatyourinstigation。”

“PyotrPetrovitch，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnadeclaredwithdignity，“theproofthatDouniaandIdidnottakeyourwordsinaverybadsenseisthefactthatwearehere。”

“Good，mother，”saidDouniaapprovingly。

“Thenthisismyfaultagain，”saidLuzhin，aggrieved。

“Well，PyotrPetrovitch，youkeepblamingRodion，butyouyourselfhavejustwrittenwhatwasfalseabouthim，”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaadded，gainingcourage。

“Idon’trememberwritinganythingfalse。”

“Youwrote，”Raskolnikovsaidsharply，notturningtoLuzhin，“thatIgavemoneyyesterdaynottothewidowofthemanwhowaskilled，aswasthefact，buttohisdaughter(whomIhadneverseentillyesterday)。Youwrotethistomakedissensionbetweenmeandmyfamily，andforthatobjectaddedcoarseexpressionsabouttheconductofagirlwhomyoudon’tknow。Allthatismeanslander。”

“Excuseme，sir，”saidLuzhin，quiveringwithfury。“Ienlargeduponyourqualitiesandconductinmylettersolelyinresponsetoyoursister’sandmother’sinquiries，howIfoundyou，andwhatimpressionyoumadeonme。Asforwhatyou’vealludedtoinmyletter，besogoodastopointoutonewordoffalsehood，show，thatis，thatyoudidn’tthrowawayyourmoney，andthattherearenotworthlesspersonsinthatfamily，howeverunfortunate。”

“Tomythinking，you，withallyourvirtues，arenotworththelittlefingerofthatunfortunategirlatwhomyouthrowstones。”

“Wouldyougosofarthenastoletherassociatewithyourmotherandsister？”

“Ihavedonesoalready，ifyoucaretoknow。Imadehersitdownto-daywithmotherandDounia。”

“Rodya！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Douniacrimsoned，Razumihinknittedhisbrows。Luzhinsmiledwithloftysarcasm。

“Youmayseeforyourself，AvdotyaRomanovna，”hesaid，“whetheritispossibleforustoagree。Ihopenowthatthisquestionisatanend，onceandforall。Iwillwithdraw，thatImaynothinderthepleasuresoffamilyintimacy，andthediscussionofsecrets。”Hegotupfromhischairandtookhishat。“Butinwithdrawing，IventuretorequestthatforthefutureImaybesparedsimilarmeetings，and，sotosay，compromises。Iappealparticularlytoyou，honouredPulcheriaAlexandrovna，onthissubject，themoreasmyletterwasaddressedtoyouandtonooneelse。”

PulcheriaAlexandrovnawasalittleoffended。

“Youseemtothinkwearecompletelyunderyourauthority，PyotrPetrovitch。Douniahastoldyouthereasonyourdesirewasdisregarded，shehadthebestintentions。Andindeedyouwriteasthoughyouwerelayingcommandsuponme。Arewetoconsidereverydesireofyoursasacommand？Letmetellyouonthecontrarythatyououghttoshowparticulardelicacyandconsiderationforusnow，becausewehavethrownupeverything，andhavecomehererelyingonyou，andsoweareinanycaseinasenseinyourhands。”

“Thatisnotquitetrue，PulcheriaAlexandrovna，especiallyatthepresentmoment，whenthenewshascomeofMarfaPetrovna’slegacy，whichseemsindeedveryapropos，judgingfromthenewtoneyoutaketome，”headdedsarcastically。

“Judgingfromthatremark，wemaycertainlypresumethatyouwerereckoningonourhelplessness，”Douniaobservedirritably。

“ButnowinanycaseIcannotreckononit，andIparticularlydesirenottohinderyourdiscussionofthesecretproposalsofArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailov，whichhehasentrustedtoyourbrotherandwhichhave，Iperceive，agreatandpossiblyaveryagreeableinterestforyou。”

“Goodheavens！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

Razumihincouldnotsitstillonhischair。

“Aren’tyouashamednow，sister？”askedRaskolnikov。

“Iamashamed，Rodya，”saidDounia。“PyotrPetrovitch，goaway，”sheturnedtohim，whitewithanger。

PyotrPetrovitchhadapparentlynotatallexpectedsuchaconclusion。Hehadtoomuchconfidenceinhimself，inhispowerandinthehelplessnessofhisvictims。Hecouldnotbelieveitevennow。Heturnedpale，andhislipsquivered。

“AvdotyaRomanovna，ifIgooutofthisdoornow，aftersuchadismissal，then，youmayreckononit，Iwillnevercomeback。Considerwhatyouaredoing。Mywordisnottobeshaken。”

“Whatinsolence！”criedDounia，springingupfromherseat。“Idon’twantyoutocomebackagain。”

“What！Sothat’showitstands！”criedLuzhin，utterlyunabletothelastmomenttobelieveintheruptureandsocompletelythrownoutofhisreckoningnow。“Sothat’showitstands！Butdoyouknow，AvdotyaRomanovna，thatImightprotest？”

“Whatrighthaveyoutospeaktoherlikethat？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaintervenedhotly。“Andwhatcanyouprotestabout？Whatrightshaveyou？AmItogivemyDouniatoamanlikeyou？Goaway，leaveusaltogether！Wearetoblameforhavingagreedtoawrongaction，andIaboveall。…”

“Butyouhaveboundme，PulcheriaAlexandrovna，”Luzhinstormedinafrenzy，“byyourpromise，andnowyoudenyitand…besides…Ihavebeenledonaccountofthatintoexpenses。…”

ThislastcomplaintwassocharacteristicofPyotrPetrovitch，thatRaskolnikov，palewithangerandwiththeeffortofrestrainingit，couldnothelpbreakingintolaughter。ButPulcheriaAlexandrovnawasfurious。

“Expenses？Whatexpenses？Areyouspeakingofourtrunk？Buttheconductorbroughtitfornothingforyou。Mercyonus，wehaveboundyou！Whatareyouthinkingabout，PyotrPetrovitch，itwasyouboundus，handandfoot，notwe！”

“Enough，mother，nomoreplease，”AvdotyaRomanovnaimplored。“PyotrPetrovitch，dobekindandgo！”

“Iamgoing，butonelastword，”hesaid，quiteunabletocontrolhimself。“YourmammaseemstohaveentirelyforgottenthatImadeupmymindtotakeyou，sotospeak，afterthegossipofthetownhadspreadalloverthedistrictinregardtoyourreputation。Disregardingpublicopinionforyoursakeandreinstatingyourreputation，Icertainlymightverywellreckononafittingreturn，andmightindeedlookforgratitudeonyourpart。Andmyeyeshaveonlynowbeenopened！IseemyselfthatImayhaveactedvery，veryrecklesslyindisregardingtheuniversalverdict。…”

“Doesthefellowwanthisheadsmashed？”criedRazumihin，jumpingup。

“Youareameanandspitefulman！”criedDounia。

“Notaword！Notamovement！”criedRaskolnikov，holdingRazumihinback；thengoingcloseuptoLuzhin，“Kindlyleavetheroom！”hesaidquietlyanddistinctly，“andnotawordmoreor…”

PyotrPetrovitchgazedathimforsomesecondswithapalefacethatworkedwithanger，thenheturned，wentout，andrarelyhasanymancarriedawayinhisheartsuchvindictivehatredashefeltagainstRaskolnikov。Him，andhimalone，heblamedforeverything。Itisnoteworthythatashewentdownstairshestillimaginedthathiscasewasperhapsnotutterlylost，andthat，sofarastheladieswereconcerned，allmight“verywellindeed”besetrightagain。

Thefactwasthatuptothelastmomenthehadneverexpectedsuchanending；hehadbeenoverbearingtothelastdegree，neverdreamingthattwodestituteanddefencelesswomencouldescapefromhiscontrol。Thisconvictionwasstrengthenedbyhisvanityandconceit，aconceittothepointoffatuity。PyotrPetrovitch，whohadmadehiswayupfrominsignificance，wasmorbidlygiventoself-admiration，hadthehighestopinionofhisintelligenceandcapacities，andsometimesevengloatedinsolitudeoverhisimageintheglass。Butwhathelovedandvaluedaboveallwasthemoneyhehadamassedbyhislabour，andbyallsortsofdevices:thatmoneymadehimtheequalofallwhohadbeenhissuperiors。

WhenhehadbitterlyremindedDouniathathehaddecidedtotakeherinspiteofevilreport，PyotrPetrovitchhadspokenwithperfectsincerityandhad，indeed，feltgenuinelyindignantatsuch“blackingratitude。”Andyet，whenhemadeDouniahisoffer，hewasfullyawareofthegroundlessnessofallthegossip。ThestoryhadbeeneverywherecontradictedbyMarfaPetrovna，andwasbythendisbelievedbyallthetownspeople，whowerewarminDounia’adefence。Andhewouldnothavedeniedthatheknewallthatatthetime。YethestillthoughthighlyofhisownresolutioninliftingDouniatohislevelandregardeditassomethingheroic。InspeakingofittoDounia，hehadletoutthesecretfeelinghecherishedandadmired，andhecouldnotunderstandthatothersshouldfailtoadmireittoo。HehadcalledonRaskolnikovwiththefeelingsofabenefactorwhoisabouttoreapthefruitsofhisgooddeedsandtohearagreeableflattery。Andashewentdownstairsnow，heconsideredhimselfmostundeservedlyinjuredandunrecognised。

Douniawassimplyessentialtohim；todowithoutherwasunthinkable。Formanyyearshehadhadvoluptuousdreamsofmarriage，buthehadgoneonwaitingandamassingmoney。Hebroodedwithrelish，inprofoundsecret，overtheimageofagirl—virtuous，poor(shemustbepoor)，veryyoung，verypretty，ofgoodbirthandeducation，verytimid，onewhohadsufferedmuch，andwascompletelyhumbledbeforehim，onewhowouldallherlifelookonhimashersaviour，worshiphim，admirehimandonlyhim。Howmanyscenes，howmanyamorousepisodeshehadimaginedonthisseductiveandplayfultheme，whenhisworkwasover！And，behold，thedreamofsomanyyearswasallbutrealised；thebeautyandeducationofAvdotyaRomanovnahadimpressedhim；herhelplesspositionhadbeenagreatallurement；inherhehadfoundevenmorethanhedreamedof。Herewasagirlofpride，character，virtue，ofeducationandbreedingsuperiortohisown(hefeltthat)，andthiscreaturewouldbeslavishlygratefulallherlifeforhisheroiccondescension，andwouldhumbleherselfinthedustbeforehim，andhewouldhaveabsolute，unboundedpoweroverher！…Notlongbefore，hehad，too，afterlongreflectionandhesitation，madeanimportantchangeinhiscareerandwasnowenteringonawidercircleofbusiness。Withthischangehischerisheddreamsofrisingintoahigherclassofsocietyseemedlikelytoberealised。…Hewas，infact，determinedtotryhisfortuneinPetersburg。Heknewthatwomencoulddoaverygreatdeal。Thefascinationofacharming，virtuous，highlyeducatedwomanmightmakehiswayeasier，mightdowondersinattractingpeopletohim，throwinganaureoleroundhim，andnoweverythingwasinruins！Thissuddenhorribleruptureaffectedhimlikeaclapofthunder；itwaslikeahideousjoke，anabsurdity。Hehadonlybeenatinybitmasterful，hadnoteventimetospeakout，hadsimplymadeajoke，beencarriedaway—andithadendedsoseriously。And，ofcourse，too，hedidloveDouniainhisownway；healreadypossessedherinhisdreams—andallatonce！No！Thenextday，theverynextday，itmustallbesetright，smoothedover，settled。Aboveallhemustcrushthatconceitedmilksopwhowasthecauseofitall。WithasickfeelinghecouldnothelprecallingRazumihintoo，but，hesoonreassuredhimselfonthatscore；asthoughafellowlikethatcouldbeputonalevelwithhim！ThemanhereallydreadedinearnestwasSvidrigailov。…Hehad，inshort，agreatdealtoattendto。…

“No，I，Iammoretoblamethananyone！”saidDounia，kissingandembracinghermother。“Iwastemptedbyhismoney，butonmyhonour，brother，Ihadnoideahewassuchabaseman。IfIhadseenthroughhimbefore，nothingwouldhavetemptedme！Don’tblameme，brother！”

“Godhasdeliveredus！Godhasdeliveredus！”PulcheriaAlexandrovnamuttered，buthalfconsciously，asthoughscarcelyabletorealisewhathadhappened。

Theywereallrelieved，andinfiveminutestheywerelaughing。OnlynowandthenDouniaturnedwhiteandfrowned，rememberingwhathadpassed。PulcheriaAlexandrovnawassurprisedtofindthatshe，too，wasglad:shehadonlythatmorningthoughtrupturewithLuzhinaterriblemisfortune。Razumihinwasdelighted。Hedidnotyetdaretoexpresshisjoyfully，buthewasinafeverofexcitementasthoughaton-weighthadfallenoffhisheart。Nowhehadtherighttodevotehislifetothem，toservethem。…Anythingmighthappennow！Buthefeltafraidtothinkoffurtherpossibilitiesanddarednotlethisimaginationrange。ButRaskolnikovsatstillinthesameplace，almostsullenandindifferent。ThoughhehadbeenthemostinsistentongettingridofLuzhin，heseemednowtheleastconcernedatwhathadhappened。Douniacouldnothelpthinkingthathewasstillangrywithher，andPulcheriaAlexandrovnawatchedhimtimidly。

“WhatdidSvidrigailovsaytoyou？”saidDounia，approachinghim。

“Yes，yes！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。

Raskolnikovraisedhishead。

“Hewantstomakeyouapresentoftenthousandroublesandhedesirestoseeyouonceinmypresence。”

“Seeher！Onnoaccount！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“Andhowdareheofferhermoney！”

ThenRaskolnikovrepeated(ratherdryly)hisconversationwithSvidrigailov，omittinghisaccountoftheghostlyvisitationsofMarfaPetrovna，wishingtoavoidallunnecessarytalk。

“Whatanswerdidyougivehim？”askedDounia。

“AtfirstIsaidIwouldnottakeanymessagetoyou。Thenhesaidthathewoulddohisutmosttoobtainaninterviewwithyouwithoutmyhelp。Heassuredmethathispassionforyouwasapassinginfatuation，nowhehasnofeelingforyou。Hedoesn’twantyoutomarryLuzhin。…Histalkwasaltogetherrathermuddled。”

“Howdoyouexplainhimtoyourself，Rodya？Howdidhestrikeyou？”

“ImustconfessIdon’tquiteunderstandhim。Heoffersyoutenthousand，andyetsaysheisnotwelloff。Hesaysheisgoingaway，andintenminutesheforgetshehassaidit。Thenhesaysishegoingtobemarriedandhasalreadyfixedonthegirl。…Nodoubthehasamotive，andprobablyabadone。Butit’soddthatheshouldbesoclumsyaboutitifhehadanydesignsagainstyou。…Ofcourse，Irefusedthismoneyonyouraccount，onceforall。Altogether，Ithoughthimverystrange。…Onemightalmostthinkhewasmad。ButImaybemistaken；thatmayonlybethepartheassumes。ThedeathofMarfaPetrovnaseemstohavemadeagreatimpressiononhim。”

“Godresthersoul，”exclaimedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“Ishallalways，alwaysprayforher！Whereshouldwebenow，Dounia，withoutthisthreethousand！It’sasthoughithadfallenfromheaven！Why，Rodya，thismorningwehadonlythreeroublesinourpocketandDouniaandIwerejustplanningtopawnherwatch，soastoavoidborrowingfromthatmanuntilheofferedhelp。”

DouniaseemedstrangelyimpressedbySvidrigailov’soffer。Shestillstoodmeditating。

“Hehasgotsometerribleplan，”shesaidinahalfwhispertoherself，almostshuddering。

Raskolnikovnoticedthisdisproportionateterror。

“IfancyIshallhavetoseehimmorethanonceagain，”hesaidtoDounia。

“Wewillwatchhim！Iwilltrackhimout！”criedRazumihin，vigorously。“Iwon’tlosesightofhim。Rodyahasgivenmeleave。Hesaidtomehimselfjustnow。‘Takecareofmysister。’Willyougivemeleave，too，AvdotyaRomanovna？”

Douniasmiledandheldoutherhand，butthelookofanxietydidnotleaveherface。PulcheriaAlexandrovnagazedathertimidly，butthethreethousandroubleshadobviouslyasoothingeffectonher。

Aquarterofanhourlater，theywereallengagedinalivelyconversation。EvenRaskolnikovlistenedattentivelyforsometime，thoughhedidnottalk。Razumihinwasthespeaker。

“Andwhy，whyshouldyougoaway？”heflowedonecstatically。“Andwhatareyoutodoinalittletown？Thegreatthingis，youareallheretogetherandyouneedoneanother—youdoneedoneanother，believeme。Foratime，anyway。…Takemeintopartnership，andIassureyouwe’llplanacapitalenterprise。Listen！I’llexplainitallindetailtoyou，thewholeproject！Itallflashedintomyheadthismorning，beforeanythinghadhappened…Itellyouwhat；Ihaveanuncle，Imustintroducehimtoyou(amostaccommodatingandrespectableoldman)。Thisunclehasgotacapitalofathousandroubles，andhelivesonhispensionandhasnoneedofthatmoney。Forthelasttwoyearshehasbeenbotheringmetoborrowitfromhimandpayhimsixpercent。interest。Iknowwhatthatmeans；hesimplywantstohelpme。yearIhadnoneedofit，butthisyearIresolvedtoborrowitassoonashearrived。Thenyoulendmeanotherthousandofyourthreeandwehaveenoughforastart，sowe’llgointopartnership，andwhatarewegoingtodo？”

ThenRazumihinbegantounfoldhisproject，andheexplainedatlengththatalmostallourpublishersandbooksellersknownothingatallofwhattheyareselling，andforthatreasontheyareusuallybadpublishers，andthatanydecentpublicationspayasaruleandgiveaprofit，sometimesaconsiderableone。Razumihinhad，indeed，beendreamingofsettingupasapublisher。Forthelasttwoyearshehadbeenworkinginpublishers’offices，andknewthreeEuropeanlanguageswell，thoughhehadtoldRaskolnikovsixdaysbeforethathewas“schwach”inGermanwithanobjectofpersuadinghimtotakehalfhistranslationandhalfthepaymentforit。Hehadtoldaliethen，andRaskolnikovknewhewaslying。

“Why，whyshouldweletourchanceslipwhenwehaveoneofthechiefmeansofsuccess—moneyofourown！”criedRazumihinwarmly。“Ofcoursetherewillbealotofwork，butwewillwork，you，AvdotyaRomanovna，I，Rodion。…Yougetasplendidprofitonsomebooksnowadays！Andthegreatpointofthebusinessisthatweshallknowjustwhatwantstranslating，andweshallbetranslating，publishing，learningallatonce。IcanbeofusebecauseIhaveexperience。FornearlytwoyearsI’vebeenscuttlingaboutamongthepublishers，andnowIknoweverydetailoftheirbusiness。Youneednotbeasainttomakepots，believeme！Andwhy，whyshouldweletourchanceslip！Why，Iknow—andIkeptthesecret—twoorthreebookswhichonemightgetahundredroublessimplyforthinkingoftranslatingandpublishing。Indeed，andIwouldnottakefivehundredfortheveryideaofoneofthem。Andwhatdoyouthink？IfIweretotellapublisher，Idaresayhe’dhesitate—theyaresuchblockheads！Andasforthebusinessside，printing，paper，selling，youtrusttome，Iknowmywayabout。We’llbegininasmallwayandgoontoalarge。Inanycaseitwillgetusourlivingandweshallgetbackourcapital。”

Dounia’seyesshone。

“Ilikewhatyouaresaying，DmitriProkofitch！”shesaid。

“Iknownothingaboutit，ofcourse，”putinPulcheriaAlexandrovna，“itmaybeagoodidea，butagainGodknows。It’snewanduntried。Ofcourse，wemustremainhereatleastforatime。”ShelookedatRodya。

“Whatdoyouthink，brother？”saidDounia。

“Ithinkhe’sgotaverygoodidea，”heanswered。“Ofcourse，it’stoosoontodreamofapublishingfirm，butwecertainlymightbringoutfiveorsixbooksandbesureofsuccess。Iknowofonebookmyselfwhichwouldbesuretogowell。Andasforhisbeingabletomanageit，there’snodoubtaboutthateither。Heknowsthebusiness。…Butwecantalkitoverlater。…”

“Hurrah！”criedRazumihin。“Now，stay，there’saflathereinthishouse，belongingtothesameowner。It’saspecialflatapart，notcommunicatingwiththeselodgings。It’sfurnished，rentmoderate，threerooms。Supposeyoutakethemtobeginwith。I’llpawnyourwatchto-morrowandbringyouthemoney，andeverythingcanbearrangedthen。Youcanallthreelivetogether，andRodyawillbewithyou。Butwhereareyouoffto，Rodya？”

“What，Rodya，youaregoingalready？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaaskedindismay。

“Atsuchaminute？”criedRazumihin。

Dounialookedatherbrotherwithincredulouswonder。Heheldhiscapinhishand，hewaspreparingtoleavethem。

“Onewouldthinkyouwereburyingmeorsayinggood-byeforever，”hesaidsomewhatoddly。Heattemptedtosmile，butitdidnotturnoutasmile。“Butwhoknows，perhapsitisthelasttimeweshallseeeachother…”heletslipaccidentally。Itwaswhathewasthinking，anditsomehowwasutteredaloud。

“Whatisthematterwithyou？”criedhismother。

“Whereareyougoing，Rodya？”askedDouniaratherstrangely。

“Oh，I’mquiteobligedto…”heansweredvaguely，asthoughhesitatingwhathewouldsay。Buttherewasalookofsharpdeterminationinhiswhiteface。

“Imeanttosay…asIwascominghere…Imeanttotellyou，mother，andyou，Dounia，thatitwouldbebetterforustopartforatime。Ifeelill，Iamnotatpeace。…Iwillcomeafterwards，Iwillcomeofmyself…whenit’spossible。Irememberyouandloveyou。…Leaveme，leavemealone。Idecidedthisevenbefore…I’mabsolutelyresolvedonit。Whatevermaycometome，whetherIcometoruinornot，Iwanttobealone。Forgetmealtogether，it’sbetter。Don’tinquireaboutme。WhenIcan，I’llcomeofmyselfor…I’llsendforyou。Perhapsitwillallcomeback，butnowifyouloveme，givemeup…elseIshallbegintohateyou，Ifeelit。…Good-bye！”

“GoodGod！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Bothhismotherandhissisterwereterriblyalarmed。Razumihinwasalso。

“Rodya，Rodya，bereconciledwithus！Letusbeasbefore！”criedhispoormother。

Heturnedslowlytothedoorandslowlywentoutoftheroom。Douniaovertookhim。

“Brother，whatareyoudoingtomother？”shewhispered，hereyesflashingwithindignation。

Helookeddullyather。

“Nomatter，Ishallcome。…I’mcoming，”hemutteredinanundertone，asthoughnotfullyconsciousofwhathewassaying，andhewentoutoftheroom。

“Wicked，heartlessegoist！”criedDounia。

“Heisinsane，butnotheartless。Heismad！Don’tyouseeit？You’reheartlessafterthat！”Razumihinwhisperedinherear，squeezingherhandtightly。“Ishallbebackdirectly，”heshoutedtothehorror-strickenmother，andheranoutoftheroom。

Raskolnikovwaswaitingforhimattheendofthepassage。

“Iknewyouwouldrunafterme，”hesaid。“Gobacktothem—bewiththem…bewiththemto-morrowandalways。…I…perhapsIshallcome…ifIcan。Good-bye。”

Andwithoutholdingouthishandhewalkedaway。

“Butwhereareyougoing？Whatareyoudoing？What’sthematterwithyou？Howcanyougoonlikethis？”Razumihinmuttered，athiswits’end。

Raskolnikovstoppedoncemore。

“Onceforall，neveraskmeaboutanything。Ihavenothingtotellyou。Don’tcometoseeme。MaybeI’llcomehere。…Leaveme，butdon’tleavethem。Doyouunderstandme？”

Itwasdarkinthecorridor，theywerestandingnearthelamp。Foraminutetheywerelookingatoneanotherinsilence。Razumihinrememberedthatminuteallhislife。Raskolnikov’sburningandintenteyesgrewmorepenetratingeverymoment，piercingintohissoul，intohisconsciousness。SuddenlyRazumihinstarted。Somethingstrange，asitwere，passedbetweenthem。…Someidea，somehint，asitwere，slipped，somethingawful，hideous，andsuddenlyunderstoodonbothsides。…Razumihinturnedpale。

“Doyouunderstandnow？”saidRaskolnikov，hisfacetwitchingnervously。“Goback，gotothem，”hesaidsuddenly，andturningquickly，hewentoutofthehouse。

IwillnotattempttodescribehowRazumihinwentbacktotheladies，howhesoothedthem，howheprotestedthatRodyaneededrestinhisillness，protestedthatRodyawassuretocome，thathewouldcomeeveryday，thathewasvery，verymuchupset，thathemustnotbeirritated，thathe，Razumihin，wouldwatchoverhim，wouldgethimadoctor，thebestdoctor，aconsultation。…InfactfromthateveningRazumihintookhisplacewiththemasasonandabrother。