RagpickersandcostermongersofallkindswerecrowdingroundthetavernsinthedirtyandstinkingcourtyardsoftheHayMarket。
　　Raskolnikovparticularlylikedthisplaceandtheneighbouringalleys,whenhewanderedaimlesslyinthestreets。Herehisragsdidnotattractcontemptuousattention,andonecouldwalkaboutinanyattirewithoutscandalisingpeople。Atthecornerofanalleyahucksterandhiswifehadtwotablessetoutwithtapes,thread,cottonhandkerchiefs,&c。They,too,hadgotuptogohome,butwerelingeringinconversationwithafriend,whohadjustcomeuptothem。
　　ThisfriendwasLizavetaIvanovna,or,aseveryonecalledher,Lizaveta,theyoungersisteroftheoldpawnbroker,AlyonaIvanovna,whomRaskolnikovhadvisitedthepreviousdaytopawnhiswatchandmakehisexperiment……HealreadyknewallaboutLizavetaandsheknewhimalittletoo。Shewasasinglewomanofaboutthirty-five,tall,clumsy,timid,submissiveandalmostidiotic。Shewasacompleteslaveandwentinfearandtremblingofhersister,whomadeherworkdayandnight,andevenbeather。Shewasstandingwithabundlebeforethehucksterandhiswife,listeningearnestlyanddoubtfully。Theyweretalkingofsomethingwithspecialwarmth。ThemomentRaskolnikovcaughtsightofher,hewasovercomebyastrangesensationasitwereofintenseastonishment,thoughtherewasnothingastonishingaboutthismeeting。
　　“Youcouldmakeupyourmindforyourself,LizavetaIvanovna,“thehucksterwassayingaloud。“Comeroundtomorrowaboutseven。Theywillbeheretoo。“
　　“To-morrow？”saidLizavetaslowlyandthoughtfully,asthoughunabletomakeuphermind。
　　“Uponmyword,whatafrightyouareinofAlyonaIvanovna,“gabbledthehuckster'swife,alivelylittlewoman。“Ilookatyou,youarelikesomelittlebabe。Andsheisnotyourownsistereither-
　　nothingbutastepsisterandwhatahandshekeepsoveryou！”
　　“Butthistimedon'tsayawordtoAlyonaIvanovna,“herhusbandinterrupted;“that'smyadvice,butcomeroundtouswithoutasking。
　　Itwillbeworthyourwhile。Lateronyoursisterherselfmayhaveanotion。“
　　“AmItocome？”
　　“Aboutseveno'clockto-morrow。Andtheywillbehere。Youwillbeabletodecideforyourself。“
　　“Andwe'llhaveacupoftea,“addedhiswife。
　　“Allright,I'llcome,“saidLizaveta,stillpondering,andshebeganslowlymovingaway。
　　Raskolnikovhadjustpassedandheardnomore。Hepassedsoftly,unnoticed,tryingnottomissaword。Hisfirstamazementwasfollowedbyathrillofhorror,likeashiverrunningdownhisspine。Hehadlearnt,hehadsuddenlyquiteunexpectedlylearnt,thatthenextdayatseveno'clockLizaveta,theoldwoman'ssisterandonlycompanion,wouldbeawayfromhomeandthatthereforeatseveno'clockpreciselytheoldwomanwouldbeleftalone。
　　Hewasonlyafewstepsfromhislodging。Hewentinlikeamancondemnedtodeath。Hethoughtofnothingandwasincapableofthinking;buthefeltsuddenlyinhiswholebeingthathehadnomorefreedomofthought,nowill,andthateverythingwassuddenlyandirrevocablydecided。
　　Certainly,ifhehadtowaitwholeyearsforasuitableopportunity,hecouldnotreckononamorecertainsteptowardsthesuccessoftheplanthanthatwhichhadjustpresenteditself。Inanycase,itwouldhavebeendifficulttofindoutbeforehandandwithcertainty,withgreaterexactnessandlessrisk,andwithoutdangerousinquiriesandinvestigations,thatnextdayatacertaintimeanoldwoman,onwhoselifeanattemptwascontemplated,wouldbeathomeandentirelyalone。
　　ChapterSixLATERonRaskolnikovhappenedtofindoutwhythehucksterandhiswifehadinvitedLizaveta。Itwasaveryordinarymatterandtherewasnothingexceptionalaboutit。Afamilywhohadcometothetownandbeenreducedtopovertyweresellingtheirhouseholdgoodsandclothes,allwomen'sthings。Asthethingswouldhavefetchedlittleinthemarket,theywerelookingforadealer。ThiswasLizaveta'sbusiness。Sheundertooksuchjobsandwasfrequentlyemployed,asshewasveryhonestandalwaysfixedafairpriceandstucktoit。Shespokeasarulelittleand,aswehavesaidalready,shewasverysubmissiveandtimid。
　　ButRaskolnikovhadbecomesuperstitiousoflate。Thetracesofsuperstitionremainedinhimlongafter,andwerealmostineradicable。
　　Andinallthishewasalwaysafterwardsdisposedtoseesomethingstrangeandmysterious,asitwerethepresenceofsomepeculiarinfluencesandcoincidences。InthepreviouswinterastudentheknewcalledPokorev,whohadleftforHarkov,hadchancedinconversationtogivehimtheaddressofAlyonaIvanovna,theoldpawnbroker,incasehemightwanttopawnanything。Foralongwhilehedidnotgotoher,forhehadlessonsandmanagedtogetalongsomehow。Sixweeksagohehadrememberedtheaddress;hehadtwoarticlesthatcouldbepawned：hisfather'soldsilverwatchandalittlegoldringwiththreeredstones,apresentfromhissisteratparting。Hedecidedtotakethering。Whenhefoundtheoldwomanhehadfeltaninsurmountablerepulsionforheratthefirstglance,thoughheknewnothingspecialabouther。Hegottworoublesfromherandwentintoamiserablelittletavernonhiswayhome。Heaskedfortea,satdownandsankintodeepthought。Astrangeideawaspeckingathisbrainlikeachickenintheegg,andvery,verymuchabsorbedhim。
　　Almostbesidehimatthenexttabletherewassittingastudent,whomhedidnotknowandhadneverseen,andwithhimayoungofficer。
　　Theyhadplayedagameofbilliardsandbegandrinkingtea。AllatonceheheardthestudentmentiontotheofficerthepawnbrokerAlyonaIvanovnaandgivehimheraddress。ThisofitselfseemedstrangetoRaskolnikov;hehadjustcomefromherandhereatonceheheardhername。Ofcourseitwasachance,buthecouldnotshakeoffaveryextraordinaryimpression,andheresomeoneseemedtobespeakingexpresslyforhim;thestudentbegantellinghisfriendvariousdetailsaboutAlyonaIvanovna。
　　“Sheisfirstrate,“hesaid。“Youcanalwaysgetmoneyfromher。
　　SheisasrichasaJew,shecangiveyoufivethousandroublesatatimeandsheisnotabovetakingapledgeforarouble。Lotsofourfellowshavehaddealingswithher。Butsheisanawfuloldharpy……“
　　Andhebegandescribinghowspitefulanduncertainshewas,howifyouwereonlyadaylatewithyourinterestthepledgewaslost;howshegaveaquarterofthevalueofanarticleandtookfiveandevensevenpercentamonthonitandsoon。Thestudentchatteredon,sayingthatshehadasisterLizaveta,whomthewretchedlittlecreaturewascontinuallybeating,andkeptincompletebondagelikeasmallchild,thoughLizavetawasatleastsixfeethigh。
　　“There'saphenomenonforyou,“criedthestudentandhelaughed。
　　TheybegantalkingaboutLizaveta。ThestudentspokeaboutherwithapeculiarrelishandwascontinuallylaughingandtheofficerlistenedwithgreatinterestandaskedhimtosendLizavetatodosomemendingforhim。Raskolnikovdidnotmissawordandlearnedeverythingabouther。Lizavetawasyoungerthantheoldwomanandwasherhalf-sister,beingthechildofadifferentmother。Shewasthirty-five。Sheworkeddayandnightforhersister,andbesidesdoingthecookingandthewashing,shedidsewingandworkedasacharwomanandgavehersisterallsheearned。Shedidnotdaretoacceptanorderorjobofanykindwithouthersister'spermission。
　　Theoldwomanhadalreadymadeherwill,andLizavetaknewofit,andbythiswillshewouldnotgetafarthing;nothingbutthemovables,chairsandsoon;allthemoneywaslefttoamonasteryintheprovinceofN___,thatprayersmightbesaidforherinperpetuity。Lizavetawasoflowerrankthanhersister,unmarriedandawfullyuncouthinappearance,remarkablytallwithlongfeetthatlookedasiftheywerebentoutwards。Shealwaysworebatteredgoatskinshoes,andwascleaninherperson。WhatthestudentexpressedmostsurpriseandamusementaboutwasthefactthatLizavetawascontinuallywithchild。
　　“Butyousaysheishideous？”observedtheofficer。
　　“Yes,sheissodark-skinnedandlookslikeasoldierdressedup,butyouknowsheisnotatallhideous。Shehassuchagood-naturedfaceandeyes。Strikinglyso。Andtheproofofitisthatlotsofpeopleareattractedbyher。Sheissuchasoft,gentlecreature,readytoputupwithanything,alwayswilling,willingtodoanything。
　　Andhersmileisreallyverysweet。“
　　“Youseemtofindherattractiveyourself,“laughedtheofficer。
　　“Fromherqueerness。No,I'lltellyouwhat。Icouldkillthatdamnedoldwomanandmakeoffwithhermoney,Iassureyou,withoutthefaintestconscience-prick,“thestudentaddedwithwarmth。TheofficerlaughedagainwhileRaskolnikovshuddered。Howstrangeitwas!
　　“Listen,Iwanttoaskyouaseriousquestion,“thestudentsaidhotly。“Iwasjokingofcourse,butlookhere;ononesidewehaveastupid,senseless,worthless,spiteful,ailing,horridoldwoman,notsimplyuselessbutdoingactualmischief,whohasnotanideawhatsheislivingforherself,andwhowilldieinadayortwoinanycase。Youunderstand?Youunderstand？”
　　“Yes,yes,Iunderstand,“answeredtheofficer,watchinghisexcitedcompanionattentively。
　　“Well,listenthen。Ontheotherside,freshyounglivesthrownawayforwantofhelpandbythousands,oneveryside!Ahundredthousandgooddeedscouldbedoneandhelped,onthatoldwoman'smoneywhichwillbeburiedinamonastery!Hundreds,thousandsperhaps,mightbesetontherightpath;dozensoffamiliessavedfromdestitution,fromruin,fromvice,fromtheLockhospitals-andallwithhermoney。Killher,takehermoneyandwiththehelpofitdevoteoneselftotheserviceofhumanityandthegoodofall。Whatdoyouthink,wouldnotonetinycrimebewipedoutbythousandsofgooddeeds?Foronelifethousandswouldbesavedfromcorruptionanddecay。Onedeath,andahundredlivesinexchange-it'ssimplearithmetic!Besides,whatvaluehasthelifeofthatsickly,stupid,ill-naturedoldwomaninthebalanceofexistence!Nomorethanthelifeofalouse,ofablackbeetle,lessinfactbecausetheoldwomanisdoingharm。Sheiswearingoutthelivesofothers;theotherdayshebitLizaveta'sfingeroutofspite;italmosthadtobeamputated。“
　　“Ofcourseshedoesnotdeservetolive,“remarkedtheofficer,“butthereitis,it'snature。“
　　“Oh,well,brother,butwehavetocorrectanddirectnature,and,butforthat,weshoulddrowninanoceanofprejudice。Butforthat,therewouldneverhavebeenasinglegreatman。Theytalkofduty,conscience-Idon'twanttosayanythingagainstdutyandconscience;-butthepointiswhatdowemeanbythem。Stay,Ihaveanotherquestiontoaskyou。Listen！”
　　“No,youstay,I'llaskyouaquestion。Listen！”
　　“Well？”
　　“Youaretalkingandspeechifyingaway,buttellme,wouldyoukilltheoldwomanyourself？”
　　“Ofcoursenot!Iwasonlyarguingthejusticeofit……It'snothingtodowithme……“
　　“ButIthink,ifyouwouldnotdoityourself,there'snojusticeaboutit……Letushaveanothergame。“
　　Raskolnikovwasviolentlyagitated。Ofcourse,itwasallordinaryyouthfultalkandthought,suchashehadoftenheardbeforeindifferentformsandondifferentthemes。Butwhyhadhehappenedtohearsuchadiscussionandsuchideasattheverymomentwhenhisownbrainwasjustconceiving……theverysameideas?Andwhy,justatthemomentwhenhehadbroughtawaytheembryoofhisideafromtheoldwomanhadhedroppedatonceuponaconversationabouther?Thiscoincidencealwaysseemedstrangetohim。Thistrivialtalkinatavernhadanimmenseinfluenceonhiminhislateraction;asthoughtherehadreallybeeninitsomethingpreordained,someguidinghint-
　　OnreturningfromtheHayMarketheflunghimselfonthesofaandsatforawholehourwithoutstirring。Meanwhileitgotdark;hehadnocandleand,indeed,itdidnotoccurtohimtolightup。Hecouldneverrecollectwhetherhehadbeenthinkingaboutanythingatthattime。Atlasthewasconsciousofhisformerfeverandshivering,andherealisedwithreliefthathecouldliedownonthesofa。Soonheavy,leadensleepcameoverhim,asitwerecrushinghim。
　　Hesleptanextraordinarilylongtimeandwithoutdreaming。
　　Nastasya,comingintohisroomatteno'clockthenextmorning,haddifficultyinrousinghim。Shebroughthiminteaandbread。Theteawasagainthesecondbrewandagaininherowntea-pot。
　　“Mygoodness,howhesleeps！”shecriedindignantly。“Andheisalwaysasleep。“
　　Hegotupwithaneffort。Hisheadached,hestoodup,tookaturninhisgarretandsankbackonthesofaagain。
　　“Goingtosleepagain,“criedNastasya。“Areyouill,eh？”
　　Hemadenoreply。
　　“Doyouwantsometea？”
　　“Afterwards,“hesaidwithaneffort,closinghiseyesagainandturningtothewall。
　　Nastasyastoodoverhim。
　　“Perhapshereallyisill,“shesaid,turnedandwentout。Shecameinagainattwoo'clockwithsoup。Hewaslyingasbefore。Theteastooduntouched。Nastasyafeltpositivelyoffendedandbeganwrathfullyrousinghim。
　　“Whyareyoulyinglikealog？”sheshouted,lookingathimwithrepulsion。
　　Hegotup,andsatdownagain,butsaidnothingandstaredatthefloor。
　　“Areyouillornot？”askedNastasyaandagainreceivednoanswer。
　　“You'dbettergooutandgetabreathofair,“shesaidafterapause。
　　“Willyoueatitornot？”
　　“Afterwards,“hesaidweakly。“Youcango。“
　　Andhemotionedherout。
　　Sheremainedalittlelonger,lookedathimwithcompassionandwentout。
　　Afewminutesafterwards,heraisedhiseyesandlookedforalongwhileattheteaandthesoup。Thenhetookthebread,tookupaspoonandbegantoeat。
　　Heatealittle,threeorfourspoonfuls,withoutappetiteasitweremechanically。Hisheadachedless。Afterhismealhestretchedhimselfonthesofaagain,butnowhecouldnotsleep;helaywithoutstirring,withhisfaceinthepillow。Hewashauntedbydaydreamsandsuchstrangedaydreams;inone,thatkeptrecurring,hefanciedthathewasinAfrica,inEgypt,insomesortofoasis。Thecaravanwasresting,thecamelswerepeacefullylyingdown;thepalmsstoodallaroundinacompletecircle;allthepartywereatdinner。Buthewasdrinkingwaterfromaspringwhichflowedgurglingcloseby。Anditwassocool,itwaswonderful,wonderful,blue,coldwaterrunningamongtheparti-colouredstonesandoverthecleansandwhichglistenedhereandtherelikegold……Suddenlyheheardaclockstrike。Hestarted,rousedhimself,raisedhishead,lookedoutofthewindow,andseeinghowlateitwas,suddenlyjumpedupwideawakeasthoughsomeonehadpulledhimoffthesofa。
　　Hecreptontiptoetothedoor,stealthilyopeneditandbeganlisteningonthestaircase。Hisheartbeatterribly。Butallwasquietonthestairsasifeveryonewasasleep……Itseemedtohimstrangeandmonstrousthathecouldhavesleptinsuchforgetfulnessfromthepreviousdayandhaddonenothing,hadpreparednothingyet……Andmeanwhileperhapsithadstrucksix。Andhisdrowsinessandstupefactionwerefollowedbyanextraordinary,feverish,asitwere,distracted,haste。Butthepreparationstobemadewerefew。
　　Heconcentratedallhisenergiesonthinkingofeverythingandforgettingnothing;andhisheartkeptbeatingandthumpingsothathecouldhardlybreathe。Firsthehadtomakeanooseandsewitintohisovercoat-aworkofamoment。Herummagedunderhispillowandpickedoutamongstthelinenstuffedawayunderit,awornout,oldunwashedshirt。Fromitsragshetorealongstrip,acoupleofincheswideandaboutsixteenincheslong。Hefoldedthisstripintwo,tookoffhiswide,strongsummerovercoatofsomestoutcottonmaterialhisonlyoutergarmentandbegansewingthetwoendsoftheragontheinside,undertheleftarmhole。Hishandsshookashesewed,buthediditsuccessfullysothatnothingshowedoutsidewhenheputthecoatonagain。Theneedleandthreadhehadgotreadylongbeforeandtheylayonhistableinapieceofpaper。Asforthenoose,itwasaveryingeniousdeviceofhisown;thenoosewasintendedfortheaxe。Itwasimpossibleforhimtocarrytheaxethroughthestreetinhishands。Andifhiddenunderhiscoathewouldstillhavehadtosupportitwithhishand,whichwouldhavebeennoticeable。Nowhehadonlytoputtheheadoftheaxeinthenoose,anditwouldhangquietlyunderhisarmontheinside。Puttinghishandinhiscoatpocket,hecouldholdtheendofthehandlealltheway,sothatitdidnotswing;andasthecoatwasveryfull,aregularsackinfact,itcouldnotbeseenfromoutsidethathewasholdingsomethingwiththehandthatwasinthepocket。Thisnoose,too,hehaddesignedafortnightbefore。
　　Whenhehadfinishedwiththis,hethrusthishandintoalittleopeningbetweenhissofaandthefloor,fumbledintheleftcorneranddrewoutthepledge,whichhehadgotreadylongbeforeandhiddenthere。Thispledgewas,however,onlyasmoothlyplanedpieceofwoodthesizeandthicknessofasilvercigarettecase。Hepickedupthispieceofwoodinoneofhiswanderingsinacourtyardwheretherewassomesortofaworkshop。Afterwardshehadaddedtothewoodathinsmoothpieceofiron,whichhehadalsopickedupatthesametimeinthestreet。Puttingtheironwhichwasalittlethesmalleronthepieceofwood,hefastenedthemveryfirmly,crossingandre-crossingthethreadroundthem;thenwrappedthemcarefullyanddaintilyincleanwhitepaperandtieduptheparcelsothatitwouldbeverydifficulttountieit。Thiswasinordertodiverttheattentionoftheoldwomanforatime,whileshewastryingtoundotheknot,andsotogainamoment。Theironstripwasaddedtogiveweight,sothatthewomanmightnotguessthefirstminutethatthe“thing“wasmadeofwood。Allthishadbeenstoredbyhimbeforehandunderthesofa。Hehadonlyjustgotthepledgeoutwhenheheardsomeonesuddenlyaboutintheyard。
　　“Itstrucksixlongago。“
　　“Longago!MyGod！”
　　Herushedtothedoor,listened,caughtuphishatandbegantodescendhisthirteenstepscautiously,noiselessly,likeacat。Hehadstillthemostimportantthingtodo-tostealtheaxefromthekitchen。Thatthedeedmustbedonewithanaxehehaddecidedlongago。Hehadalsoapocketpruning-knife,buthecouldnotrelyontheknifeandstilllessonhisownstrength,andsoresolvedfinallyontheaxe。Wemaynoteinpassing,onepeculiarityinregardtoallthefinalresolutionstakenbyhiminthematter;theyhadonestrangecharacteristic：themorefinaltheywere,themorehideousandthemoreabsurdtheyatoncebecameinhiseyes。Inspiteofallhisagonisinginwardstruggle,heneverforasingleinstantallthattimecouldbelieveinthecarryingoutofhisplans。
　　And,indeed,ifithadeverhappenedthateverythingtotheleastpointcouldhavebeenconsideredandfinallysettled,andnouncertaintyofanykindhadremained,hewould,itseems,haverenounceditallassomethingabsurd,monstrousandimpossible。Butawholemassofunsettledpointsanduncertaintiesremained。Asforgettingtheaxe,thattriflingbusinesscosthimnoanxiety,fornothingcouldbeeasier。Nastasyawascontinuallyoutofthehouse,especiallyintheevenings;shewouldrunintotheneighboursortoashop,andalwaysleftthedoorajar。Itwastheonethingthelandladywasalwaysscoldingherabout。Andsowhenthetimecame,hewouldonlyhavetogoquietlyintothekitchenandtotaketheaxe,andanhourlaterwheneverythingwasovergoinandputitbackagain。Buttheseweredoubtfulpoints。Supposinghereturnedanhourlatertoputitback,andNastasyahadcomebackandwasonthespot。Hewouldofcoursehavetogobyandwaittillshewentoutagain。Butsupposingshewereinthemeantimetomisstheaxe,lookforit,makeanoutcry-
　　thatwouldmeansuspicionoratleastgroundsforsuspicion。
　　Butthosewerealltrifleswhichhehadnotevenbeguntoconsider,andindeedhehadnotime。Hewasthinkingofthechiefpoint,andputofftriflingdetails,untilhecouldbelieveinitall。
　　Butthatseemedutterlyunattainable。Soitseemedtohimselfatleast。Hecouldnotimagine,forinstance,thathewouldsometimeleaveoffthinking,getupandsimplygothere……Evenhislateexperimenti。e。hisvisitwiththeobjectofafinalsurveyoftheplacewassimplyanattemptatanexperiment,farfrombeingtherealthing,asthoughoneshouldsay“come,letusgoandtryit-whydreamaboutit！”-andatoncehehadbrokendownandhadrunawaycursing,inafrenzywithhimself。Meanwhileitwouldseem,asregardsthemoralquestion,thathisanalysiswascomplete;hiscasuistryhadbecomekeenasarazor,andhecouldnotfindrationalobjectionsinhimself。Butinthelastresorthesimplyceasedtobelieveinhimself,anddoggedly,slavishlysoughtargumentsinalldirections,fumblingforthem,asthoughsomeonewereforcinganddrawinghimtoit。
　　Atfirst-longbeforeindeed-hehadbeenmuchoccupiedwithonequestion;whyalmostallcrimesaresobadlyconcealedandsoeasilydetected,andwhyalmostallcriminalsleavesuchobvioustraces?Hehadcomegraduallytomanydifferentandcuriousconclusions,andinhisopinionthechiefreasonlaynotsomuchinthematerialimpossibilityofconcealingthecrime,asinthecriminalhimself。
　　Almosteverycriminalissubjecttoafailureofwillandreasoningpowerbyachildishandphenomenalheedlessness,attheveryinstantwhenprudenceandcautionaremostessential。Itwashisconvictionthatthiseclipseofreasonandfailureofwillpowerattackedamanlikeadisease,developedgraduallyandreacheditshighestpointjustbeforetheperpetrationofthecrime,continuedwithequalviolenceatthemomentofthecrimeandforlongerorshortertimeafter,accordingtotheindividualcase,andthenpassedofflikeanyotherdisease。Thequestionwhetherthediseasegivesrisetothecrime,orwhetherthecrimefromitsownpeculiarnatureisalwaysaccompaniedbysomethingofthenatureofdisease,hedidnotyetfeelabletodecide。
　　Whenhereachedtheseconclusions,hedecidedthatinhisowncasetherecouldnotbesuchamorbidreaction,thathisreasonandwillwouldremainunimpairedatthetimeofcarryingouthisdesign,forthesimplereasonthathisdesignwas“notacrime……“Wewillomitalltheprocessbymeansofwhichhearrivedatthislastconclusion;wehaveruntoofaraheadalready……Wemayaddonlythatthepractical,purelymaterialdifficultiesoftheaffairoccupiedasecondarypositioninhismind。“Onehasbuttokeepallone'swillpowerandreasontodealwiththem,andtheywillallbeovercomeatthetimewhenonceonehasfamiliarisedoneselfwiththeminutestdetailsofthebusiness……“Butthispreparationhadneverbeenbegun。Hisfinaldecisionswerewhathecametotrustleast,andwhenthehourstruck,itallcametopassquitedifferently,asitwereaccidentallyandunexpectedly。
　　Onetriflingcircumstanceupsethiscalculations,beforehehadevenleftthestaircase。Whenhereachedthelandlady'skitchen,thedoorofwhichwasopenasusual,heglancedcautiouslyintoseewhether,inNastasya'sabsence,thelandladyherselfwasthere,orifnot,whetherthedoortoherownroomwasclosed,sothatshemightnotpeepoutwhenhewentinfortheaxe。ButwhatwashisamazementwhenhesuddenlysawthatNastasyawasnotonlyathomeinthekitchen,butwasoccupiedthere,takinglinenoutofabasketandhangingitonaline。Seeinghim,sheleftoffhangingtheclothes,turnedtohimandstaredathimallthetimehewaspassing。Heturnedawayhiseyes,andwalkedpastasthoughhenoticednothing。Butitwastheendofeverything;hehadnottheaxe!Hewasoverwhelmed。
　　“Whatmademethink,“hereflected,ashewentunderthegateway,“whatmademethinkthatshewouldbesurenottobeathomeatthatmoment!Why,why,whydidIassumethissocertainly？”
　　Hewascrushedandevenhumiliated。Hecouldhavelaughedathimselfinhisanger……Adullanimalrageboiledwithinhim。
　　Hestoodhesitatinginthegateway。Togointothestreet,togoforawalkforappearancesakewasrevolting;togobacktohisroom,evenmorerevolting。“AndwhatachanceIhavelostforever！”hemuttered,standingaimlesslyinthegateway,justoppositetheporter'slittledarkroom,whichwasalsoopen。Suddenlyhestarted。Fromtheporter'sroom,twopacesawayfromhim,somethingshiningunderthebenchtotherightcaughthiseye……Helookedabouthim-nobody。Heapproachedtheroomontiptoe,wentdowntwostepsintoitandinafaintvoicecalledtheporter。“Yes,notathome!Somewherenearthough,intheyard,forthedooriswideopen。“Hedashedtotheaxeitwasanaxeandpulleditoutfromunderthebench,whereitlaybetweentwochunksofwood;atoncebeforegoingout,hemadeitfastinthenoose,hethrustbothhandsintohispocketsandwentoutoftheroom;noonehadnoticedhim!“Whenreasonfails,thedevilhelps！”hethoughtwithastrangegrin。Thischanceraisedhisspiritsextraordinarily。
　　Hewalkedalongquietlyandsedately,withouthurry,toavoidawakeningsuspicion。Hescarcelylookedatthepassers-by,triedtoescapelookingattheirfacesatall,andtobeaslittlenoticeableaspossible。Suddenlyhethoughtofhishat。“Goodheavens!Ihadthemoneythedaybeforeyesterdayanddidnotgetacaptowearinstead！”Acurserosefromthebottomofhissoul。
　　Glancingoutofthecornerofhiseyeintoashop,hesawbyaclockonthewallthatitwastenminutespastseven。Hehadtomakehasteandatthesametimetogosomewayround,soastoapproachthehousefromtheotherside……
　　Whenhehadhappenedtoimagineallthisbeforehand,hehadsometimesthoughtthathewouldbeverymuchafraid。Buthewasnotverymuchafraidnow,wasnotafraidatall,indeed。Hismindwasevenoccupiedbyirrelevantmatters,butbynothingforlong。AshepassedtheYusupovgarden,hewasdeeplyabsorbedinconsideringthebuildingofgreatfountains,andoftheirrefreshingeffectontheatmosphereinallthesquares。BydegreeshepassedtotheconvictionthatifthesummergardenwereextendedtothefieldofMars,andperhapsjoinedtothegardenoftheMihailovskyPalace,itwouldbeasplendidthingandagreatbenefittothetown。Thenhewasinterestedbythequestionwhyinallgreattownsmenarenotsimplydrivenbynecessity,butinsomepeculiarwayinclinedtoliveinthosepartsofthetownwheretherearenogardensnorfountains;
　　wherethereismostdirtandsmellandallsortsofnastiness。ThenhisownwalksthroughtheHayMarketcamebacktohismind,andforamomenthewakeduptoreality。“Whatnonsense！”hethought,“betterthinkofnothingatall！”
　　“Soprobablymenledtoexecutionclutchmentallyateveryobjectthatmeetsthemontheway,“flashedthroughhismind,butsimplyflashed,likelightning;hemadehastetodismissthisthought……Andbynowhewasnear;herewasthehouse,herewasthegate。Suddenlyaclocksomewherestruckonce。“What!canitbehalf-pastseven?
　　Impossible,itmustbefast！”
　　Luckilyforhim,everythingwentwellagainatthegates。Atthatverymoment,asthoughexpresslyforhisbenefit,ahugewaggonofhayhadjustdriveninatthegate,completelyscreeninghimashepassedunderthegateway,andthewaggonhadscarcelyhadtimetodrivethroughintotheyard,beforehehadslippedinaflashtotheright。Ontheothersideofthewaggonhecouldhearshoutingandquarrelling;butnoonenoticedhimandnoonemethim。Manywindowslookingintothathugequadrangularyardwereopenatthatmoment,buthedidnotraisehishead-hehadnotthestrengthto。Thestaircaseleadingtotheoldwoman'sroomwascloseby,justontherightofthegateway。Hewasalreadyonthestairs……
　　Drawingabreath,pressinghishandagainsthisthrobbingheart,andoncemorefeelingfortheaxeandsettingitstraight,hebegansoftlyandcautiouslyascendingthestairs,listeningeveryminute。Butthestairs,too,werequitedeserted;allthedoorswereshut;hemetnoone。Oneflatindeedonthefirstfloorwaswideopenandpainterswereatworkinit,buttheydidnotglanceathim。Hestoodstill,thoughtaminuteandwenton。“Ofcourseitwouldbebetteriftheyhadnotbeenhere,but……it'stwostoreysabovethem。“
　　Andtherewasthefourthstorey,herewasthedoor,herewastheflatopposite,theemptyone。Theflatunderneaththeoldwoman'swasapparentlyemptyalso;thevisitingcardnailedonthedoorhadbeentornoff-theyhadgoneaway!……Hewasoutofbreath。Foroneinstantthethoughtfloatedthroughhismind“ShallIgoback？”Buthemadenoanswerandbeganlisteningattheoldwoman'sdoor,adeadsilence。Thenhelistenedagainonthestaircase,listenedlongandintently……thenlookedabouthimforthelasttime,pulledhimselftogether,drewhimselfup,andoncemoretriedtheaxeinthenoose。
　　“AmIverypale？”hewondered。“AmInotevidentlyagitated?Sheismistrustful……HadIbetterwaitalittlelonger……tillmyheartleavesoffthumping？”
　　Buthisheartdidnotleaveoff。Onthecontrary,asthoughtospitehim,itthrobbedmoreandmoreviolently。Hecouldstanditnolonger,heslowlyputouthishandtothebellandrang。Halfaminutelaterherangagain,moreloudly。
　　Noanswer。Togoonringingwasuselessandoutofplace。Theoldwomanwas,ofcourse,athome,butshewassuspiciousandalone。Hehadsomeknowledgeofherhabits……andoncemoreheputhiseartothedoor。Eitherhissenseswerepeculiarlykeenwhichitisdifficulttosuppose,orthesoundwasreallyverydistinct。
　　Anyway,hesuddenlyheardsomethinglikethecautioustouchofahandonthelockandtherustleofaskirtattheverydoor。Someonewasstandingstealthilyclosetothelockandjustashewasdoingontheoutsidewassecretlylisteningwithin,andseemedtohavehereartothedoor……Hemovedalittleonpurposeandmutteredsomethingaloudthathemightnothavetheappearanceofhiding,thenrangathirdtime,butquietly,soberlyandwithoutimpatience,Recallingitafterwards,thatmomentstoodoutinhismindvividly,distinctly,forever;hecouldnotmakeouthowhehadhadsuchcunning,forhismindwasasitwerecloudedatmomentsandhewasalmostunconsciousofhisbody……Aninstantlaterheheardthelatchunfastened。
　　ChapterSevenTHEDOORwasasbeforeopenedatinycrack,andagaintwosharpandsuspiciouseyesstaredathimoutofthedarkness。ThenRaskolnikovlosthisheadandnearlymadeagreatmistake。
　　Fearingtheoldwomanwouldbefrightenedbytheirbeingalone,andnothopingthatthesightofhimwoulddisarmhersuspicions,hetookholdofthedooranddrewittowardshimtopreventtheoldwomanfromattemptingtoshutitagain。Seeingthisshedidnotpullthedoorback,butshedidnotletgothehandlesothathealmostdraggedheroutwithitontothestairs。Seeingthatshewasstandinginthedoorwaynotallowinghimtopass,headvancedstraightuponher。
　　Shesteppedbackinalarm,triedtosaysomething,butseemedunabletospeakandstaredwithopeneyesathim。
　　“Goodevening,AlyonaIvanovna,“hebegan,tryingtospeakeasily,buthisvoicewouldnotobeyhim,itbrokeandshook。“Ihavecome……Ihavebroughtsomething……butwe'dbettercomein……tothelight……“
　　Andleavingher,hepassedstraightintotheroomuninvited。Theoldwomanranafterhim;hertonguewasunloosed。
　　“Goodheavens!Whatitis?Whoisit?Whatdoyouwant？”
　　“Why,AlyonaIvanovna,youknowme……Raskolnikov……here,IbroughtyouthepledgeIpromisedtheotherday……“andheheldoutthepledge。
　　Theoldwomanglancedforamomentatthepledge,butatoncestaredintheeyesofheruninvitedvisitor。Shelookedintently,maliciouslyandmistrustfully。Aminutepassed;heevenfanciedsomethinglikeasneerinhereyes,asthoughshehadalreadyguessedeverything。Hefeltthathewaslosinghishead,thathewasalmostfrightened,sofrightenedthatifsheweretolooklikethatandnotsayawordforanotherhalfminute,hethoughthewouldhaverunawayfromher。
　　“Whydoyoulookatmeasthoughyoudidnotknowme？”hesaidsuddenly,alsowithmalice。“Takeitifyoulike,ifnotI'llgoelsewhere,Iaminahurry。“
　　Hehadnoteventhoughtofsayingthis,butitwassuddenlysaidofitself。Theoldwomanrecoveredherself,andhervisitor'sresolutetoneevidentlyrestoredherconfidence。
　　“Butwhy,mygoodsir,allofaminute……Whatisit？”sheasked,lookingatthepledge。
　　“Thesilvercigarettecase;Ispokeofitlasttime,youknow。“
　　Sheheldoutherhand。
　　“Buthowpaleyouare,tobesure……andyourhandsaretremblingtoo?Haveyoubeenbathing,orwhat？”
　　“Fever,“heansweredabruptly。“Youcan'thelpgettingpale……ifyou'venothingtoeat,“headded,withdifficultyarticulatingthewords。
　　Hisstrengthwasfailinghimagain。Buthisanswersoundedlikethetruth;theoldwomantookthepledge。
　　“Whatisit？”sheaskedoncemore,scanningRaskolnikovintently,andweighingthepledgeinherhand。
　　“Athing……cigarettecase……Silver……Lookatit。“
　　“Itdoesnotseemsomehowlikesilver……Howhehaswrappeditup！”
　　Tryingtountiethestringandturningtothewindow,tothelightallherwindowswereshut,inspiteofthestiflingheat,shelefthimaltogetherforsomesecondsandstoodwithherbacktohim。Heunbuttonedhiscoatandfreedtheaxefromthenoose,butdidnotyettakeitoutaltogether,simplyholdingitinhisrighthandunderthecoat。Hishandswerefearfullyweak,hefeltthemeverymomentgrowingmorenumbandmorewooden。Hewasafraidhewouldlettheaxeslipandfall……Asuddengiddinesscameoverhim。
　　“Butwhathashetiedituplikethisfor？”theoldwomancriedwithvexationandmovedtowardshim。
　　Hehadnotaminutemoretolose。Hepulledtheaxequiteout,swungitwithbotharms,scarcelyconsciousofhimself,andalmostwithouteffort,almostmechanically,broughtthebluntsidedownonherhead。Heseemednottousehisownstrengthinthis。Butassoonashehadoncebroughttheaxedown,hisstrengthreturnedtohim。
　　Theoldwomanwasasalwaysbareheaded。Herthin,lighthair,streakedwithgrey,thicklysmearedwithgrease,wasplaitedinarat'stailandfastenedbyabrokenhorncombwhichstoodoutonthenapeofherneck。Asshewassoshort,theblowfellontheverytopofherskull。Shecriedout,butveryfaintly,andsuddenlysankallofaheaponthefloor,raisingherhandstoherhead。Inonehandshestillheld“thepledge。“Thenhedealtheranotherandanotherblowwiththebluntsideandonthesamespot。Thebloodgushedasfromanoverturnedglass,thebodyfellback。Hesteppedback,letitfall,andatoncebentoverherface;shewasdead。Hereyesseemedtobestartingoutoftheirsockets,thebrowandthewholefaceweredrawnandcontortedconvulsively。
　　Helaidtheaxeonthegroundnearthedeadbodyandfeltatonceinherpockettryingtoavoidthestreamingbody-thesamerighthandpocketfromwhichshehadtakenthekeyonhislastvisit。Hewasinfullpossessionofhisfaculties,freefromconfusionorgiddiness,buthishandswerestilltrembling。Herememberedafterwardsthathehadbeenparticularlycollectedandcareful,tryingallthetimenottogetsmearedwithblood……Hepulledoutthekeysatonce,theywereall,asbefore,inonebunchonasteelring。Heranatonceintothebedroomwiththem。Itwasaverysmallroomwithawholeshrineofholyimages。Againsttheotherwallstoodabigbed,verycleanandcoveredwithasilkpatchworkwaddedquilt。Againstathirdwallwasachestofdrawers。Strangetosay,sosoonashebegantofitthekeysintothechest,sosoonasheheardtheirjingling,aconvulsiveshudderpassedoverhim。Hesuddenlyfelttemptedagaintogiveitallupandgoaway。Butthatwasonlyforaninstant;itwastoolatetogoback。Hepositivelysmiledathimself,whensuddenlyanotherterrifyingideaoccurredtohismind。Hesuddenlyfanciedthattheoldwomanmightbestillaliveandmightrecoverhersenses。Leavingthekeysinthechest,heranbacktothebody,snatcheduptheaxeandlifteditoncemoreovertheoldwoman,butdidnotbringitdown。Therewasnodoubtthatshewasdead。Bendingdownandexaminingheragainmoreclosely,hesawclearlythattheskullwasbrokenandevenbatteredinononeside。Hewasabouttofeelitwithhisfinger,butdrewbackhishandandindeeditwasevidentwithoutthat。Meanwhiletherewasaperfectpoolofblood。Allatoncehenoticedastringonherneck;hetuggedatit,butthestringwasstronganddidnotsnapandbesides,itwassoakedwithblood。Hetriedtopullitoutfromthefrontofthedress,butsomethinghelditandpreventeditscoming。Inhisimpatienceheraisedtheaxeagaintocutthestringfromaboveonthebody,butdidnotdare,andwithdifficulty,smearinghishandandtheaxeintheblood,aftertwominutes'hurriedeffort,hecutthestringandtookitoffwithouttouchingthebodywiththeaxe;hewasnotmistaken-itwasapurse。Onthestringweretwocrosses,oneofCypruswoodandoneofcopper,andanimageinsilverfiligree,andwiththemasmallgreasychamoisleatherpursewithasteelrimandring。Thepursewasstuffedveryfull;Raskolnikovthrustitinhispocketwithoutlookingatit,flungthecrossesontheoldwoman'sbodyandrushedbackintothebedroom,thistimetakingtheaxewithhim。
　　Hewasinterriblehaste,hesnatchedthekeys,andbegantryingthemagain。Buthewasunsuccessful。Theywouldnotfitinthelocks。Itwasnotsomuchthathishandswereshaking,butthathekeptmakingmistakes;thoughhesawforinstancethatakeywasnottherightoneandwouldnotfit,stillhetriedtoputitin。Suddenlyherememberedandrealisedthatthebigkeywiththedeepnotches,whichwashangingtherewiththesmallkeyscouldnotpossiblybelongtothechestofdrawersonhislastvisitthishadstruckhim,buttosomestrongbox,andthateverythingperhapswashiddeninthatbox。Heleftthechestofdrawers,andatoncefeltunderthebedstead,knowingthatoldwomenusuallykeepboxesundertheirbeds。Andsoitwas;therewasagood-sizedboxunderthebed,atleastayardinlength,withanarchedlidcoveredwithredleatherandstuddedwithsteelnails。Thenotchedkeyfittedatonceandunlockedit。Atthetop,underawhitesheet,wasacoatofredbrocadelinedwithhareskin;underitwasasilkdress,thenashawlanditseemedasthoughtherewasnothingbelowbutclothes。Thefirstthinghedidwastowipehisblood-stainedhandsontheredbrocade。
　　“It'sred,andonredbloodwillbelessnoticeable,“thethoughtpassedthroughhismind;thenhesuddenlycametohimself。“GoodGod,amIgoingoutofmysenses？”hethoughtwithterror。
　　Butnosoonerdidhetouchtheclothesthanagoldwatchslippedfromunderthefurcoat。Hemadehastetoturnthemallover。Thereturnedouttobevariousarticlesmadeofgoldamongtheclothes-probablyallpledges,unredeemedorwaitingtoberedeemed-
　　bracelets,chains,ear-rings,pinsandsuchthings。Somewereincases,otherssimplywrappedinnewspaper,carefullyandexactlyfolded,andtiedroundwithtape。Withoutanydelay,hebeganfillingupthepocketsofhistrousersandovercoatwithoutexaminingorundoingtheparcelsandcases;buthehadnottimetotakemany……
　　Hesuddenlyheardstepsintheroomwheretheoldwomanlay。Hestoppedshortandwasstillasdeath。Butallwasquiet,soitmusthavebeenhisfancy。Allatoncehehearddistinctlyafaintcry,asthoughsomeonehadutteredalowbrokenmoan。Thenagaindeadsilenceforaminuteortwo。Hesatsquattingonhisheelsbytheboxandwaitedholdinghisbreath。Suddenlyhejumpedup,seizedtheaxeandranoutofthebedroom。
　　InthemiddleoftheroomstoodLizavetawithabigbundleinherarms。Shewasgazinginstupefactionathermurderedsister,whiteasasheetandseemingnottohavethestrengthtocryout。Seeinghimrunoutofthebedroom,shebeganfaintlyquiveringallover,likealeaf,ashudderrandownherface;sheliftedherhand,openedhermouth,butstilldidnotscream。Shebeganslowlybackingawayfromhimintothecorner,staringintently,persistentlyathim,butstillutterednosound,asthoughshecouldnotgetbreathtoscream。Herushedatherwiththeaxe;hermouthtwitchedpiteously,asoneseesbabies'mouths,whentheybegintobefrightened,stareintentlyatwhatfrightensthemandareonthepointofscreaming。AndthishaplessLizavetawassosimpleandhadbeensothoroughlycrushedandscaredthatshedidnotevenraiseahandtoguardherface,thoughthatwasthemostnecessaryandnaturalactionatthemoment,fortheaxewasraisedoverherface。Sheonlyputupheremptylefthand,butnottoherface,slowlyholdingitoutbeforeherasthoughmotioninghimaway。Theaxefellwiththesharpedgejustontheskullandsplitatoneblowallthetopofthehead。Shefellheavilyatonce。Raskolnikovcompletelylosthishead,snatchedupherbundle,droppeditagainandranintotheentry。
　　Feargainedmoreandmoremasteryoverhim,especiallyafterthissecond,quiteunexpectedmurder。Helongedtorunawayfromtheplaceasfastaspossible。Andifatthatmomenthehadbeencapableofseeingandreasoningmorecorrectly,ifhehadbeenabletorealiseallthedifficultiesofhisposition,thehopelessness,thehideousnessandtheabsurdityofit,ifhecouldhaveunderstoodhowmanyobstaclesand,perhaps,crimeshehadstilltoovercomeortocommit,togetoutofthatplaceandtomakehiswayhome,itisverypossiblethathewouldhaveflungupeverything,andwouldhavegonetogivehimselfup,andnotfromfear,butfromsimplehorrorandloathingofwhathehaddone。Thefeelingofloathingespeciallysurgedupwithinhimandgrewstrongereveryminute。Hewouldnotnowhavegonetotheboxorevenintotheroomforanythingintheworld。
　　Butasortofblankness,evendreaminesshadbegunbydegreestotakepossessionofhim;atmomentsheforgothimself,orrather,forgotwhatwasofimportance,andcaughtattrifles。Glancing,however,intothekitchenandseeingabuckethalffullofwateronabench,hebethoughthimofwashinghishandsandtheaxe。Hishandswerestickywithblood。Hedroppedtheaxewiththebladeinthewater,snatchedapieceofsoapthatlayinabrokensauceronthewindow,andbeganwashinghishandsinthebucket。Whentheywereclean,hetookouttheaxe,washedthebladeandspentalongtime,aboutthreeminutes,washingthewoodwheretherewerespotsofbloodrubbingthemwithsoap。Thenhewipeditallwithsomelinenthatwashangingtodryonalineinthekitchenandthenhewasalongwhileattentivelyexaminingtheaxeatthewindow。Therewasnotraceleftonit,onlythewoodwasstilldamp。Hecarefullyhungtheaxeinthenooseunderhiscoat。Thenasfaraswaspossible,inthedimlightinthekitchen,helookedoverhisovercoat,histrousersandhisboots。Atthefirstglancethereseemedtobenothingbutstainsontheboots。Hewettedtheragandrubbedtheboots。Butheknewhewasnotlookingthoroughly,thattheremightbesomethingquitenoticeablethathewasoverlooking。Hestoodinthemiddleoftheroom,lostinthought。Darkagonisingideasroseinhismind-
　　theideathathewasmadandthatatthatmomenthewasincapableofreasoning,ofprotectinghimself,thatheoughtperhapstobedoingsomethingutterlydifferentfromwhathewasnowdoing。“GoodGod！”hemuttered“Imustfly,fly,“andherushedintotheentry。Buthereashockofterrorawaitedhimsuchashehadneverknownbefore。
　　Hestoodandgazedandcouldnotbelievehiseyes：thedoor,theouterdoorfromthestairs,atwhichhehadnotlongbeforewaitedandrung,wasstandingunfastenedandatleastsixinchesopen。Nolock,nobolt,allthetime,allthattime!Theoldwomanhadnotshutitafterhimperhapsasaprecaution。But,goodGod!Why,hehadseenLizavetaafterwards!Andhowcouldhe,howcouldhehavefailedtoreflectthatshemusthavecomeinsomehow!Shecouldnothavecomethroughthewall!
　　Hedashedtothedoorandfastenedthelatch。
　　“Butno,thewrongthingagain。Imustgetaway,getaway……“
　　Heunfastenedthelatch,openedthedoorandbeganlisteningonthestaircase。
　　Helistenedalongtime。Somewherefaraway,itmightbeinthegateway,twovoiceswereloudlyandshrillyshouting,quarrellingandscolding。“Whataretheyabout？”Hewaitedpatiently。Atlastallwasstill,asthoughsuddenlycutoff;theyhadseparated。Hewasmeaningtogoout,butsuddenly,onthefloorbelow,adoorwasnoisilyopenedandsomeonebegangoingdownstairshummingatune。
　　“Howisittheyallmakesuchanoise！”flashedthroughhismind。Oncemoreheclosedthedoorandwaited。Atlastallwasstill,notasoulstirring。Hewasjusttakingasteptowardsthestairswhenheheardfreshfootsteps。
　　Thestepssoundedveryfaroff,attheverybottomofthestairs,butherememberedquiteclearlyanddistinctlythatfromthefirstsoundhebeganforsomereasontosuspectthatthiswassomeonecomingthere,tothefourthfloor,totheoldwoman。Why?Werethesoundssomehowpeculiar,significant?Thestepswereheavy,evenandunhurried。Nowhehadpassedthefirstfloor,nowhewasmountinghigher,itwasgrowingmoreandmoredistinct!Hecouldhearhisheavybreathing。Andnowthethirdstoreyhadbeenreached。Cominghere!Anditseemedtohimallatoncethathewasturnedtostone,thatitwaslikeadreaminwhichoneisbeingpursued,nearlycaughtandwillbekilled,andisrootedtothespotandcannotevenmoveone'sarms。
　　Atlastwhentheunknownwasmountingtothefourthfloor,hesuddenlystarted,andsucceededinslippingneatlyandquicklybackintotheflatandclosingthedoorbehindhim。Thenhetookthehookandsoftly,noiselessly,fixeditinthecatch。Instincthelpedhim。
　　Whenhehaddonethis,hecrouchedholdinghisbreath,bythedoor。
　　Theunknownvisitorwasbynowalsoatthedoor。Theywerenowstandingoppositeoneanother,ashehadjustbeforebeenstandingwiththeoldwoman,whenthedoordividedthemandhewaslistening。
　　Thevisitorpantedseveraltimes。“Hemustbeabig,fatman,“
　　thoughtRaskolnikov,squeezingtheaxeinhishand。Itseemedlikeadreamindeed。Thevisitortookholdofthebellandrangloudly。
　　Assoonasthetinbelltinkled,Raskolnikovseemedtobeawareofsomethingmovingintheroom。Forsomesecondshelistenedquiteseriously。Theunknownrangagain,waitedandsuddenlytuggedviolentlyandimpatientlyatthehandleofthedoor。Raskolnikovgazedinhorroratthehookshakinginitsfastening,andinblankterrorexpectedeveryminutethatthefasteningwouldbepulledout。Itcertainlydidseempossible,soviolentlywasheshakingit。Hewastemptedtoholdthefastening,buthemightbeawareofit。A
　　giddinesscameoverhimagain。“Ishallfalldown！”flashedthroughhismind,buttheunknownbegantospeakandherecoveredhimselfatonce。
　　“What'sup?Aretheyasleepormurdered?D-damnthem！”hebawledinathickvoice,“Hey,AlyonaIvanovna,oldwitch!LizavetaIvanovna,hey,mybeauty!openthedoor!Oh,damnthem!Aretheyasleeporwhat？”
　　Andagain,enraged,hetuggedwithallhismightadozentimesatthebell。Hemustcertainlybeamanofauthorityandanintimateacquaintance。
　　Atthismomentlighthurriedstepswereheardnotfaroff,onthestairs。Someoneelsewasapproaching。Raskolnikovhadnotheardthematfirst。
　　“Youdon'tsaythere'snooneathome,“thenew-comercriedinacheerful,ringingvoice,addressingthefirstvisitor,whostillwentonpullingthebell。“Goodevening,Koch。“
　　“Fromhisvoicehemustbequiteyoung,“thoughtRaskolnikov。
　　“Whothedevilcantell?I'vealmostbrokenthelock,“answeredKoch。“Buthowdoyoucometoknowme?
　　“Why!ThedaybeforeyesterdayIbeatyouthreetimesrunningatbilliardsatGambrinus'。“
　　“Oh！”
　　“Sotheyarenotathome?That'squeer?It'sawfullystupidthough。Wherecouldtheoldwomanhavegone?I'vecomeonbusiness。“
　　“Yes;andIhavebusinesswithher,too。“
　　“Well,whatcanwedo?Goback,Isuppose,Aie-aie!AndIwashopingtogetsomemoney！”criedtheyoungman。
　　“Wemustgiveitup,ofcourse,butwhatdidshefixthistimefor?Theoldwitchfixedthetimeformetocomeherself。It'soutofmyway。Andwherethedevilshecanhavegotto,Ican'tmakeout。Shesitsherefromyear'sendtoyear'send,theoldhag;herlegsarebadandyethereallofasuddensheisoutforawalk！”
　　“Hadn'twebetterasktheporter？”
　　“What？”
　　“Whereshe'sgoneandwhenshe'llbeback。“
　　“Hm……Damnitall!……Wemightask……Butyouknowsheneverdoesgoanywhere。“
　　Andheoncemoretuggedatthedoor-handle。
　　“Damnitall。There'snothingtobedone,wemustgo！”
　　“Stay！”criedtheyoungmansuddenly。“Doyouseehowthedoorshakesifyoupullit？”
　　“Well？”
　　“Thatshowsit'snotlocked,butfastenedwiththehook!Doyouhearhowthehookclanks？”
　　“Well？”
　　“Why,don'tyousee?Thatprovesthatoneofthemisathome。Iftheywereallout,theywouldhavelockedthedoorfromtheoutsidewiththekeyandnotwiththehookfrominside。There,doyouhearhowthehookisclanking?Tofastenthehookontheinsidetheymustbeathome,don'tyousee。Sotheretheyaresittinginsideanddon'topenthedoor！”
　　“Well!Andsotheymustbe！”criedKoch,astonished。“Whataretheyaboutinthere！”Andhebeganfuriouslyshakingthedoor。
　　“Stay！”criedtheyoungmanagain。“Don'tpullatit!Theremustbesomethingwrong……Here,you'vebeenringingandpullingatthedoorandstilltheydon'topen!Soeitherthey'vebothfaintedor……“
　　“What？”
　　“Itellyouwhat。Let'sgofetchtheporter,lethimwakethemup。“
　　“Allright。“
　　Bothweregoingdown。
　　“Stay。YoustopherewhileIrundownfortheporter。“
　　“Whatfor？”
　　“Well,you'dbetter。“
　　“Allright。“
　　“I'mstudyingthelawyousee!It'sevident,e-vi-dentthere'ssomethingwronghere！”theyoungmancriedhotly,andherandownstairs。
　　Kochremained。Oncemorehesoftlytouchedthebellwhichgaveonetinkle,thengently,asthoughreflectingandlookingabouthim,begantouchingthedoor-handlepullingitandlettingitgotomakesureoncemorethatitwasonlyfastenedbythehook。Thenpuffingandpantinghebentdownandbeganlookingatthekeyhole;butthekeywasinthelockontheinsideandsonothingcouldbeseen。
　　Raskolnikovstoodkeepingtightholdoftheaxe。Hewasinasortofdelirium。Hewasevenmakingreadytofightwhentheyshouldcomein。Whiletheywereknockingandtalkingtogether,theideaseveraltimesoccurredtohimtoenditallatonceandshouttothemthroughthedoor。Nowandthenhewastemptedtoswearatthem,tojeeratthem,whiletheycouldnotopenthedoor!“Onlymakehaste！”
　　wasthethoughtthatflashedthroughhismind。
　　“Butwhatthedevilisheabout?……“Timewaspassing,oneminute,andanother-noonecame。Kochbegantoberestless。
　　“Whatthedevil？”hecriedsuddenlyandinimpatiencedesertinghissentryduty,he,too,wentdown,hurryingandthumpinghisheavybootsonthestairs。Thestepsdiedaway。
　　“Goodheavens!WhatamItodo？”
　　Raskolnikovunfastenedthehook,openedthedoor-therewasnosound。Abruptly,withoutanythoughtatall,hewentout,closingthedoorasthoroughlyashecould,andwentdownstairs。
　　Hehadgonedownthreeflightswhenhesuddenlyheardaloudvoicebelow-wherecouldhego!Therewasnowheretohide。Hewasjustgoingbacktotheflat。
　　“Heythere!Catchthebrute！”
　　Somebodydashedoutofaflatbelow,shouting,andratherfellthanrandownthestairs,bawlingatthetopofhisvoice。
　　“Mitka!Mitka!Mitka!Mitka!Mitka!Blasthim！”
　　Theshoutendedinashriek;thelastsoundscamefromtheyard;allwasstill。Butatthesameinstantseveralmentalkingloudandfastbegannoisilymountingthestairs。Therewerethreeorfourofthem。
　　Hedistinguishedtheringingvoiceoftheyoungman。“They！”
　　Filledwithdespairhewentstraighttomeetthem,feeling“comewhatmust！”Iftheystoppedhim-allwaslost;iftheylethimpass-
　　allwaslosttoo;theywouldrememberhim。Theywereapproaching;theywereonlyaflightfromhim-andsuddenlydeliverance!Afewstepsfromhimontheright,therewasanemptyflatwiththedoorwideopen,theflatonthesecondfloorwherethepaintershadbeenatwork,andwhich,asthoughforhisbenefit,theyhadjustleft。Itwasthey,nodoubt,whohadjustrundown,shouting。Thefloorhadonlyjustbeenpainted,inthemiddleoftheroomstoodapailandabrokenpotwithpaintandbrushes。Inoneinstanthehadwhiskedinattheopendoorandhiddenbehindthewallandonlyinthenickoftime;
　　theyhadalreadyreachedthelanding。Thentheyturnedandwentonuptothefourthfloor,talkingloudly。Hewaited,wentoutontiptoeandrandownthestairs。
　　Noonewasonthestairs,norinthegateway。Hepassedquicklythroughthegatewayandturnedtotheleftinthestreet。
　　Heknew,heknewperfectlywellthatatthatmomenttheywereattheflat,thattheyweregreatlyastonishedatfindingitunlocked,asthedoorhadjustbeenfastened,thatbynowtheywerelookingatthebodies,thatbeforeanotherminutehadpassedtheywouldguessandcompletelyrealisethatthemurdererhadjustbeenthere,andhadsucceededinhidingsomewhere,slippingbythemandescaping。Theywouldguessmostlikelythathehadbeenintheemptyflat,whiletheyweregoingupstairs。Andmeanwhilehedarednotquickenhispacemuch,thoughthenextturningwasstillnearlyahundredyardsaway。“Shouldheslipthroughsomegatewayandwaitsomewhereinanunknownstreet?No,hopeless!Shouldheflingawaytheaxe?Shouldhetakeacab?Hopeless,hopeless！”
　　Atlasthereachedtheturning。Heturneddownitmoredeadthanalive。Herehewashalfwaytosafety,andhereunderstoodit;itwaslessriskybecausetherewasagreatcrowdofpeople,andhewaslostinitlikeagrainofsand。Butallhehadsufferedhadsoweakenedhimthathecouldscarcelymove。Perspirationrandownhimindrops,hisneckwasallwet。“Myword,hehasbeengoingit！”someoneshoutedathimwhenhecameoutonthecanalbank。
　　Hewasonlydimlyconsciousofhimselfnow,andthefartherhewenttheworseitwas。Herememberedhowever,thatoncomingoutontothecanalbank,hewasalarmedatfindingfewpeoplethereandsobeingmoreconspicuous,andhehadthoughtofturningback。Thoughhewasalmostfallingfromfatigue,hewentalongwayroundsoastogethomefromquiteadifferentdirection。
　　Hewasnotfullyconsciouswhenhepassedthroughthegatewayofhishouse!hewasalreadyonthestaircasebeforeherecollectedtheaxe。Andyethehadaverygraveproblembeforehim,toputitbackandtoescapeobservationasfaraspossibleindoingso。Hewasofcourseincapableofreflectingthatitmightperhapsbefarbetternottorestoretheaxeatall,buttodropitlateroninsomebody'syard。
　　Butitallhappenedfortunately,thedooroftheporter'sroomwasclosedbutnotlocked,sothatitseemedmostlikelythattheporterwasathome。Buthehadsocompletelylostallpowerofreflectionthathewalkedstraighttothedoorandopenedit。Iftheporterhadaskedhim“Whatdoyouwant？”hewouldperhapshavesimplyhandedhimtheaxe。Butagaintheporterwasnotathome,andhesucceededinputtingtheaxebackunderthebench,andevencoveringitwiththechunkofwoodasbefore。Hemetnoone,notasoul,afterwardsonthewaytohisroom;thelandlady'sdoorwasshut。Whenhewasinhisroom,heflunghimselfonthesofajustashewas-hedidnotsleep,butsankintoblankforgetfulness。Ifanyonehadcomeintohisroomthen,hewouldhavejumpedupatonceandscreamed。Scrapsandshredsofthoughtsweresimplyswarminginhisbrain,buthecouldnotcatchatone,hecouldnotrestonone,inspiteofallhisefforts……
　　PARTTWO
　　ChapterOneSOHElayaverylongwhile。Nowandthenheseemedtowakeup,andatsuchmomentshenoticedthatitwasfarintothenight,butitdidnotoccurtohimtogetup。Atlasthenoticedthatitwasbeginningtogetlight。Hewaslyingonhisback,stilldazedfromhisrecentoblivion。Fearful,despairingcriesroseshrillyfromthestreet,soundswhichheheardeverynight,indeed,underhiswindowaftertwoo'clock。Theywokehimupnow。
　　“Ah!thedrunkenmenarecomingoutofthetaverns,“hethought,“it'spasttwoo'clock,“andatonceheleapedup,asthoughsomeonehadpulledhimfromthesofa。
　　“What!Pasttwoo'clock！”
　　Hesatdownonthesofa-andinstantlyrecollectedeverything!Allatonce,inoneflash,herecollectedeverything。
　　Forthefirstmomenthethoughthewasgoingmad。Adreadfulchillcameoverhim;butthechillwasfromthefeverthathadbegunlongbeforeinhissleep。Nowhewassuddenlytakenwithviolentshivering,sothathisteethchatteredandallhislimbswereshaking。Heopenedthedoorandbeganlistening;everythinginthehousewasasleep。Withamazementhegazedathimselfandeverythingintheroomaroundhim,wonderinghowhecouldhavecomeinthenightbeforewithoutfasteningthedoor,andhaveflunghimselfonthesofawithoutundressing,withouteventakinghishatoff。Ithadfallenoffandwaslyingonthefloornearhispillow。
　　“Ifanyonehadcomein,whatwouldhehavethought?ThatI'mdrunkbut……“
　　Herushedtothewindow。Therewaslightenough,andhebeganhurriedlylookinghimselfalloverfromheadtofoot,allhisclothes;
　　weretherenotraces?Buttherewasnodoingitlikethat;shiveringwithcold,hebegantakingoffeverythingandlookingoveragain。Heturnedeverythingovertothelastthreadsandrags,andmistrustinghimself,wentthroughhissearchthreetimes。
　　Butthereseemedtobenothing,notrace,exceptinoneplace,wheresomethickdropsofcongealedbloodwereclingingtothefrayededgeofhistrousers。Hepickedupabigclaspknifeandcutoffthefrayedthreads。Thereseemedtobenothingmore。
　　Suddenlyherememberedthatthepurseandthethingshehadtakenoutoftheoldwoman'sboxwerestillinhispockets!Hehadnotthoughttillthenoftakingthemoutandhidingthem!Hehadnoteventhoughtofthemwhilehewasexamininghisclothes!Whatnext?
　　Instantlyherushedtotakethemout,andflingthemonthetable。
　　Whenhehadpulledouteverything,andturnedthepocketinsideouttobesuretherewasnothingleft,hecarriedthewholeheaptothecorner。Thepaperhadcomeoffthebottomofthewallandhungthereintatters。Hebeganstuffingallthethingsintotheholeunderthepaper：“They'rein!Alloutofsight,andthepursetoo！”hethoughtgleefully,gettingupandgazingblanklyattheholewhichbulgedoutmorethanever。Suddenlyheshudderedalloverwithhorror;“MyGod！”hewhisperedindespair：“what'sthematterwithme?Isthathidden?Isthatthewaytohidethings？”
　　Hehadnotreckonedonhavingtrinketstohide。Hehadonlythoughtofmoney,andsohadnotpreparedahiding-place。
　　“Butnow,now,whatamIgladof？”hethought,“Isthathidingthings?Myreason'sdesertingme-simply！”
　　Hesatdownonthesofainexhaustionandwasatonceshakenbyanotherunbearablefitofshivering。Mechanicallyhedrewfromachairbesidehimhisoldstudent'swintercoat,whichwasstillwarmthoughalmostinrags,coveredhimselfupwithitandoncemoresankintodrowsinessanddelirium。Helostconsciousness。
　　Notmorethanfiveminuteshadpassedwhenhejumpedupasecondtime,andatoncepouncedinafrenzyonhisclothesagain。
　　“HowcouldIgotosleepagainwithnothingdone?Yes,yes;Ihavenottakentheloopoffthearmhole!Iforgotit,forgotathinglikethat!Suchapieceofevidence！”
　　Hepulledoffthenoose,hurriedlycutittopiecesandthrewthebitsamonghislinenunderthepillow。
　　“Piecesoftornlinencouldn'trousesuspicion,whateverhappened;I
　　thinknot,Ithinknot,anyway！”herepeated,standinginthemiddleoftheroom,andwithpainfulconcentrationhefelltogazingabouthimagain,atthefloorandeverywhere,tryingtomakesurehehadnotforgottenanything。Theconviction,thatallhisfaculties,evenmemory,andthesimplestpowerofreflectionwerefailinghim,begantobeaninsufferabletorture。
　　“Surelyitisn'tbeginningalready!Surelyitisn'tmypunishmentcominguponme?Itis！”
　　Thefrayedragshehadcutoffhistrouserswereactuallylyingonthefloorinthemiddleoftheroom,whereanyonecominginwouldseethem!
　　“Whatisthematterwithme！”hecriedagain,likeonedistraught。
　　Thenastrangeideaenteredhishead;that,perhaps,allhisclotheswerecoveredwithblood,that,perhaps,therewereagreatmanystains,butthathedidnotseethem,didnotnoticethembecausehisperceptionswerefailing,weregoingtopieces……hisreasonwasclouded……Suddenlyherememberedthattherehadbeenbloodonthepursetoo。“Ah!Thentheremustbebloodonthepockettoo,forI
　　putthewetpurseinmypocket！”
　　Inaflashhehadturnedthepocketinsideoutand,yes!-thereweretraces,stainsontheliningofthepocket!
　　“Somyreasonhasnotquitedesertedme,soIstillhavesomesenseandmemory,sinceIguesseditofmyself,“hethoughttriumphantly,withadeepsighofrelief：“It'ssimplytheweaknessoffever,amoment'sdelirium,“andhetorethewholeliningoutoftheleftpocketofhistrousers。Atthatinstantthesunlightfellonhisleftboot;onthesockwhichpokedoutfromtheboot,hefanciedthereweretraces!Heflungoffhisboots：“tracesindeed!Thetipofthesockwassoakedwithblood“;hemusthaveunwarilysteppedintothatpool……“ButwhatamItodowiththisnow?WhereamItoputthesockandragsandpocket？”
　　Hegatheredthemallupinhishandsandstoodinthemiddleoftheroom。
　　“Inthestove?Buttheywouldransackthestovefirstofall。Burnthem?ButwhatcanIburnthemwith?Therearenomatcheseven。No,bettergooutandthrowitallawaysomewhere。Yes,betterthrowitaway,“herepeated,sittingdownonthesofaagain,“andatonce,thisminute,withoutlingering……“
　　Buthisheadsankonthepillowinstead。Againtheunbearableicyshiveringcameoverhim;againhedrewhiscoatoverhim。
　　Andforalongwhile,forsomehours,hewashauntedbytheimpulseto“gooffsomewhereatonce,thismoment,andflingitallaway,sothatitmaybeoutofsightanddonewith,atonce,atonce！”
　　Severaltimeshetriedtorisefromthesofabutcouldnot。
　　Hewasthoroughlywakedupatlastbyaviolentknockingathisdoor。
　　“Open,do,areyoudeadoralive?Hekeepssleepinghere！”shoutedNastasya,bangingwithherfistonthedoor。“Forwholedaystogetherhe'ssnoringherelikeadog!Adogheistoo。OpenItellyou。It'spastten。“
　　“Maybehe'snotathome,“saidaman'svoice。
　　“Ha!that'stheporter'svoice……Whatdoeshewant？”
　　Hejumpedupandsatonthesofa。Thebeatingofhisheartwasapositivepain。
　　“Thenwhocanhavelatchedthedoor？”retortedNastasya。
　　“He'stakentoboltinghimselfin!Asifhewereworthstealing!
　　Open,youstupid,wakeup！”
　　“Whatdotheywant?Whytheporter?All'sdiscovered。Resistoropen?Comewhatmay!……“
　　Hehalfrose,stoopedforwardandunlatchedthedoor。
　　Hisroomwassosmallthathecouldundothelatchwithoutleavingthebed。Yes;theporterandNastasyawerestandingthere。
　　Nastasyastaredathiminastrangeway。Heglancedwithadefiantanddesperateairattheporter,whowithoutawordheldoutagreyfoldedpapersealedwithbottle-wax。
　　“Anoticefromtheoffice,“heannounced,ashegavehimthepaper。
　　“Fromwhatoffice？”
　　“Asummonstothepoliceoffice,ofcourse。Youknowwhichoffice。“
　　“Tothepolice?……Whatfor?……“
　　“HowcanItell?You'resentfor,soyougo。“
　　Themanlookedathimattentively,lookedroundtheroomandturnedtogoaway。
　　“He'sdownrightill！”observedNastasya,nottakinghereyesoffhim。Theporterturnedhisheadforamoment。“He'sbeeninafeversinceyesterday,“sheadded。
　　Raskolnikovmadenoresponseandheldthepaperinhishands,withoutopeningit。“Don'tyougetupthen,“Nastasyawentoncompassionately,seeingthathewaslettinghisfeetdownfromthesofa。“You'reill,andsodon'tgo;there'snosuchhurry。Whathaveyougotthere？”
　　Helooked;inhisrighthandheheldtheshredshehadcutfromhistrousers,thesock,andtheragsofthepocket。Sohehadbeenasleepwiththeminhishand。Afterwardsreflectinguponit,herememberedthathalfwakingupinhisfever,hehadgraspedallthistightlyinhishandandsofallenasleepagain。
　　“Lookattheragshe'scollectedandsleepswiththem,asthoughhehasgotholdofatreasure……“
　　AndNastasyawentoffintoherhystericalgiggle。
　　Instantlyhethrustthemallunderhisgreatcoatandfixedhiseyesintentlyuponher。Farashewasfrombeingcapableofrationalreflectionatthatmoment,hefeltthatnoonewouldbehavelikethatwithapersonwhowasgoingtobearrested。“But……thepolice？”
　　“You'dbetterhavesometea!Yes?I'llbringit,there'ssomeleft。“
　　“No……I'mgoing;I'llgoatonce,“hemuttered,gettingontohisfeet。
　　“Why,you'llnevergetdownstairs！”
　　“Yes,I'llgo。“
　　“Asyouplease。“
　　Shefollowedtheporterout。
　　Atonceherushedtothelighttoexaminethesockandtherags。
　　“Therearestains,butnotverynoticeable;allcoveredwithdirt,andrubbedandalreadydiscoloured。Noonewhohadnosuspicioncoulddistinguishanything。Nastasyafromadistancecouldnothavenoticed,thankGod！”Thenwithatremorhebrokethesealofthenoticeandbeganreading;hewasalongwhilereading,beforeheunderstood。Itwasanordinarysummonsfromthedistrictpolicestationtoappearthatdayathalfpastnineattheofficeofthedistrictsuperintendent。
　　“Butwhenhassuchathinghappened?Ineverhaveanythingtodowiththepolice!Andwhyjustto-day？”hethoughtinagonisingbewilderment。“GoodGod,onlygetitoversoon！”
　　Hewasflinginghimselfonhiskneestopray,butbrokeintolaughter-notattheideaofprayer,butathimself。
　　Hebegan,hurriedlydressing。“IfI'mlost,Iamlost,Idon'tcare!
　　ShallIputthesockon？”hesuddenlywondered,“itwillgetdustierstillandthetraceswillbegone。“
　　Butnosoonerhadheputitonthanhepulleditoffagaininloathingandhorror。Hepulleditoff,butreflectingthathehadnoothersocks,hepickeditupandputitonagain-andagainhelaughed。
　　“That'sallconventional,that'sallrelative,merelyawayoflookingatit,“hethoughtinaflash,butonlyonthetopsurfaceofhismind,whilehewasshudderingallover,“there,I'vegotiton!
　　Ihavefinishedbygettingiton！”
　　Buthislaughterwasquicklyfollowedbydespair。
　　“No,it'stoomuchforme……“hethought。Hislegsshook。“Fromfear,“hemuttered。Hisheadswamandachedwithfever。“It'satrick!
　　Theywanttodecoymethereandconfoundmeovereverything,“hemused,ashewentoutontothestairs-“theworstofitisI'malmostlight-headed……Imayblurtoutsomethingstupid……“