第13章

Lebeziatnikovlookedperturbed。

“I’vecometoyou，SofyaSemyonovna，”hebegan。“Excuseme…IthoughtIshouldfindyou，”hesaid，addressingRaskolnikovsuddenly，“thatis，Ididn’tmeananything…ofthatsort…ButIjustthought…KaterinaIvanovnahasgoneoutofhermind，”heblurtedoutsuddenly，turningfromRaskolnikovtoSonia。

Soniascreamed。

“Atleastitseemsso。But…wedon’tknowwhattodo，yousee！Shecameback—sheseemstohavebeenturnedoutsomewhere，perhapsbeaten。…Soitseemsatleast，…Shehadruntoyourfather’sformerchief，shedidn’tfindhimathome:hewasdiningatsomeothergeneral’s。…Onlyfancy，sherushedoffthere，totheothergeneral’s，and，imagine，shewassopersistentthatshemanagedtogetthechieftoseeher，hadhimfetchedoutfromdinner，itseems。Youcanimaginewhathappened。Shewasturnedout，ofcourse；but，accordingtoherownstory，sheabusedhimandthrewsomethingathim。Onemaywellbelieveit。…Howitisshewasn’ttakenup，Ican’tunderstand！Nowsheistellingeveryone，includingAmaliaIvanovna；butit’sdifficulttounderstandher，sheisscreamingandflingingherselfabout。…Ohyes，sheshoutsthatsinceeveryonehasabandonedher，shewilltakethechildrenandgointothestreetwithabarrel-organ，andthechildrenwillsinganddance，andshetoo，andcollectmoney，andwillgoeverydayunderthegeneral’swindow…‘toleteveryoneseewell-bornchildren，whosefatherwasanofficial，begginginthestreet。’Shekeepsbeatingthechildrenandtheyareallcrying。SheisteachingLidatosing‘MyVillage，’theboytodance，Polenkathesame。Sheistearingupalltheclothes，andmakingthemlittlecapslikeactors；shemeanstocarryatinbasinandmakeittinkle，insteadofmusic。…Shewon’tlistentoanything。…Imaginethestateofthings！It’sbeyondanything！”

Lebeziatnikovwouldhavegoneon，butSonia，whohadheardhimalmostbreathless，snatcheduphercloakandhat，andranoutoftheroom，puttingonherthingsasshewent。RaskolnikovfollowedherandLebeziatnikovcameafterhim。

“Shehascertainlygonemad！”hesaidtoRaskolnikov，astheywentoutintothestreet。“Ididn’twanttofrightenSofyaSemyonovna，soIsaid‘itseemedlikeit，’butthereisn’tadoubtofit。Theysaythatinconsumptionthetuberclessometimesoccurinthebrain；it’sapityIknownothingofmedicine。Ididtrytopersuadeher，butshewouldn’tlisten。”

“Didyoutalktoheraboutthetubercles？”

“Notpreciselyofthetubercles。Besides，shewouldn’thaveunderstood！ButwhatIsayis，thatifyouconvinceapersonlogicallythathehasnothingtocryabout，he’llstopcrying。That’sclear。Isityourconvictionthathewon’t？”

“Lifewouldbetooeasyifitwereso，”answeredRaskolnikov。

“Excuseme，excuseme；ofcourseitwouldberatherdifficultforKaterinaIvanovnatounderstand，butdoyouknowthatinParistheyhavebeenconductingseriousexperimentsastothepossibilityofcuringtheinsane，simplybylogicalargument？Oneprofessorthere，ascientificmanofstanding，latelydead，believedinthepossibilityofsuchtreatment。Hisideawasthatthere’snothingreallywrongwiththephysicalorganismoftheinsane，andthatinsanityis，sotosay，alogicalmistake，anerrorofjudgment，anincorrectviewofthings。Hegraduallyshowedthemadmanhiserrorand，wouldyoubelieveit，theysayhewassuccessful？Butashemadeuseofdouchestoo，howfarsuccesswasduetothattreatmentremainsuncertain。…Soitseemsatleast。”

Raskolnikovhadlongceasedtolisten。Reachingthehousewherehelived，henoddedtoLebeziatnikovandwentinatthegate。Lebeziatnikovwokeupwithastart，lookedabouthimandhurriedon。

Raskolnikovwentintohislittleroomandstoodstillinthemiddleofit。Whyhadhecomebackhere？Helookedattheyellowandtatteredpaper，atthedust，athissofa。…Fromtheyardcamealoudcontinuousknocking；someoneseemedtobehammering…Hewenttothewindow，roseontiptoeandlookedoutintotheyardforalongtimewithanairofabsorbedattention。Buttheyardwasemptyandhecouldnotseewhowashammering。Inthehouseonthelefthesawsomeopenwindows；onthewindow-sillswerepotsofsickly-lookinggeraniums。Linenwashungoutofthewindows…Heknewitallbyheart。Heturnedawayandsatdownonthesofa。

Never，neverhadhefelthimselfsofearfullyalone！

Yes，hefeltoncemorethathewouldperhapscometohateSonia，nowthathehadmadehermoremiserable。

“Whyhadhegonetohertobegforhertears？Whatneedhadhetopoisonherlife？Oh，themeannessofit！”

“Iwillremainalone，”hesaidresolutely，“andsheshallnotcometotheprison！”

Fiveminuteslaterheraisedhisheadwithastrangesmile。Thatwasastrangethought。

“PerhapsitreallywouldbebetterinSiberia，”hethoughtsuddenly。

Hecouldnothavesaidhowlonghesattherewithvaguethoughtssurgingthroughhismind。AllatoncethedooropenedandDouniacamein。Atfirstshestoodstillandlookedathimfromthedoorway，justashehaddoneatSonia；thenshecameinandsatdowninthesameplaceasyesterday，onthechairfacinghim。Helookedsilentlyandalmostvacantlyather。

“Don’tbeangry，brother；I’veonlycomeforoneminute，”saidDounia。

Herfacelookedthoughtfulbutnotstern。Hereyeswerebrightandsoft。Hesawthatshetoohadcometohimwithlove。

“Brother，nowIknowall，all。DmitriProkofitchhasexplainedandtoldmeeverything。Theyareworryingandpersecutingyouthroughastupidandcontemptiblesuspicion。…DmitriProkofitchtoldmethatthereisnodanger，andthatyouarewronginlookinguponitwithsuchhorror。Idon’tthinkso，andIfullyunderstandhowindignantyoumustbe，andthatthatindignationmayhaveapermanenteffectonyou。That’swhatIamafraidof。Asforyourcuttingyourselfofffromus，Idon’tjudgeyou，Idon’tventuretojudgeyou，andforgivemeforhavingblamedyouforit。IfeelthatItoo，ifIhadsogreatatrouble，shouldkeepawayfromeveryone。Ishalltellmothernothingofthis，butIshalltalkaboutyoucontinuallyandshalltellherfromyouthatyouwillcomeverysoon。Don’tworryabouther；Iwillsethermindatrest；butdon’tyoutryhertoomuch—comeonceatleast；rememberthatsheisyourmother。AndnowIhavecomesimplytosay”(Douniabegantogetup)“thatifyoushouldneedmeorshouldneed…allmylifeoranything…callme，andI’llcome。Good-bye！”

Sheturnedabruptlyandwenttowardsthedoor。

“Dounia！”Raskolnikovstoppedherandwenttowardsher。“ThatRazumihin，DmitriProkofitch，isaverygoodfellow。”

Douniaflushedslightly。

“Well？”sheasked，waitingamoment。

“Heiscompetent，hardworking，honestandcapableofreallove。…Good-bye，Dounia。”

Douniaflushedcrimson，thensuddenlyshetookalarm。

“Butwhatdoesitmean，brother？Arewereallypartingforeverthatyou…givemesuchapartingmessage？”

“Nevermind。…Good-bye。”

Heturnedaway，andwalkedtothewindow。Shestoodamoment，lookedathimuneasily，andwentouttroubled。

No，hewasnotcoldtoher。Therewasaninstant(theverylastone)whenhehadlongedtotakeherinhisarmsandsaygood-byetoher，andeventotellher，buthehadnotdaredeventotouchherhand。

“AfterwardsshemayshudderwhensheremembersthatIembracedher，andwillfeelthatIstoleherkiss。”

“Andwouldshestandthattest？”hewentonafewminuteslatertohimself。“No，shewouldn’t；girlslikethatcan’tstandthings！Theyneverdo。”

AndhethoughtofSonia。

Therewasabreathoffreshairfromthewindow。Thedaylightwasfading。Hetookuphiscapandwentout。

Hecouldnot，ofcourse，andwouldnotconsiderhowillhewas。Butallthiscontinualanxietyandagonyofmindcouldnotbutaffecthim。Andifhewerenotlyinginhighfeveritwasperhapsjustbecausethiscontinualinnerstrainhelpedtokeephimonhislegsandinpossessionofhisfaculties。Butthisartificialexcitementcouldnotlastlong。

Hewanderedaimlessly。Thesunwassetting。Aspecialformofmiseryhadbeguntooppresshimoflate。Therewasnothingpoignant，nothingacuteaboutit；buttherewasafeelingofpermanence，ofeternityaboutit；itbroughtaforetasteofhopelessyearsofthiscoldleadenmisery，aforetasteofaneternity“onasquareyardofspace。”Towardseveningthissensationusuallybegantoweighonhimmoreheavily。

“Withthisidiotic，purelyphysicalweakness，dependingonthesunsetorsomething，onecan’thelpdoingsomethingstupid！You’llgotoDounia，aswellastoSonia，”hemutteredbitterly。

Heheardhisnamecalled。Helookedround。Lebeziatnikovrusheduptohim。

“Onlyfancy，I’vebeentoyourroomlookingforyou。Onlyfancy，she’scarriedoutherplan，andtakenawaythechildren。SofyaSemyonovnaandIhavehadajobtofindthem。Sheisrappingonafrying-panandmakingthechildrendance。Thechildrenarecrying。Theykeepstoppingatthecross-roadsandinfrontofshops；there’sacrowdoffoolsrunningafterthem。Comealong！”

“AndSonia？”Raskolnikovaskedanxiously，hurryingafterLebeziatnikov。

“Simplyfrantic。Thatis，it’snotSofyaSemyonovna’sfrantic，butKaterinaIvanovna，thoughSofyaSemyonova’sfrantictoo。ButKaterinaIvanovnaisabsolutelyfrantic。Itellyousheisquitemad。They’llbetakentothepolice。Youcanfancywhataneffectthatwillhave。…Theyareonthecanalbank，nearthebridgenow，notfarfromSofyaSemyonovna’s，quiteclose。”

OnthecanalbanknearthebridgeandnottwohousesawayfromtheonewhereSonialodged，therewasacrowdofpeople，consistingprincipallyofgutterchildren。ThehoarsebrokenvoiceofKaterinaIvanovnacouldbeheardfromthebridge，anditcertainlywasastrangespectaclelikelytoattractastreetcrowd。KaterinaIvanovnainherolddresswiththegreenshawl，wearingatornstrawhat，crushedinahideouswayononeside，wasreallyfrantic。Shewasexhaustedandbreathless。Herwastedconsumptivefacelookedmoresufferingthanever，andindeedoutofdoorsinthesunshineaconsumptivealwayslooksworsethanathome。Butherexcitementdidnotflag，andeverymomentherirritationgrewmoreintense。Sherushedatthechildren，shoutedatthem，coaxedthem，toldthembeforethecrowdhowtodanceandwhattosing，beganexplainingtothemwhyitwasnecessary，anddriventodesperationbytheirnotunderstanding，beatthem。…Thenshewouldmakearushatthecrowd；ifshenoticedanydecentlydressedpersonstoppingtolook，sheimmediatelyappealedtohimtoseewhatthesechildren“fromagenteel，onemaysayaristocratic，house”hadbeenbroughtto。Ifsheheardlaughterorjeeringinthecrowd，shewouldrushatonceatthescoffersandbeginsquabblingwiththem。Somepeoplelaughed，othersshooktheirheads，buteveryonefeltcuriousatthesightofthemadwomanwiththefrightenedchildren。Thefrying-panofwhichLebeziatnikovhadspokenwasnotthere，atleastRaskolnikovdidnotseeit。Butinsteadofrappingonthepan，KaterinaIvanovnabeganclappingherwastedhands，whenshemadeLidaandKolyadanceandPolenkasing。Shetoojoinedinthesinging，butbrokedownatthesecondnotewithafearfulcough，whichmadehercurseindespairandevenshedtears。WhatmadehermostfuriouswastheweepingandterrorofKolyaandLida。Someefforthadbeenmadetodressthechildrenupasstreetsingersaredressed。TheboyhadonaturbanmadeofsomethingredandwhitetolooklikeaTurk。TherehadbeennocostumeforLida；shesimplyhadaredknittedcap，orratheranightcapthathadbelongedtoMarmeladov，decoratedwithabrokenpieceofwhiteostrichfeather，whichhadbeenKaterinaIvanovna’sgrandmother’sandhadbeenpreservedasafamilypossession。Polenkawasinhereverydaydress；shelookedintimidperplexityathermother，andkeptatherside，hidinghertears。Shedimlyrealisedhermother’scondition，andlookeduneasilyabouther。Shewasterriblyfrightenedofthestreetandthecrowd。SoniafollowedKaterinaIvanovna，weepingandbeseechinghertoreturnhome，butKaterinaIvanovnawasnottobepersuaded。

“Leaveoff，Sonia，leaveoff，”sheshouted，speakingfast，pantingandcoughing。“Youdon’tknowwhatyouask；youarelikeachild！I’vetoldyoubeforethatIamnotcomingbacktothatdrunkenGerman。Leteveryone，letallPetersburgseethechildrenbegginginthestreets，thoughtheirfatherwasanhonourablemanwhoservedallhislifeintruthandfidelity，andonemaysaydiedintheservice。”(KaterinaIvanovnahadbynowinventedthisfantasticstoryandthoroughlybelievedit。)“Letthatwretchofageneralseeit！Andyouaresilly，Sonia:whathavewetoeat？Tellmethat。Wehaveworriedyouenough，Iwon’tgoonso！Ah，RodionRomanovitch，isthatyou？”shecried，seeingRaskolnikovandrushinguptohim。“Explaintothissillygirl，please，thatnothingbettercouldbedone！Evenorgan-grindersearntheirliving，andeveryonewillseeatoncethatwearedifferent，thatweareanhonourableandbereavedfamilyreducedtobeggary。Andthatgeneralwilllosehispost，you’llsee！Weshallperformunderhiswindowseveryday，andiftheTsardrivesby，I’llfallonmyknees，putthechildrenbeforeme，showthemtohim，andsay‘Defendusfather。’Heisthefatherofthefatherless，heismerciful，he’llprotectus，you’llsee，andthatwretchofageneral。…Lida，tenezvousdroite！Kolya，you’lldanceagain。Whyareyouwhimpering？Whimperingagain！Whatareyouafraidof，stupid？Goodness，whatamItodowiththem，RodionRomanovitch？Ifyouonlyknewhowstupidtheyare！What’sonetodowithsuchchildren？”

Andshe，almostcryingherself—whichdidnotstopheruninterrupted，rapidflowoftalk—pointedtothecryingchildren。Raskolnikovtriedtopersuadehertogohome，andevensaid，hopingtoworkonhervanity，thatitwasunseemlyforhertobewanderingaboutthestreetslikeanorgan-grinder，asshewasintendingtobecometheprincipalofaboarding-school。

“Aboarding-school，ha-ha-ha！Acastleintheair，”criedKaterinaIvanovna，herlaughendinginacough。“No，RodionRomanovitch，thatdreamisover！Allhaveforsakenus！…Andthatgeneral。…Youknow，RodionRomanovitch，Ithrewaninkpotathim—ithappenedtobestandinginthewaiting-roombythepaperwhereyousignyourname。Iwrotemyname，threwitathimandranaway。Oh，thescoundrels，thescoundrels！Butenoughofthem，nowI’llprovideforthechildrenmyself，Iwon’tbowdowntoanybody！Shehashadtobearenoughforus！”shepointedtoSonia。“Polenka，howmuchhaveyougot？Showme！What，onlytwofarthings！Oh，themeanwretches！Theygiveusnothing，onlyrunafterus，puttingtheirtonguesout。There，whatisthatblockheadlaughingat？”(Shepointedtoamaninthecrowd。)“It’sallbecauseKolyahereissostupid；Ihavesuchabotherwithhim。Whatdoyouwant，Polenka？TellmeinFrench，parlez-moifrancais。Why，I’vetaughtyou，youknowsomephrases。Elsehowareyoutoshowthatyouareofgoodfamily，wellbrought-upchildren，andnotatalllikeotherorgan-grinders？Wearen’tgoingtohaveaPunchandJudyshowinthestreet，buttosingagenteelsong。…Ah，yes，…Whatarewetosing？Youkeepputtingmeout，butwe…yousee，wearestandinghere，RodionRomanovitch，tofindsomethingtosingandgetmoney，somethingKolyacandanceto。…For，asyoucanfancy，ourperformanceisallimpromptu。…Wemusttalkitoverandrehearseitallthoroughly，andthenweshallgotoNevsky，wheretherearefarmorepeopleofgoodsociety，andweshallbenoticedatonce。Lidaknows‘MyVillage’only，nothingbut‘MyVillage，’andeveryonesingsthat。Wemustsingsomethingfarmoregenteel。…Well，haveyouthoughtofanything，Polenka？Ifonlyyou’dhelpyourmother！Mymemory’squitegone，orIshouldhavethoughtofsomething。Wereallycan’tsing‘AnHussar。’Ah，letussinginFrench，‘Cinqsous，’Ihavetaughtityou，Ihavetaughtityou。AndasitisinFrench，peoplewillseeatoncethatyouarechildrenofgoodfamily，andthatwillbemuchmoretouching。…Youmightsing‘Marlboroughs’enva-t-enguerre，’forthat’squiteachild’ssongandissungasalullabyinallthearistocratichouses。

“Marlboroughs’enva-t-enguerre

Nesaitquandreviendra…”

shebegansinging。“Butno，bettersing‘Cinqsous。’Now，Kolya，yourhandsonyourhips，makehaste，andyou，Lida，keepturningtheotherway，andPolenkaandIwillsingandclapourhands！

“Cinqsous，cinqsous

Pourmonternotremenage。”

(Cough-cough-cough！)“Setyourdressstraight，Polenka，it’sslippeddownonyourshoulders，”sheobserved，pantingfromcoughing。“Nowit’sparticularlynecessarytobehavenicelyandgenteelly，thatallmayseethatyouarewell-bornchildren。Isaidatthetimethatthebodiceshouldbecutlonger，andmadeoftwowidths。Itwasyourfault，Sonia，withyouradvicetomakeitshorter，andnowyouseethechildisquitedeformedbyit。…Why，you’reallcryingagain！What’sthematter，stupids？Come，Kolya，begin。Makehaste，makehaste！Oh，whatanunbearablechild！

“Cinqsous，cinqsous。

“Apolicemanagain！Whatdoyouwant？”

Apolicemanwasindeedforcinghiswaythroughthecrowd。Butatthatmomentagentlemanincivilianuniformandanovercoat—asolid-lookingofficialofaboutfiftywithadecorationonhisneck(whichdelightedKaterinaIvanovnaandhaditseffectonthepoliceman)—approachedandwithoutawordhandedheragreenthree-roublenote。Hisfaceworealookofgenuinesympathy。KaterinaIvanovnatookitandgavehimapolite，evenceremonious，bow。

“Ithankyou，honouredsir，”shebeganloftily。“Thecausesthathaveinducedus(takethemoney，Polenka:youseetherearegenerousandhonourablepeoplewhoarereadytohelpapoorgentlewomanindistress)。Yousee，honouredsir，theseorphansofgoodfamily—Imightevensayofaristocraticconnections—andthatwretchofageneralsateatinggrouse…andstampedatmydisturbinghim。‘Yourexcellency，’Isaid，‘protecttheorphans，foryouknewmylatehusband，SemyonZaharovitch，andontheverydayofhisdeaththebasestofscoundrelsslanderedhisonlydaughter。’…Thatpolicemanagain！Protectme，”shecriedtotheofficial。“Whyisthatpolicemanedginguptome？Wehaveonlyjustrunawayfromoneofthem。Whatdoyouwant，fool？”

“It’sforbiddeninthestreets。Youmustn’tmakeadisturbance。”

“It’syou’remakingadisturbance。It’sjustthesameasifIweregrindinganorgan。Whatbusinessisitofyours？”

“Youhavetogetalicenceforanorgan，andyouhaven’tgotone，andinthatwayyoucollectacrowd。Wheredoyoulodge？”

“What，alicense？”wailedKaterinaIvanovna。“Iburiedmyhusbandto-day。Whatneedofalicense？”

“Calmyourself，madam，calmyourself，”begantheofficial。“Comealong；Iwillescortyou。…Thisisnoplaceforyouinthecrowd。Youareill。”

“Honouredsir，honouredsir，youdon’tknow，”screamedKaterinaIvanovna。“WearegoingtotheNevsky。…Sonia，Sonia！Whereisshe？Sheiscryingtoo！What’sthematterwithyouall？Kolya，Lida，whereareyougoing？”shecriedsuddenlyinalarm。“Oh，sillychildren！Kolya，Lida，wherearetheyoffto？…”

KolyaandLida，scaredoutoftheirwitsbythecrowd，andtheirmother’smadpranks，suddenlyseizedeachotherbythehand，andranoffatthesightofthepolicemanwhowantedtotakethemawaysomewhere。Weepingandwailing，poorKaterinaIvanovnaranafterthem。Shewasapiteousandunseemlyspectacle，assheran，weepingandpantingforbreath。SoniaandPolenkarushedafterthem。

“Bringthemback，bringthemback，Sonia！Ohstupid，ungratefulchildren！…Polenka！catchthem。…It’sforyoursakesI…”

Shestumbledassheranandfelldown。

“She’scutherself，she’sbleeding！Oh，dear！”criedSonia，bendingoverher。

Allranupandcrowdedaround。RaskolnikovandLebeziatnikovwerethefirstatherside，theofficialtoohastenedup，andbehindhimthepolicemanwhomuttered，“Bother！”withagestureofimpatience，feelingthatthejobwasgoingtobeatroublesomeone。

“Passon！Passon！”hesaidtothecrowdthatpressedforward。

“She’sdying，”someoneshouted。

“She’sgoneoutofhermind，”saidanother。

“Lordhavemercyuponus，”saidawoman，crossingherself。“Havetheycaughtthelittlegirlandtheboy？They’rebeingbroughtback，theelderone’sgotthem。…Ah，thenaughtyimps！”

WhentheyexaminedKaterinaIvanovnacarefully，theysawthatshehadnotcutherselfagainstastone，asSoniathought，butthatthebloodthatstainedthepavementredwasfromherchest。

“I’veseenthatbefore，”mutteredtheofficialtoRaskolnikovandLebeziatnikov；“that’sconsumption；thebloodflowsandchokesthepatient。Isawthesamethingwitharelativeofmyownnotlongago…nearlyapintofblood，allinaminute。…What’stobedonethough？Sheisdying。”

“Thisway，thisway，tomyroom！”Soniaimplored。“Ilivehere！…See，thathouse，thesecondfromhere。…Cometome，makehaste，”sheturnedfromonetotheother。“Sendforthedoctor！Oh，dear！”

Thankstotheofficial’sefforts，thisplanwasadopted，thepolicemanevenhelpingtocarryKaterinaIvanovna。ShewascarriedtoSonia’sroom，almostunconscious，andlaidonthebed。Thebloodwasstillflowing，butsheseemedtobecomingtoherself。Raskolnikov，Lebeziatnikov，andtheofficialaccompaniedSoniaintotheroomandwerefollowedbythepoliceman，whofirstdrovebackthecrowdwhichfollowedtotheverydoor。PolenkacameinholdingKolyaandLida，whoweretremblingandweeping。SeveralpersonscameintoofromtheKapernaumovs’room；thelandlord，alameone-eyedmanofstrangeappearancewithwhiskersandhairthatstooduplikeabrush，hiswife，awomanwithaneverlastinglyscaredexpression，andseveralopen-mouthedchildrenwithwonder-struckfaces。Amongthese，Svidrigailovsuddenlymadehisappearance。Raskolnikovlookedathimwithsurprise，notunderstandingwherehehadcomefromandnothavingnoticedhiminthecrowd。Adoctorandpriestworespokenof。TheofficialwhisperedtoRaskolnikovthathethoughtitwastoolatenowforthedoctor，butheorderedhimtobesentfor。Kapernaumovranhimself。

MeanwhileKaterinaIvanovnahadregainedherbreath。Thebleedingceasedforatime。ShelookedwithsickbutintentandpenetratingeyesatSonia，whostoodpaleandtrembling，wipingthesweatfromherbrowwithahandkerchief。Atlastsheaskedtoberaised。Theysatheruponthebed，supportingheronbothsides。

“Wherearethechildren？”shesaidinafaintvoice。“You’vebroughtthem，Polenka？Ohthesillies！Whydidyourunaway。…Och！”

Oncemoreherparchedlipswerecoveredwithblood。Shemovedhereyes，lookingabouther。

“Sothat’showyoulive，Sonia！NeveroncehaveIbeeninyourroom。”

Shelookedatherwithafaceofsuffering。

“Wehavebeenyourruin，Sonia。Polenka，Lida，Kolya，comehere！Well，heretheyare，Sonia，takethemall！Ihandthemovertoyou，I’vehadenough！Theballisover。”(Cough！)“Laymedown，letmedieinpeace。”

Theylaidherbackonthepillow。

“What，thepriest？Idon’twanthim。Youhaven’tgotaroubletospare。Ihavenosins。Godmustforgivemewithoutthat。HeknowshowIhavesuffered。…AndifHewon’tforgiveme，Idon’tcare！”

Shesankmoreandmoreintouneasydelirium。Attimessheshuddered，turnedhereyesfromsidetoside，recognisedeveryoneforaminute，butatoncesankintodeliriumagain。Herbreathingwashoarseanddifficult，therewasasortofrattleinherthroat。

“Isaidtohim，yourexcellency，”sheejaculated，gaspingaftereachword。“ThatAmaliaLudwigovna，ah！Lida，Kolya，handsonyourhips，makehaste！Glissez，glissez！pasdebasque！Tapwithyourheels，beagracefulchild！

“DuhastDiamantenundPerlen

“Whatnext？That’sthethingtosing。

“DuhastdieschonstenAugen

Madchen，waswillstdumehr？

“Whatanidea！Waswillstdumehr？Whatthingsthefoolinvents！Ah，yes！

“IntheheatofmiddayinthevaleofDagestan。

“Ah，howIlovedit！Ilovedthatsongtodistraction，Polenka！Yourfather，youknow，usedtosingitwhenwewereengaged。…Ohthosedays！Ohthat’sthethingforustosing！Howdoesitgo？I’veforgotten。Remindme！Howwasit？”

Shewasviolentlyexcitedandtriedtositup。Atlast，inahorriblyhoarse，brokenvoice，shebegan，shriekingandgaspingateveryword，withalookofgrowingterror。

“Intheheatofmidday！…inthevale！…ofDagestan！…Withleadinmybreast！…”

“Yourexcellency！”shewailedsuddenlywithaheart-rendingscreamandafloodoftears，“protecttheorphans！Youhavebeentheirfather’sguest…onemaysayaristocratic。…”Shestarted，regainingconsciousness，andgazedatallwithasortofterror，butatoncerecognisedSonia。

“Sonia，Sonia！”shearticulatedsoftlyandcaressingly，asthoughsurprisedtofindherthere。“Soniadarling，areyouhere，too？”

Theyliftedherupagain。

“Enough！It’sover！Farewell，poorthing！Iamdonefor！Iambroken！”shecriedwithvindictivedespair，andherheadfellheavilybackonthepillow。

Shesankintounconsciousnessagain，butthistimeitdidnotlastlong。Herpale，yellow，wastedfacedroppedback，hermouthfellopen，herlegmovedconvulsively，shegaveadeep，deepsighanddied。

Soniafelluponher，flungherarmsabouther，andremainedmotionlesswithherheadpressedtothedeadwoman’swastedbosom。Polenkathrewherselfathermother’sfeet，kissingthemandweepingviolently。ThoughKolyaandLidadidnotunderstandwhathadhappened，theyhadafeelingthatitwassomethingterrible；theyputtheirhandsoneachother’slittleshoulders，staredstraightatoneanotherandbothatonceopenedtheirmouthsandbeganscreaming。Theywerebothstillintheirfancydress；oneinaturban，theotherinthecapwiththeostrichfeather。

Andhowdid“thecertificateofmerit”cometobeonthebedbesideKaterinaIvanovna？Itlaytherebythepillow；Raskolnikovsawit。

Hewalkedawaytothewindow。Lebeziatnikovskippeduptohim。

“Sheisdead，”hesaid。

“RodionRomanovitch，Imusthavetwowordswithyou，”saidSvidrigailov，cominguptothem。

Lebeziatnikovatoncemaderoomforhimanddelicatelywithdrew。SvidrigailovdrewRaskolnikovfurtheraway。

“Iwillundertakeallthearrangements，thefuneralandthat。Youknowit’saquestionofmoneyand，asItoldyou，Ihaveplentytospare。IwillputthosetwolittleonesandPolenkaintosomegoodorphanasylum，andIwillsettlefifteenhundredroublestobepaidtoeachoncomingofage，sothatSofyaSemyonovnaneedhavenoanxietyaboutthem。AndIwillpullheroutofthemudtoo，forsheisagoodgirl，isn’tshe？SotellAvdotyaRomanovnathatthatishowIamspendinghertenthousand。”

“Whatisyourmotiveforsuchbenevolence？”askedRaskolnikov。

“Ah！youscepticalperson！”laughedSvidrigailov。“ItoldyouIhadnoneedofthatmoney。Won’tyouadmitthatit’ssimplydonefromhumanity？Shewasn’t‘alouse，’youknow”(hepointedtothecornerwherethedeadwomanlay)，“wasshe，likesomeoldpawnbrokerwoman？Come，you’llagree，isLuzhintogoonliving，anddoingwickedthingsorisshetodie？AndifIdidn’thelpthem，Polenkawouldgothesameway。”

Hesaidthiswithanairofasortofgaywinkingslyness，keepinghiseyesfixedonRaskolnikov，whoturnedwhiteandcold，hearinghisownphrases，spokentoSonia。HequicklysteppedbackandlookedwildlyatSvidrigailov。

“Howdoyouknow？”hewhispered，hardlyabletobreathe。

“Why，IlodgehereatMadameResslich’s，theothersideofthewall。HereisKapernaumov，andtherelivesMadameResslich，anoldanddevotedfriendofmine。Iamaneighbour。”

“You？”

“Yes，”continuedSvidrigailov，shakingwithlaughter。“Iassureyouonmyhonour，dearRodionRomanovitch，thatyouhaveinterestedmeenormously。Itoldyouweshouldbecomefriends，Iforetoldit。Well，herewehave。AndyouwillseewhatanaccommodatingpersonIam。You’llseethatyoucangetonwithme！”

AstrangeperiodbeganforRaskolnikov:itwasasthoughafoghadfallenuponhimandwrappedhiminadrearysolitudefromwhichtherewasnoescape。Recallingthatperiodlongafter，hebelievedthathismindhadbeencloudedattimes，andthatithadcontinuedso，withintervals，tillthefinalcatastrophe。Hewasconvincedthathehadbeenmistakenaboutmanythingsatthattime，forinstanceastothedateofcertainevents。Anyway，whenhetriedlaterontopiecehisrecollectionstogether，helearntagreatdealabouthimselffromwhatotherpeopletoldhim。Hehadmixedupincidentsandhadexplainedeventsasduetocircumstanceswhichexistedonlyinhisimagination。Attimeshewasapreytoagoniesofmorbiduneasiness，amountingsometimestopanic。Butheremembered，too，moments，hours，perhapswholedays，ofcompleteapathy，whichcameuponhimasareactionfromhispreviousterrorandmightbecomparedwiththeabnormalinsensibility，sometimesseeninthedying。Heseemedtobetryinginthatlatterstagetoescapefromafullandclearunderstandingofhisposition。Certainessentialfactswhichrequiredimmediateconsiderationwereparticularlyirksometohim。Howgladhewouldhavebeentobefreefromsomecares，theneglectofwhichwouldhavethreatenedhimwithcomplete，inevitableruin。

HewasparticularlyworriedaboutSvidrigailov，hemightbesaidtobepermanentlythinkingofSvidrigailov。FromthetimeofSvidrigailov’stoomenacingandunmistakablewordsinSonia’sroomatthemomentofKaterinaIvanovna’sdeath，thenormalworkingofhismindseemedtobreakdown。Butalthoughthisnewfactcausedhimextremeuneasiness，Raskolnikovwasinnohurryforanexplanationofit。Attimes，findinghimselfinasolitaryandremotepartofthetown，insomewretchedeating-house，sittingalonelostinthought，hardlyknowinghowhehadcomethere，hesuddenlythoughtofSvidrigailov。Herecognisedsuddenly，clearly，andwithdismaythatheoughtatoncetocometoanunderstandingwiththatmanandtomakewhattermshecould。Walkingoutsidethecitygatesoneday，hepositivelyfanciedthattheyhadfixedameetingthere，thathewaswaitingforSvidrigailov。Anothertimehewokeupbeforedaybreaklyingonthegroundundersomebushesandcouldnotatfirstunderstandhowhehadcomethere。

ButduringthetwoorthreedaysafterKaterinaIvanovna’sdeath，hehadtwoorthreetimesmetSvidrigailovatSonia’slodging，wherehehadgoneaimlesslyforamoment。Theyexchangedafewwordsandmadenoreferencetothevitalsubject，asthoughtheyweretacitlyagreednottospeakofitforatime。

KaterinaIvanovna’sbodywasstilllyinginthecoffin，Svidrigailovwasbusymakingarrangementsforthefuneral。Soniatoowasverybusy。AttheirlastmeetingSvidrigailovinformedRaskolnikovthathehadmadeanarrangement，andaverysatisfactoryone，forKaterinaIvanovna’schildren；thathehad，throughcertainconnections，succeededingettingholdofcertainpersonagesbywhosehelpthethreeorphanscouldbeatonceplacedinverysuitableinstitutions；thatthemoneyhehadsettledonthemhadbeenofgreatassistance，asitismucheasiertoplaceorphanswithsomepropertythandestituteones。HesaidsomethingtooaboutSoniaandpromisedtocomehimselfinadayortwotoseeRaskolnikov，mentioningthat“hewouldliketoconsultwithhim，thattherewerethingstheymusttalkover。…”

Thisconversationtookplaceinthepassageonthestairs。SvidrigailovlookedintentlyatRaskolnikovandsuddenly，afterabriefpause，droppinghisvoice，asked:“Buthowisit，RodionRomanovitch；youdon’tseemyourself？Youlookandyoulisten，butyoudon’tseemtounderstand。Cheerup！We’lltalkthingsover；Iamonlysorry，I’vesomuchtodoofmyownbusinessandotherpeople’s。Ah，RodionRomanovitch，”headdedsuddenly，“whatallmenneedisfreshair，freshair…morethananything！”

Hemovedtoonesidetomakewayforthepriestandserver，whowerecomingupthestairs。Theyhadcomefortherequiemservice。BySvidrigailov’sordersitwassungtwiceadaypunctually。Svidrigailovwenthisway。Raskolnikovstoodstillamoment，thought，andfollowedthepriestintoSonia’sroom。Hestoodatthedoor。Theybeganquietly，slowlyandmournfullysingingtheservice。Fromhischildhoodthethoughtofdeathandthepresenceofdeathhadsomethingoppressiveandmysteriouslyawful；anditwaslongsincehehadheardtherequiemservice。Andtherewassomethingelsehereaswell，tooawfulanddisturbing。Helookedatthechildren:theywereallkneelingbythecoffin；Polenkawasweeping。BehindthemSoniaprayed，softlyand，asitwere，timidlyweeping。

“Theselasttwodaysshehasn’tsaidawordtome，shehasn’tglancedatme，”Raskolnikovthoughtsuddenly。Thesunlightwasbrightintheroom；theincenseroseinclouds；thepriestread，“Giverest，ohLord。…”Raskolnikovstayedallthroughtheservice。Asheblessedthemandtookhisleave，thepriestlookedroundstrangely。Aftertheservice，RaskolnikovwentuptoSonia。Shetookbothhishandsandletherheadsinkonhisshoulder。ThisslightfriendlygesturebewilderedRaskolnikov。Itseemedstrangetohimthattherewasnotraceofrepugnance，notraceofdisgust，notremorinherhand。Itwasthefurthestlimitofself-abnegation，atleastsoheinterpretedit。

Soniasaidnothing。Raskolnikovpressedherhandandwentout。Hefeltverymiserable。Ifithadbeenpossibletoescapetosomesolitude，hewouldhavethoughthimselflucky，evenifhehadtospendhiswholelifethere。Butalthoughhehadalmostalwaysbeenbyhimselfoflate，hehadneverbeenabletofeelalone。Sometimeshewalkedoutofthetownontothehighroad，oncehehadevenreachedalittlewood，buttheloneliertheplacewas，themoreheseemedtobeawareofanuneasypresencenearhim。Itdidnotfrightenhim，butgreatlyannoyedhim，sothathemadehastetoreturntothetown，tominglewiththecrowd，toenterrestaurantsandtaverns，towalkinbusythoroughfares。Therehefelteasierandevenmoresolitary。Onedayatduskhesatforanhourlisteningtosongsinatavernandherememberedthathepositivelyenjoyedit。Butatlasthehadsuddenlyfeltthesameuneasinessagain，asthoughhisconsciencesmotehim。“HereIsitlisteningtosinging，isthatwhatIoughttobedoing？”hethought。Yethefeltatoncethatthatwasnottheonlycauseofhisuneasiness；therewassomethingrequiringimmediatedecision，butitwassomethinghecouldnotclearlyunderstandorputintowords。Itwasahopelesstangle。“No，betterthestruggleagain！BetterPorfiryagain…orSvidrigailov。…Bettersomechallengeagain…someattack。Yes，yes！”hethought。Hewentoutofthetavernandrushedawayalmostatarun。ThethoughtofDouniaandhismothersuddenlyreducedhimalmosttoapanic。ThatnighthewokeupbeforemorningamongsomebushesinKrestovskyIsland，tremblingalloverwithfever；hewalkedhome，anditwasearlymorningwhenhearrived。Aftersomehours’sleepthefeverlefthim，buthewokeuplate，twoo’clockintheafternoon。

HerememberedthatKaterinaIvanovna’sfuneralhadbeenfixedforthatday，andwasgladthathewasnotpresentatit。Nastasyabroughthimsomefood；heateanddrankwithappetite，almostwithgreediness。Hisheadwasfresherandhewascalmerthanhehadbeenforthelastthreedays。Heevenfeltapassingwonderathispreviousattacksofpanic。

ThedooropenedandRazumihincamein。

“Ah，he’seating，thenhe’snotill，”saidRazumihin。HetookachairandsatdownatthetableoppositeRaskolnikov。

Hewastroubledanddidnotattempttoconcealit。Hespokewithevidentannoyance，butwithouthurryorraisinghisvoice。Helookedasthoughhehadsomespecialfixeddetermination。

“Listen，”hebeganresolutely。“AsfarasIamconcerned，youmayallgotohell，butfromwhatIsee，it’scleartomethatIcan’tmakeheadortailofit；pleasedon’tthinkI’vecometoaskyouquestions。Idon’twanttoknow，hangit！Ifyoubegintellingmeyoursecrets，IdaresayIshouldn’tstaytolisten，Ishouldgoawaycursing。Ihaveonlycometofindoutonceforallwhetherit’safactthatyouaremad？Thereisaconvictionintheairthatyouaremadorverynearlyso。IadmitI’vebeendisposedtothatopinionmyself，judgingfromyourstupid，repulsiveandquiteinexplicableactions，andfromyourrecentbehaviortoyourmotherandsister。Onlyamonsteroramadmancouldtreatthemasyouhave；soyoumustbemad。”

“Whendidyouseethemlast？”

“Justnow。Haven’tyouseenthemsincethen？Whathaveyoubeendoingwithyourself？Tellme，please。I’vebeentoyouthreetimesalready。Yourmotherhasbeenseriouslyillsinceyesterday。Shehadmadeuphermindtocometoyou；AvdotyaRomanovnatriedtopreventher；shewouldn’thearaword。‘Ifheisill，ifhismindisgivingway，whocanlookafterhimlikehismother？’shesaid。Weallcameheretogether，wecouldn’tlethercomealonealltheway。Wekeptbegginghertobecalm。Wecamein，youweren’there；shesatdown，andstayedtenminutes，whilewestoodwaitinginsilence。Shegotupandsaid:‘Ifhe’sgoneout，thatis，ifheiswell，andhasforgottenhismother，it’shumiliatingandunseemlyforhismothertostandathisdoorbeggingforkindness。’Shereturnedhomeandtooktoherbed；nowsheisinafever。‘Isee，’shesaid，‘thathehastimeforhisgirl。’ShemeansbyyourgirlSofyaSemyonovna，yourbetrothedoryourmistress，Idon’tknow。IwentatoncetoSofyaSemyonovna’s，forIwantedtoknowwhatwasgoingon。Ilookedround，Isawthecoffin，thechildrencrying，andSofyaSemyonovnatryingthemonmourningdresses。Nosignofyou。Iapologised，cameaway，andreportedtoAvdotyaRomanovna。Sothat’sallnonsenseandyouhaven’tgotagirl；themostlikelythingisthatyouaremad。Buthereyousit，guzzlingboiledbeefasthoughyou’dnothadabiteforthreedays。Thoughasfarasthatgoes，madmeneattoo，butthoughyouhavenotsaidawordtomeyet…youarenotmad！ThatI’dswear！Aboveall，youarenotmad！Soyoumaygotohell，allofyou，forthere’ssomemystery，somesecretaboutit，andIdon’tintendtoworrymybrainsoveryoursecrets。SoI’vesimplycometoswearatyou，”hefinished，gettingup，“torelievemymind。AndIknowwhattodonow。”

“Whatdoyoumeantodonow？”

“WhatbusinessisitofyourswhatImeantodo？”

“Youaregoinginforadrinkingbout。”

“How…howdidyouknow？”

“Why，it’sprettyplain。”

Razumihinpausedforaminute。

“Youalwayshavebeenaveryrationalpersonandyou’veneverbeenmad，never，”heobservedsuddenlywithwarmth。“You’reright:Ishalldrink。Good-bye！”

Andhemovedtogoout。

“Iwastalkingwithmysister—thedaybeforeyesterday，Ithinkitwas—aboutyou，Razumihin。”

“Aboutme！But…wherecanyouhaveseenherthedaybeforeyesterday？”Razumihinstoppedshortandeventurnedalittlepale。

Onecouldseethathisheartwasthrobbingslowlyandviolently。

“Shecameherebyherself，satthereandtalkedtome。”

“Shedid！”

“Yes。”

“Whatdidyousaytoher…Imean，aboutme？”

“Itoldheryouwereaverygood，honest，andindustriousman。Ididn’ttellheryouloveher，becausesheknowsthatherself。”

“Sheknowsthatherself？”

“Well，it’sprettyplain。WhereverImightgo，whateverhappenedtome，youwouldremaintolookafterthem。I，sotospeak，givethemintoyourkeeping，Razumihin。IsaythisbecauseIknowquitewellhowyouloveher，andamconvincedofthepurityofyourheart。Iknowthatshetoomayloveyouandperhapsdoesloveyoualready。Nowdecideforyourself，asyouknowbest，whetheryouneedgoinforadrinkingboutornot。”

“Rodya！Yousee…well。…Ach，damnit！Butwheredoyoumeantogo？Ofcourse，ifit’sallasecret，nevermind。…ButI…Ishallfindoutthesecret…andIamsurethatitmustbesomeridiculousnonsenseandthatyou’vemadeitallup。Anywayyouareacapitalfellow，acapitalfellow！…”

“ThatwasjustwhatIwantedtoadd，onlyyouinterrupted，thatthatwasaverygooddecisionofyoursnottofindoutthesesecrets。Leaveittotime，don’tworryaboutit。You’llknowitallintimewhenitmustbe。Yesterdayamansaidtomethatwhatamanneedsisfreshair，freshair，freshair。Imeantogotohimdirectlytofindoutwhathemeantbythat。”

Razumihinstoodlostinthoughtandexcitement，makingasilentconclusion。

“He’sapoliticalconspirator！Hemustbe。Andhe’sontheeveofsomedesperatestep，that’scertain。Itcanonlybethat！And…andDouniaknows，”hethoughtsuddenly。

“SoAvdotyaRomanovnacomestoseeyou，”hesaid，weighingeachsyllable，“andyou’regoingtoseeamanwhosaysweneedmoreair，andsoofcoursethatletter…thattoomusthavesomethingtodowithit，”heconcludedtohimself。

“Whatletter？”

“Shegotaletterto-day。Itupsetherverymuch—verymuchindeed。Toomuchso。Ibeganspeakingofyou，shebeggedmenotto。Then…thenshesaidthatperhapsweshouldverysoonhavetopart…thenshebeganwarmlythankingmeforsomething；thenshewenttoherroomandlockedherselfin。”

“Shegotaletter？”Raskolnikovaskedthoughtfully。

“Yes，andyoudidn’tknow？hm…”

Theywerebothsilent。

“Good-bye，Rodion。Therewasatime，brother，whenI。…Nevermind，good-bye。Yousee，therewasatime。…Well，good-bye！Imustbeofftoo。Iamnotgoingtodrink。There’snoneednow。…That’sallstuff！”

Hehurriedout；butwhenhehadalmostclosedthedoorbehindhim，hesuddenlyopeneditagain，andsaid，lookingaway:

“Oh，bytheway，doyourememberthatmurder，youknowPorfiry’s，thatoldwoman？Doyouknowthemurdererhasbeenfound，hehasconfessedandgiventheproofs。It’soneofthoseveryworkmen，thepainter，onlyfancy！DoyourememberIdefendedthemhere？Wouldyoubelieveit，allthatsceneoffightingandlaughingwithhiscompanionsonthestairswhiletheporterandthetwowitnessesweregoingup，hegotuponpurposetodisarmsuspicion。Thecunning，thepresenceofmindoftheyoungdog！Onecanhardlycreditit；butit’shisownexplanation，hehasconfesseditall。AndwhatafoolIwasaboutit！Well，he’ssimplyageniusofhypocrisyandresourcefulnessindisarmingthesuspicionsofthelawyers—sothere’snothingmuchtowonderat，Isuppose！Ofcoursepeoplelikethatarealwayspossible。Andthefactthathecouldn’tkeepupthecharacter，butconfessed，makeshimeasiertobelievein。ButwhatafoolIwas！Iwasfranticontheirside！”

“Tellme，please，fromwhomdidyouhearthat，andwhydoesitinterestyouso？”Raskolnikovaskedwithunmistakableagitation。

“Whatnext？Youaskmewhyitinterestsme！…Well，IhearditfromPorfiry，amongothers…ItwasfromhimIheardalmostallaboutit。”

“FromPorfiry？”

“FromPorfiry。”

“What…whatdidhesay？”Raskolnikovaskedindismay。

“Hegavemeacapitalexplanationofit。Psychologically，afterhisfashion。”

“Heexplainedit？Explainedithimself？”

“Yes，yes；good-bye。I’lltellyouallaboutitanothertime，butnowI’mbusy。TherewasatimewhenIfancied…Butnomatter，anothertime！…Whatneedisthereformetodrinknow？Youhavemademedrunkwithoutwine。Iamdrunk，Rodya！Good-bye，I’mgoing。I’llcomeagainverysoon。”

Hewentout。

“He’sapoliticalconspirator，there’snotadoubtaboutit，”Razumihindecided，asheslowlydescendedthestairs。“Andhe’sdrawnhissisterin；that’squite，quiteinkeepingwithAvdotyaRomanovna’scharacter。Thereareinterviewsbetweenthem！…Shehintedatittoo…Somanyofherwords。…andhints…bearthatmeaning！Andhowelsecanallthistanglebeexplained？Hm！AndIwasalmostthinking…Goodheavens，whatIthought！Yes，ItookleaveofmysensesandIwrongedhim！Itwashisdoing，underthelampinthecorridorthatday。Pfoo！Whatacrude，nasty，vileideaonmypart！Nikolayisabrick，forconfessing。…Andhowclearitallisnow！Hisillnessthen，allhisstrangeactions…beforethis，intheuniversity，howmoroseheusedtobe，howgloomy。…Butwhat’sthemeaningnowofthatletter？There’ssomethinginthat，too，perhaps。Whomwasitfrom？Isuspect…！No，Imustfindout！”

HethoughtofDounia，realisingallhehadheardandhisheartthrobbed，andhesuddenlybrokeintoarun。

AssoonasRazumihinwentout，Raskolnikovgotup，turnedtothewindow，walkedintoonecornerandthenintoanother，asthoughforgettingthesmallnessofhisroom，andsatdownagainonthesofa。Hefelt，sotospeak，renewed；againthestruggle，soameansofescapehadcome。

“Yes，ameansofescapehadcome！Ithadbeentoostifling，toocramping，theburdenhadbeentooagonising。Alethargyhadcomeuponhimattimes。FromthemomentofthescenewithNikolayatPorfiry’shehadbeensuffocating，pennedinwithouthopeofescape。AfterNikolay’sconfession，onthatverydayhadcomethescenewithSonia；hisbehaviourandhislastwordshadbeenutterlyunlikeanythinghecouldhaveimaginedbeforehand；hehadgrownfeebler，instantlyandfundamentally！AndhehadagreedatthetimewithSonia，hehadagreedinhishearthecouldnotgoonlivingalonewithsuchathingonhismind！

“AndSvidrigailovwasariddle…Heworriedhim，thatwastrue，butsomehownotonthesamepoint。HemightstillhaveastruggletocomewithSvidrigailov。Svidrigailov，too，mightbeameansofescape；butPorfirywasadifferentmatter。

“AndsoPorfiryhimselfhadexplainedittoRazumihin，hadexplaineditpsychologically。Hehadbegunbringinginhisdamnedpsychologyagain！Porfiry？ButtothinkthatPorfiryshouldforonemomentbelievethatNikolaywasguilty，afterwhathadpassedbetweenthembeforeNikolay’sappearance，afterthattete-a-teteinterview，whichcouldhaveonlyoneexplanation？(DuringthosedaysRaskolnikovhadoftenrecalledpassagesinthatscenewithPorfiry；hecouldnotbeartolethismindrestonit。)Suchwords，suchgestureshadpassedbetweenthem，theyhadexchangedsuchglances，thingshadbeensaidinsuchatoneandhadreachedsuchapass，thatNikolay，whomPorfiryhadseenthroughatthefirstword，atthefirstgesture，couldnothaveshakenhisconviction。

“AndtothinkthatevenRazumihinhadbeguntosuspect！Thesceneinthecorridorunderthelamphadproduceditseffectthen。HehadrushedtoPorfiry。…Butwhathadinducedthelattertoreceivehimlikethat？WhathadbeenhisobjectinputtingRazumihinoffwithNikolay？Hemusthavesomeplan；therewassomedesign，butwhatwasit？Itwastruethatalongtimehadpassedsincethatmorning—toolongatime—andnosightnorsoundofPorfiry。Well，thatwasabadsign。…”

Raskolnikovtookhiscapandwentoutoftheroom，stillpondering。Itwasthefirsttimeforalongwhilethathehadfeltclearinhismind，atleast。“ImustsettleSvidrigailov，”hethought，“andassoonaspossible；he，too，seemstobewaitingformetocometohimofmyownaccord。”Andatthatmomenttherewassucharushofhateinhiswearyheartthathemighthavekilledeitherofthosetwo—PorfiryorSvidrigailov。Atleasthefeltthathewouldbecapableofdoingitlater，ifnotnow。

“Weshallsee，weshallsee，”herepeatedtohimself。

ButnosoonerhadheopenedthedoorthanhestumbleduponPorfiryhimselfinthepassage。Hewascomingintoseehim。Raskolnikovwasdumbfoundedforaminute，butonlyforoneminute。Strangetosay，hewasnotverymuchastonishedatseeingPorfiryandscarcelyafraidofhim。Hewassimplystartled，butwasquickly，instantly，onhisguard。“Perhapsthiswillmeantheend？ButhowcouldPorfiryhaveapproachedsoquietly，likeacat，sothathehadheardnothing？Couldhehavebeenlisteningatthedoor？”

“Youdidn’texpectavisitor，RodionRomanovitch，”Porfiryexplained，laughing。“I’vebeenmeaningtolookinalongtime；Iwaspassingbyandthoughtwhynotgoinforfiveminutes。Areyougoingout？Iwon’tkeepyoulong。Justletmehaveonecigarette。”

“Sitdown，PorfiryPetrovitch，sitdown。”Raskolnikovgavehisvisitoraseatwithsopleasedandfriendlyanexpressionthathewouldhavemarvelledathimself，ifhecouldhaveseenit。

Thelastmomenthadcome，thelastdropshadtobedrained！Soamanwillsometimesgothroughhalfanhourofmortalterrorwithabrigand，yetwhentheknifeisathisthroatatlast，hefeelsnofear。

RaskolnikovseatedhimselfdirectlyfacingPorfiry，andlookedathimwithoutflinching。Porfiryscreweduphiseyesandbeganlightingacigarette。

“Speak，speak，”seemedasthoughitwouldburstfromRaskolnikov’sheart。“Come，whydon’tyouspeak？”

“Ahthesecigarettes！”PorfiryPetrovitchejaculatedatlast，havinglightedone。“Theyarepernicious，positivelypernicious，andyetIcan’tgivethemup！Icough，Ibegintohaveticklinginmythroatandadifficultyinbreathing。YouknowIamacoward，IwentlatelytoDr。B——n；healwaysgivesatleasthalfanhourtoeachpatient。Hepositivelylaughedlookingatme；hesoundedme:‘Tobacco’sbadforyou，’hesaid，‘yourlungsareaffected。’ButhowamItogiveitup？Whatistheretotakeitsplace？Idon’tdrink，that’sthemischief，he-he-he，thatIdon’t。Everythingisrelative，RodionRomanovitch，everythingisrelative！”

“Why，he’splayinghisprofessionaltricksagain，”Raskolnikovthoughtwithdisgust。Allthecircumstancesoftheirlastinterviewsuddenlycamebacktohim，andhefeltarushofthefeelingthathadcomeuponhimthen。

“Icametoseeyouthedaybeforeyesterday，intheevening；youdidn’tknow？”PorfiryPetrovitchwenton，lookingroundtheroom。“Icameintothisveryroom。Iwaspassingby，justasIdidto-day，andIthoughtI’dreturnyourcall。Iwalkedinasyourdoorwaswideopen，Ilookedround，waitedandwentoutwithoutleavingmynamewithyourservant。Don’tyoulockyourdoor？”

Raskolnikov’sfacegrewmoreandmoregloomy。Porfiryseemedtoguesshisstateofmind。

“I’vecometohaveitoutwithyou，RodionRomanovitch，mydearfellow！Ioweyouanexplanationandmustgiveittoyou，”hecontinuedwithaslightsmile，justpattingRaskolnikov’sknee。

Butalmostatthesameinstantaseriousandcarewornlookcameintohisface；tohissurpriseRaskolnikovsawatouchofsadnessinit。Hehadneverseenandneversuspectedsuchanexpressioninhisface。

“Astrangescenepassedbetweenuslasttimewemet，RodionRomanovitch。Ourfirstinterview，too，wasastrangeone；butthen…andonethingafteranother！Thisisthepoint:Ihaveperhapsactedunfairlytoyou；Ifeelit。Doyourememberhowweparted？Yournerveswereunhingedandyourkneeswereshakingandsoweremine。And，youknow，ourbehaviourwasunseemly，evenungentlemanly。Andyetwearegentlemen，aboveall，inanycase，gentlemen；thatmustbeunderstood。Doyourememberwhatwecameto？…anditwasquiteindecorous。”

“Whatisheupto，whatdoeshetakemefor？”Raskolnikovaskedhimselfinamazement，raisinghisheadandlookingwithopeneyesonPorfiry。

“I’vedecidedopennessisbetterbetweenus，”PorfiryPetrovitchwenton，turninghisheadawayanddroppinghiseyes，asthoughunwillingtodisconcerthisformervictimandasthoughdisdaininghisformerwiles。“Yes，suchsuspicionsandsuchscenescannotcontinueforlong。Nikolayputastoptoit，orIdon’tknowwhatwemightnothavecometo。Thatdamnedworkmanwassittingatthetimeinthenextroom—canyourealisethat？Youknowthat，ofcourse；andIamawarethathecametoyouafterwards。Butwhatyousupposedthenwasnottrue:Ihadnotsentforanyone，Ihadmadenokindofarrangements。YouaskwhyIhadn’t？WhatshallIsaytoyou？ithadallcomeuponmesosuddenly。Ihadscarcelysentfortheporters(younoticedthemasyouwentout，Idaresay)。Anideaflasheduponme；Iwasfirmlyconvincedatthetime，yousee，RodionRomanovitch。Come，Ithought—evenifIletonethingslipforatime，Ishallgetholdofsomethingelse—Ishan’tlosewhatIwant，anyway。Youarenervouslyirritable，RodionRomanovitch，bytemperament；it’soutofproportionwithotherqualitiesofyourheartandcharacter，whichIflattermyselfIhavetosomeextentdivined。OfcourseIdidreflecteventhenthatitdoesnotalwayshappenthatamangetsupandblurtsouthiswholestory。Itdoeshappensometimes，ifyoumakeamanloseallpatience，thougheventhenit’srare。Iwascapableofrealisingthat。IfIonlyhadafact，Ithought，theleastlittlefacttogoupon，somethingIcouldlayholdof，somethingtangible，notmerelypsychological。Forifamanisguilty，youmustbeabletogetsomethingsubstantialoutofhim；onemayreckonuponmostsurprisingresultsindeed。Iwasreckoningonyourtemperament，RodionRomanovitch，onyourtemperamentaboveallthings！Ihadgreathopesofyouatthattime。”

“Butwhatareyoudrivingatnow？”Raskolnikovmutteredatlast，askingthequestionwithoutthinking。

“Whatishetalkingabout？”hewondereddistractedly，“doeshereallytakemetobeinnocent？”

“WhatamIdrivingat？I’vecometoexplainmyself，Iconsideritmyduty，sotospeak。Iwanttomakecleartoyouhowthewholebusiness，thewholemisunderstandingarose。I’vecausedyouagreatdealofsuffering，RodionRomanovitch。Iamnotamonster。Iunderstandwhatitmustmeanforamanwhohasbeenunfortunate，butwhoisproud，imperiousandaboveall，impatient，tohavetobearsuchtreatment！Iregardyouinanycaseasamanofnoblecharacterandnotwithoutelementsofmagnanimity，thoughIdon’tagreewithallyourconvictions。Iwantedtotellyouthisfirst，franklyandquitesincerely，foraboveallIdon’twanttodeceiveyou。WhenImadeyouracquaintance，Ifeltattractedbyyou。Perhapsyouwilllaughatmysayingso。Youhavearightto。Iknowyoudislikedmefromthefirstandindeedyou’venoreasontolikeme。Youmaythinkwhatyoulike，butIdesirenowtodoallIcantoeffacethatimpressionandtoshowthatIamamanofheartandconscience。Ispeaksincerely。”

PorfiryPetrovitchmadeadignifiedpause。Raskolnikovfeltarushofrenewedalarm。ThethoughtthatPorfirybelievedhimtobeinnocentbegantomakehimuneasy。

“It’sscarcelynecessarytogoovereverythingindetail，”PorfiryPetrovitchwenton。“Indeed，Icouldscarcelyattemptit。Tobeginwiththerewererumours。Throughwhom，how，andwhenthoserumourscametome…andhowtheyaffectedyou，Ineednotgointo。Mysuspicionswerearousedbyacompleteaccident，whichmightjustaseasilynothavehappened。Whatwasit？Hm！Ibelievethereisnoneedtogointothateither。Thoserumoursandthataccidentledtooneideainmymind。Iadmititopenly—foronemayaswellmakeacleanbreastofit—Iwasthefirsttopitchonyou。Theoldwoman’snotesonthepledgesandtherestofit—thatallcametonothing。Yourswasoneofahundred。Ihappened，too，tohearofthesceneattheoffice，fromamanwhodescribeditcapitally，unconsciouslyreproducingthescenewithgreatvividness。Itwasjustonethingafteranother，RodionRomanovitch，mydearfellow！HowcouldIavoidbeingbroughttocertainideas？Fromahundredrabbitsyoucan’tmakeahorse，ahundredsuspicionsdon’tmakeaproof，astheEnglishproverbsays，butthat’sonlyfromtherationalpointofview—youcan’thelpbeingpartial，forafterallalawyerisonlyhuman。Ithought，too，ofyourarticleinthatjournal，doyouremember，onyourfirstvisitwetalkedofit？Ijeeredatyouatthetime，butthatwasonlytoleadyouon。Irepeat，RodionRomanovitch，youareillandimpatient。Thatyouwerebold，headstrong，inearnestand…hadfeltagreatdealIrecognisedlongbefore。I，too，havefeltthesame，sothatyourarticleseemedfamiliartome。Itwasconceivedonsleeplessnights，withathrobbingheart，inecstasyandsuppressedenthusiasm。Andthatproudsuppressedenthusiasminyoungpeopleisdangerous！Ijeeredatyouthen，butletmetellyouthat，asaliteraryamateur，Iamawfullyfondofsuchfirstessays，fulloftheheatofyouth。Thereisamistinessandachordvibratinginthemist。Yourarticleisabsurdandfantastic，butthere’satransparentsincerity，ayouthfulincorruptibleprideandthedaringofdespairinit。It’sagloomyarticle，butthat’swhat’sfineinit。Ireadyourarticleandputitaside，thinkingasIdidso‘thatmanwon’tgothecommonway。’Well，Iaskyou，afterthatasapreliminary，howcouldIhelpbeingcarriedawaybywhatfollowed？Oh，dear，Iamnotsayinganything，Iamnotmakinganystatementnow。Isimplynoteditatthetime。Whatisthereinit？Ireflected。There’snothinginit，thatisreallynothingandperhapsabsolutelynothing。Andit’snotatallthethingfortheprosecutortolethimselfbecarriedawaybynotions:hereIhaveNikolayonmyhandswithactualevidenceagainsthim—youmaythinkwhatyoulikeofit，butit’sevidence。Hebringsinhispsychology，too；onehastoconsiderhim，too，forit’samatteroflifeanddeath。WhyamIexplainingthistoyou？Thatyoumayunderstand，andnotblamemymaliciousbehaviouronthatoccasion。Itwasnotmalicious，Iassureyou，he-he！DoyousupposeIdidn’tcometosearchyourroomatthetime？Idid，Idid，he-he！Iwasherewhenyouwerelyingillinbed，notofficially，notinmyownperson，butIwashere。Yourroomwassearchedtothelastthreadatthefirstsuspicion；butumsonst！Ithoughttomyself，nowthatmanwillcome，willcomeofhimselfandquickly，too；ifhe’sguilty，he’ssuretocome。Anothermanwouldn’t，buthewill。AndyourememberhowMr。Razumihinbegandiscussingthesubjectwithyou？Wearrangedthattoexciteyou，sowepurposelyspreadrumours，thathemightdiscussthecasewithyou，andRazumihinisnotamantorestrainhisindignation。Mr。Zametovwastremendouslystruckbyyourangerandyouropendaring。Thinkofblurtingoutinarestaurant‘Ikilledher。’Itwastoodaring，tooreckless。Ithoughtsomyself，ifheisguiltyhewillbeaformidableopponent。ThatwaswhatIthoughtatthetime。Iwasexpectingyou。ButyousimplybowledZametovoverand…well，yousee，itallliesinthis—thatthisdamnablepsychologycanbetakentwoways！Well，Ikeptexpectingyou，andsoitwas，youcame！Myheartwasfairlythrobbing。Ach！

“Now，whyneedyouhavecome？Yourlaughter，too，asyoucamein，doyouremember？Isawitallplainasdaylight，butifIhadn’texpectedyousospecially，Ishouldnothavenoticedanythinginyourlaughter。Youseewhatinfluenceamoodhas！Mr。Razumihinthen—ah，thatstone，thatstoneunderwhichthethingswerehidden！Iseemtoseeitsomewhereinakitchengarden。Itwasinakitchengarden，youtoldZametovandafterwardsyourepeatedthatinmyoffice？Andwhenwebeganpickingyourarticletopieces，howyouexplainedit！Onecouldtakeeverywordofyoursintwosenses，asthoughtherewereanothermeaninghidden。

“Sointhisway，RodionRomanovitch，Ireachedthefurthestlimit，andknockingmyheadagainstapost，Ipulledmyselfup，askingmyselfwhatIwasabout。Afterall，Isaid，youcantakeitallinanothersenseifyoulike，andit’smorenaturalso，indeed。Icouldn’thelpadmittingitwasmorenatural。Iwasbothered！‘No，I’dbettergetholdofsomelittlefact’Isaid。SowhenIheardofthebell-ringing，Iheldmybreathandwasallinatremor。‘Hereismylittlefact，’thoughtI，andIdidn’tthinkitover，Isimplywouldn’t。Iwouldhavegivenathousandroublesatthatminutetohaveseenyouwithmyowneyes，whenyouwalkedahundredpacesbesidethatworkman，afterhehadcalledyoumurderertoyourface，andyoudidnotdaretoaskhimaquestionalltheway。Andthenwhataboutyourtrembling，whataboutyourbell-ringinginyourillness，insemi-delirium？

“Andso，RodionRomanovitch，canyouwonderthatIplayedsuchpranksonyou？Andwhatmadeyoucomeatthatveryminute？Someoneseemedtohavesentyou，byJove！AndifNikolayhadnotpartedus…anddoyourememberNikolayatthetime？Doyourememberhimclearly？Itwasathunderbolt，aregularthunderbolt！AndhowImethim！Ididn’tbelieveinthethunderbolt，notforaminute。Youcouldseeitforyourself；andhowcouldI？Evenafterwards，whenyouhadgoneandhebeganmakingvery，veryplausibleanswersoncertainpoints，sothatIwassurprisedathimmyself，eventhenIdidn’tbelievehisstory！Youseewhatitistobeasfirmasarock！No，thoughtI，Morgenfruh。WhathasNikolaygottodowithit！”

“RazumihintoldmejustnowthatyouthinkNikolayguiltyandhadyourselfassuredhimofit。…”

Hisvoicefailedhim，andhebrokeoff。Hehadbeenlisteninginindescribableagitation，asthismanwhohadseenthroughandthroughhim，wentbackuponhimself。Hewasafraidofbelievingitanddidnotbelieveit。Inthosestillambiguouswordshekepteagerlylookingforsomethingmoredefiniteandconclusive。

“Mr。Razumihin！”criedPorfiryPetrovitch，seeminggladofaquestionfromRaskolnikov，whohadtillthenbeensilent。“He-he-he！ButIhadtoputMr。Razumihinoff；twoiscompany，threeisnone。Mr。Razumihinisnottherightman，besidesheisanoutsider。Hecamerunningtomewithapaleface。…Butnevermindhim，whybringhimin？ToreturntoNikolay，wouldyouliketoknowwhatsortofatypeheis，howIunderstandhim，thatis？Tobeginwith，heisstillachildandnotexactlyacoward，butsomethingbywayofanartist。Really，don’tlaughatmydescribinghimso。Heisinnocentandresponsivetoinfluence。Hehasaheart，andisafantasticfellow。Hesingsanddances，hetellsstories，theysay，sothatpeoplecomefromothervillagestohearhim。Heattendsschooltoo，andlaughstillhecriesifyouholdupafingertohim；hewilldrinkhimselfsenseless—notasaregularvice，butattimes，whenpeopletreathim，likeachild。Andhestole，too，then，withoutknowingithimself，for‘Howcanitbestealing，ifonepicksitup？’AnddoyouknowheisanOldBeliever，orratheradissenter？TherehavebeenWanderers1inhisfamily，andhewasfortwoyearsinhisvillageunderthespiritualguidanceofacertainelder。IlearntallthisfromNikolayandfromhisfellowvillagers。Andwhat’smore，hewantedtorunintothewilderness！Hewasfulloffervour，prayedatnight，readtheoldbooks，‘thetrue’ones，andreadhimselfcrazy。

“Petersburghadagreateffectuponhim，especiallythewomenandthewine。Herespondstoeverythingandheforgottheelderandallthat。Ilearntthatanartistheretookafancytohim，andusedtogoandseehim，andnowthisbusinesscameuponhim。

“Well，hewasfrightened，hetriedtohanghimself！Heranaway！HowcanonegetovertheideathepeoplehaveofRussianlegalproceedings？Theveryword‘trial’frightenssomeofthem。Whosefaultisit？Weshallseewhatthenewjurieswilldo。Godgranttheydogood！Well，inprison，itseems，herememberedthevenerableelder；theBible，too，madeitsappearanceagain。Doyouknow，RodionRomanovitch，theforceoftheword‘suffering’amongsomeofthesepeople！It’snotaquestionofsufferingforsomeone’sbenefit，butsimply，‘onemustsuffer。’Iftheysufferatthehandsoftheauthorities，somuchthebetter。InmytimetherewasaverymeekandmildprisonerwhospentawholeyearinprisonalwaysreadinghisBibleonthestoveatnightandhereadhimselfcrazy，andsocrazy，doyouknow，thatoneday，aproposofnothing，heseizedabrickandflungitatthegovernor；thoughhehaddonehimnoharm。Andthewayhethrewittoo:aimeditayardononesideonpurpose，forfearofhurtinghim。Well，weknowwhathappenstoaprisonerwhoassaultsanofficerwithaweapon。So‘hetookhissuffering。’

“SoIsuspectnowthatNikolaywantstotakehissufferingorsomethingofthesort。Iknowitforcertainfromfacts，indeed。Onlyhedoesn’tknowthatIknow。What，youdon’tadmitthattherearesuchfantasticpeopleamongthepeasants？Lotsofthem。Theeldernowhasbeguninfluencinghim，especiallysincehetriedtohanghimself。Buthe’llcomeandtellmeallhimself。Youthinkhe’llholdout？Waitabit，he’lltakehiswordsback。Iamwaitingfromhourtohourforhimtocomeandabjurehisevidence。IhavecometolikethatNikolayandamstudyinghimindetail。Andwhatdoyouthink？He-he！Heansweredmeveryplausiblyonsomepoints，heobviouslyhadcollectedsomeevidenceandpreparedhimselfcleverly。Butonotherpointsheissimplyatsea，knowsnothinganddoesn’tevensuspectthathedoesn’tknow！

“No，RodionRomanovitch，Nikolaydoesn’tcomein！Thisisafantastic，gloomybusiness，amoderncase，anincidentofto-daywhentheheartofmanistroubled，whenthephraseisquotedthatblood‘renews，’whencomfortispreachedastheaimoflife。Herewehavebookishdreams，aheartunhingedbytheories。Hereweseeresolutioninthefirststage，butresolutionofaspecialkind:heresolvedtodoitlikejumpingoveraprecipiceorfromabelltowerandhislegsshookashewenttothecrime。Heforgottoshutthedoorafterhim，andmurderedtwopeopleforatheory。Hecommittedthemurderandcouldn’ttakethemoney，andwhathedidmanagetosnatchuphehidunderastone。Itwasn’tenoughforhimtosufferagonybehindthedoorwhiletheybatteredatthedoorandrungthebell，no，hehadtogototheemptylodging，halfdelirious，torecallthebell-ringing，hewantedtofeelthecoldshiveroveragain。…Well，thatwegrant，wasthroughillness，butconsiderthis:heisamurderer，butlooksuponhimselfasanhonestman，despisesothers，posesasinjuredinnocence。No，that’snottheworkofaNikolay，mydearRodionRomanovitch！”

Allthathadbeensaidbeforehadsoundedsolikearecantationthatthesewordsweretoogreatashock。Raskolnikovshudderedasthoughhehadbeenstabbed。

“Then…whothen…isthemurderer？”heaskedinabreathlessvoice，unabletorestrainhimself。

PorfiryPetrovitchsankbackinhischair，asthoughhewereamazedatthequestion。

“Whoisthemurderer？”herepeated，asthoughunabletobelievehisears。“Why，you，RodionRomanovitch！Youarethemurderer，”headded，almostinawhisper，inavoiceofgenuineconviction。

Raskolnikovleaptfromthesofa，stoodupforafewsecondsandsatdownagainwithoututteringaword。Hisfacetwitchedconvulsively。

“Yourlipistwitchingjustasitdidbefore，”PorfiryPetrovitchobservedalmostsympathetically。“You’vebeenmisunderstandingme，Ithink，RodionRomanovitch，”headdedafterabriefpause，“that’swhyyouaresosurprised。Icameonpurposetotellyoueverythinganddealopenlywithyou。”

“ItwasnotImurderedher，”Raskolnikovwhisperedlikeafrightenedchildcaughtintheact。

“No，itwasyou，youRodionRomanovitch，andnooneelse，”Porfirywhisperedsternly，withconviction。

Theywerebothsilentandthesilencelastedstrangelylong，abouttenminutes。Raskolnikovputhiselbowonthetableandpassedhisfingersthroughhishair。PorfiryPetrovitchsatquietlywaiting。SuddenlyRaskolnikovlookedscornfullyatPorfiry。

“Youareatyouroldtricksagain，PorfiryPetrovitch！Youroldmethodagain。Iwonderyoudon’tgetsickofit！”

“Oh，stopthat，whatdoesthatmatternow？Itwouldbeadifferentmatteriftherewerewitnessespresent，butwearewhisperingalone。YouseeyourselfthatIhavenotcometochaseandcaptureyoulikeahare。Whetheryouconfessitornotisnothingtomenow；formyself，Iamconvincedwithoutit。”

“Ifso，whatdidyoucomefor？”Raskolnikovaskedirritably。“Iaskyouthesamequestionagain:ifyouconsidermeguilty，whydon’tyoutakemetoprison？”

“Oh，that’syourquestion！Iwillansweryou，pointforpoint。Inthefirstplace，toarrestyousodirectlyisnottomyinterest。”

“Howso？Ifyouareconvincedyouought。…”

“Ach，whatifIamconvinced？That’sonlymydreamforthetime。WhyshouldIputyouinsafety？Youknowthat’sit，sinceyouaskmetodoit。IfIconfrontyouwiththatworkmanforinstanceandyousaytohim‘wereyoudrunkornot？Whosawmewithyou？Isimplytookyoutobedrunk，andyouweredrunk，too。’Well，whatcouldIanswer，especiallyasyourstoryisamorelikelyonethanhis？forthere’snothingbutpsychologytosupporthisevidence—that’salmostunseemlywithhisuglymug，whileyouhitthemarkexactly，fortherascalisaninveteratedrunkardandnotoriouslyso。AndIhavemyselfadmittedcandidlyseveraltimesalreadythatthatpsychologycanbetakenintwowaysandthatthesecondwayisstrongerandlooksfarmoreprobable，andthatapartfromthatIhaveasyetnothingagainstyou。AndthoughIshallputyouinprisonandindeedhavecome—quitecontrarytoetiquette—toinformyouofitbeforehand，yetItellyoufrankly，alsocontrarytoetiquette，thatitwon’tbetomyadvantage。Well，secondly，I’vecometoyoubecause…”

“Yes，yes，secondly？”Raskolnikovwaslisteningbreathless。

“Because，asItoldyoujustnow，IconsiderIoweyouanexplanation。Idon’twantyoutolookuponmeasamonster，asIhaveagenuinelikingforyou，youmaybelievemeornot。AndinthethirdplaceI’vecometoyouwithadirectandopenproposition—thatyoushouldsurrenderandconfess。Itwillbeinfinitelymoretoyouradvantageandtomyadvantagetoo，formytaskwillbedone。Well，isthisopenonmypartornot？”

Raskolnikovthoughtaminute。

“Listen，PorfiryPetrovitch。Yousaidjustnowyouhavenothingbutpsychologytogoon，yetnowyou’vegoneonmathematics。Well，whatifyouaremistakenyourself，now？”

“No，RodionRomanovitch，Iamnotmistaken。Ihavealittlefacteventhen，Providencesentitme。”

“Whatlittlefact？”

“Iwon’ttellyouwhat，RodionRomanovitch。Andinanycase，Ihaven’ttherighttoputitoffanylonger，Imustarrestyou。Sothinkitover:itmakesnodifferencetomenowandsoIspeakonlyforyoursake。Believeme，itwillbebetter，RodionRomanovitch。”

Raskolnikovsmiledmalignantly。

“That’snotsimplyridiculous，it’spositivelyshameless。Why，evenifIwereguilty，whichIdon’tadmit，whatreasonshouldIhavetoconfess，whenyoutellmeyourselfthatIshallbeingreatersafetyinprison？”

“Ah，RodionRomanovitch，don’tputtoomuchfaithinwords，perhapsprisonwillnotbealtogetherarestfulplace。That’sonlytheoryandmytheory，andwhatauthorityamIforyou？Perhaps，too，evennowIamhidingsomethingfromyou？Ican’tlaybareeverything，he-he！Andhowcanyouaskwhatadvantage？Don’tyouknowhowitwouldlessenyoursentence？Youwouldbeconfessingatamomentwhenanothermanhastakenthecrimeonhimselfandsohasmuddledthewholecase。Considerthat！IswearbeforeGodthatIwillsoarrangethatyourconfessionshallcomeasacompletesurprise。Wewillmakeacleansweepofallthesepsychologicalpoints，ofasuspicionagainstyou，sothatyourcrimewillappeartohavebeensomethinglikeanaberration，forintruthitwasanaberration。Iamanhonestman，RodionRomanovitch，andwillkeepmyword。”

Raskolnikovmaintainedamournfulsilenceandlethisheadsinkdejectedly。Heponderedalongwhileandatlastsmiledagain，buthissmilewassadandgentle。

“No！”hesaid，apparentlyabandoningallattempttokeepupappearanceswithPorfiry，“it’snotworthit，Idon’tcareaboutlesseningthesentence！”

“That’sjustwhatIwasafraidof！”Porfirycriedwarmlyand，asitseemed，involuntarily。“That’sjustwhatIfeared，thatyouwouldn’tcareaboutthemitigationofsentence。”

Raskolnikovlookedsadlyandexpressivelyathim。

“Ah，don’tdisdainlife！”Porfirywenton。“Youhaveagreatdealofitstillbeforeyou。Howcanyousayyoudon’twantamitigationofsentence？Youareanimpatientfellow！”

“Agreatdealofwhatliesbeforeme？”

“Oflife。Whatsortofprophetareyou，doyouknowmuchaboutit？Seekandyeshallfind。ThismaybeGod’smeansforbringingyoutoHim。Andit’snotforever，thebondage。…”

“Thetimewillbeshortened，”laughedRaskolnikov。

“Why，isitthebourgeoisdisgraceyouareafraidof？Itmaybethatyouareafraidofitwithoutknowingit，becauseyouareyoung！Butanywayyoushouldn’tbeafraidofgivingyourselfupandconfessing。”

“Ach，hangit！”Raskolnikovwhisperedwithloathingandcontempt，asthoughhedidnotwanttospeakaloud。

Hegotupagainasthoughhemeanttogoaway，butsatdownagaininevidentdespair。

“Hangit，ifyoulike！You’velostfaithandyouthinkthatIamgrosslyflatteringyou；buthowlonghasyourlifebeen？Howmuchdoyouunderstand？Youmadeupatheoryandthenwereashamedthatitbrokedownandturnedouttobenotatalloriginal！Itturnedoutsomethingbase，that’strue，butyouarenothopelesslybase。Bynomeanssobase！Atleastyoudidn’tdeceiveyourselfforlong，youwentstraighttothefurthestpointatonebound。HowdoIregardyou？Iregardyouasoneofthosemenwhowouldstandandsmileattheirtorturerwhilehecutstheirentrailsout，ifonlytheyhavefoundfaithorGod。Finditandyouwilllive。Youhavelongneededachangeofair。Suffering，too，isagoodthing。Suffer！MaybeNikolayisrightinwantingtosuffer。Iknowyoudon’tbelieveinit—butdon’tbeover-wise；flingyourselfstraightintolife，withoutdeliberation；don’tbeafraid—thefloodwillbearyoutothebankandsetyousafeonyourfeetagain。Whatbank？HowcanItell？Ionlybelievethatyouhavelonglifebeforeyou。Iknowthatyoutakeallmywordsnowforasetspeechpreparedbeforehand，butmaybeyouwillrememberthemafter。Theymaybeofusesometime。That’swhyIspeak。It’saswellthatyouonlykilledtheoldwoman。Ifyou’dinventedanothertheoryyoumightperhapshavedonesomethingathousandtimesmorehideous。YououghttothankGod，perhaps。Howdoyouknow？PerhapsGodissavingyouforsomething。Butkeepagoodheartandhavelessfear！Areyouafraidofthegreatexpiationbeforeyou？No，itwouldbeshamefultobeafraidofit。Sinceyouhavetakensuchastep，youmusthardenyourheart。Thereisjusticeinit。Youmustfulfilthedemandsofjustice。Iknowthatyoudon’tbelieveit，butindeed，lifewillbringyouthrough。Youwillliveitdownintime。Whatyouneednowisfreshair，freshair，freshair！”

Raskolnikovpositivelystarted。

“Butwhoareyou？whatprophetareyou？Fromtheheightofwhatmajesticcalmdoyouproclaimthesewordsofwisdom？”

“WhoamI？Iamamanwithnothingtohopefor，that’sall。Amanperhapsoffeelingandsympathy，maybeofsomeknowledgetoo，butmydayisover。Butyouareadifferentmatter，thereislifewaitingforyou。Though，whoknows？maybeyourlife，too，willpassoffinsmokeandcometonothing。Come，whatdoesitmatter，thatyouwillpassintoanotherclassofmen？It’snotcomfortyouregret，withyourheart！Whatofitthatperhapsnoonewillseeyouforsolong？It’snottime，butyourselfthatwilldecidethat。Bethesunandallwillseeyou。Thesunhasbeforealltobethesun。Whyareyousmilingagain？AtmybeingsuchaSchiller？Ibetyou’reimaginingthatIamtryingtogetroundyoubyflattery。Well，perhapsIam，he-he-he！Perhapsyou’dbetternotbelievemyword，perhapsyou’dbetterneverbelieveitaltogether—I’mmadethatway，Iconfessit。Butletmeadd，youcanjudgeforyourself，Ithink，howfarIamabasesortofmanandhowfarIamhonest。”

“Whendoyoumeantoarrestme？”

“Well，Icanletyouwalkaboutanotherdayortwo。Thinkitover，mydearfellow，andpraytoGod。It’smoreinyourinterest，believeme。”

“AndwhatifIrunaway？”askedRaskolnikovwithastrangesmile。

“No，youwon’trunaway。Apeasantwouldrunaway，afashionabledissenterwouldrunaway，theflunkeyofanotherman’sthought，foryou’veonlytoshowhimtheendofyourlittlefingerandhe’llbereadytobelieveinanythingfortherestofhislife。Butyou’veceasedtobelieveinyourtheoryalready，whatwillyourunawaywith？Andwhatwouldyoudoinhiding？Itwouldbehatefulanddifficultforyou，andwhatyouneedmorethananythinginlifeisadefiniteposition，anatmospheretosuityou。Andwhatsortofatmospherewouldyouhave？Ifyouranaway，you’dcomebacktoyourself。Youcan’tgetonwithoutus。AndifIputyouinprison—sayyou’vebeenthereamonth，ortwo，orthree—remembermyword，you’llconfessofyourselfandperhapstoyourownsurprise。Youwon’tknowanhourbeforehandthatyouarecomingwithaconfession。Iamconvincedthatyouwilldecide，‘totakeyoursuffering。’Youdon’tbelievemywordsnow，butyou’llcometoitofyourself。Forsuffering，RodionRomanovitch，isagreatthing。Nevermindmyhavinggrownfat，Iknowallthesame。Don’tlaughatit，there’sanideainsuffering，Nokolayisright。No，youwon’trunaway，RodionRomanovitch。”

Raskolnikovgotupandtookhiscap。PorfiryPetrovitchalsorose。

“Areyougoingforawalk？Theeveningwillbefine，ifonlywedon’thaveastorm。Thoughitwouldbeagoodthingtofreshentheair。”

He，too，tookhiscap。

“PorfiryPetrovitch，pleasedon’ttakeupthenotionthatIhaveconfessedtoyouto-day，”Raskolnikovpronouncedwithsulleninsistence。“You’reastrangemanandIhavelistenedtoyoufromsimplecuriosity。ButIhaveadmittednothing，rememberthat！”

“Oh，Iknowthat，I’llremember。Lookathim，he’strembling！Don’tbeuneasy，mydearfellow，haveityourownway。Walkaboutabit，youwon’tbeabletowalktoofar。Ifanythinghappens，Ihaveonerequesttomakeofyou，”headded，droppinghisvoice。“It’sanawkwardone，butimportant。Ifanythingweretohappen(thoughindeedIdon’tbelieveinitandthinkyouquiteincapableofit)，yetincaseyouweretakenduringthesefortyorfiftyhourswiththenotionofputtinganendtothebusinessinsomeotherway，insomefantasticfashion—layinghandsonyourself—(it’sanabsurdproposition，butyoumustforgivemeforit)doleaveabriefbutprecisenote，onlytwolines，andmentionthestone。Itwillbemoregenerous。Come，tillwemeet！Goodthoughtsandsounddecisionstoyou！”

Porfirywentout，stoopingandavoidinglookingatRaskolnikov。ThelatterwenttothewindowandwaitedwithirritableimpatiencetillhecalculatedthatPorfiryhadreachedthestreetandmovedaway。Thenhetoowenthurriedlyoutoftheroom。