Onthestairsherememberedthathewasleavingallthethingsjustastheywereintheholeinthewall,“andverylikely,it'sonpurposetosearchwhenI'mout,“hethought,andstoppedshort。Buthewaspossessedbysuchdespair,suchcynicismofmisery,ifonemaysocallit,thatwithawaveofhishandhewenton。“Onlytogetitover！”
　　Inthestreettheheatwasinsufferableagain;notadropofrainhadfallenallthosedays。Againdust,bricks,andmortar,againthestenchfromtheshopsandpot-houses,againthedrunkenmen,theFinnishpedlarsandhalf-broken-downcabs。Thesunshonestraightinhiseyes,sothatithurthimtolookoutofthem,andhefelthisheadgoinground-asamaninafeverisapttofeelwhenhecomesoutintothestreetonabrightsunnyday。
　　Whenhereachedtheturningintothestreet,inanagonyoftrepidationhelookeddownit……atthehouse……andatonceavertedhiseyes。
　　“Iftheyquestionme,perhapsI'llsimplytell,“hethought,ashedrewnearthepolicestation。
　　Thepolicestationwasaboutaquarterofamileoff。Ithadlatelybeenmovedtonewroomsonthefourthfloorofanewhouse。
　　Hehadbeenonceforamomentintheoldofficebutlongago。
　　Turninginatthegateway,hesawontherightaflightofstairswhichapeasantwasmountingwithabookinhishand。“Ahouse-porter,nodoubt;sothen,theofficeishere,“andhebeganascendingthestairsonthechance。Hedidnotwanttoaskquestionsofanyone。
　　“I'llgoin,fallonmyknees,andconfesseverything……“hethought,ashereachedthefourthfloor。
　　Thestaircasewassteep,narrowandallsloppywithdirtywater。Thekitchensoftheflatsopenedontothestairsandstoodopenalmostthewholeday。Sotherewasafearfulsmellandheat。Thestaircasewascrowdedwithportersgoingupanddownwiththeirbooksundertheirarms,policemen,andpersonsofallsortsandbothsexes。Thedooroftheoffice,too,stoodwideopen。Peasantsstoodwaitingwithin。There,too,theheatwasstiflingandtherewasasickeningsmelloffreshpaintandstaleoilfromthenewlydecoratedrooms。
　　Afterwaitingalittle,hedecidedtomoveforwardintothenextroom。Alltheroomsweresmallandlow-pitched。Afearfulimpatiencedrewhimonandon。Noonepaidattentiontohim。Inthesecondroomsomeclerkssatwriting,dressedhardlybetterthanhewas,andratheraqueer-lookingset。Hewentuptooneofthem。
　　“Whatisit？”
　　Heshowedthenoticehehadreceived。
　　“Youareastudent？”themanasked,glancingatthenotice。
　　“Yes,formerlyastudent。“
　　Theclerklookedathim,butwithouttheslightestinterest。Hewasaparticularlyunkemptpersonwiththelookofafixedideainhiseye。
　　“Therewouldbenogettinganythingoutofhim,becausehehasnointerestinanything,“thoughtRaskolnikov。
　　“Gointheretotheheadclerk,“saidtheclerk,pointingtowardsthefurthestroom。
　　Hewentintothatroom-thefourthinorder;itwasasmallroomandpackedfullofpeople,ratherbetterdressedthanintheouterrooms。Amongthemweretwoladies。One,poorlydressedinmourning,satatthetableoppositethechiefclerk,writingsomethingathisdictation。Theother,averystout,buxomwomanwithapurplish-red,blotchyface,excessivelysmartlydressedwithabroochonherbosomasbigasasaucer,wasstandingononeside,apparentlywaitingforsomething。Raskolnikovthrusthisnoticeupontheheadclerk。Thelatterglancedatit,said：“Waitaminute,“andwentonattendingtotheladyinmourning。
　　Hebreathedmorefreely。“Itcan'tbethat！”
　　Bydegreeshebegantoregainconfidence,hekepturginghimselftohavecourageandbecalm。
　　“Somefoolishness,sometriflingcarelessness,andImaybetraymyself!Hm……it'sapitythere'snoairhere,“headded,“it'sstifling……Itmakesone'sheaddizzierthanever……andone'smindtoo……“
　　Hewasconsciousofaterribleinnerturmoil。Hewasafraidoflosinghisself-control;hetriedtocatchatsomethingandfixhismindonit,somethingquiteirrelevant,buthecouldnotsucceedinthisatall。Yettheheadclerkgreatlyinterestedhim,hekepthopingtoseethroughhimandguesssomethingfromhisface。
　　Hewasaveryyoungman,abouttwoandtwenty,withadarkmobilefacethatlookedolderthanhisyears。Hewasfashionablydressedandfoppish,withhishairpartedinthemiddle,wellcombedandpomaded,andworeanumberofringsonhiswell-scrubbedfingersandagoldchainonhiswaistcoat。HesaidacoupleofwordsinFrenchtoaforeignerwhowasintheroom,andsaidthemfairlycorrectly。
　　“LuiseIvanovna,youcansitdown,“hesaidcasuallytothegaily-dressed,purple-facedlady,whowasstillstandingasthoughnotventuringtositdown,thoughtherewasachairbesideher。
　　“Ichdanke,“saidthelatter,andsoftly,witharustleofsilkshesankintothechair。Herlightbluedresstrimmedwithwhitelacefloatedaboutthetablelikeanair-balloonandfilledalmosthalftheroom。Shesmeltofscent。Butshewasobviouslyembarrassedatfillinghalftheroomandsmellingsostronglyofscent;andthoughhersmilewasimpudentaswellascringing,itbetrayedevidentuneasiness。
　　Theladyinmourninghaddoneatlast,andgotup。Allatonce,withsomenoise,anofficerwalkedinveryjauntily,withapeculiarswingofhisshouldersateachstep。Hetossedhiscockadedcaponthetableandsatdowninaneasy-chair。Thesmallladypositivelyskippedfromherseatonseeinghim,andfelltocurtsyinginasortofecstasy;buttheofficertooknotthesmallestnoticeofher,andshedidnotventuretositdownagaininhispresence。Hewastheassistantsuperintendent。Hehadareddishmoustachethatstoodouthorizontallyoneachsideofhisface,andextremelysmallfeatures,expressiveofnothingmuchexceptacertaininsolence。HelookedaskanceandratherindignantlyatRaskolnikov;hewassoverybadlydressed,andinspiteofhishumiliatingposition,hisbearingwasbynomeansinkeepingwithhisclothes。Raskolnikovhadunwarilyfixedaverylonganddirectlookonhim,sothathefeltpositivelyaffronted。
　　“Whatdoyouwant？”heshouted,apparentlyastonishedthatsucharaggedfellowwasnotannihilatedbythemajestyofhisglance。
　　“Iwassummoned……byanotice……“Raskolnikovfaltered。
　　“Fortherecoveryofmoneydue,fromthestudent,“theheadclerkinterferedhurriedly,tearinghimselffromhispapers。“Here！”andheflungRaskolnikovadocumentandpointedouttheplace。“Readthat！”
　　“Money?Whatmoney？”thoughtRaskolnikov,“but……then……it'scertainlynotthat。“
　　Andhetrembledwithjoy。Hefeltsuddenintenseindescribablerelief。Aloadwasliftedfromhisback。
　　“Andpray,whattimewereyoudirectedtoappear,sir？”shoutedtheassistantsuperintendent,seemingforsomeunknownreasonmoreandmoreaggrieved。“Youaretoldtocomeatnine,andnowit'stwelve！”
　　“Thenoticewasonlybroughtmeaquarterofanhourago,“
　　Raskolnikovansweredloudlyoverhisshoulder。Tohisownsurprisehe,too,grewsuddenlyangryandfoundacertainpleasureinit。“Andit'senoughthatIhavecomehereillwithfever。“
　　“Kindlyrefrainfromshouting！”
　　“I'mnotshouting,I'mspeakingveryquietly,it'syouwhoareshoutingatme。I'mastudent,andallownoonetoshoutatme。“
　　Theassistantsuperintendentwassofuriousthatforthefirstminutehecouldonlysplutterinarticulately。Heleapedupfromhisseat。
　　“Besilent!Youareinagovernmentoffice。Don'tbeimpudent,sir！”
　　“You'reinagovernmentoffice,too,“criedRaskolnikov,“andyou'resmokingacigaretteaswellasshouting,soyouareshowingdisrespecttoallofus。“
　　Hefeltanindescribablesatisfactionathavingsaidthis。
　　Theheadclerklookedathimwithasmile。Theangryassistantsuperintendentwasobviouslydisconcerted。
　　“That'snotyourbusiness！”heshoutedatlastwithunnaturalloudness。“Kindlymakethedeclarationdemandedofyou。Showhim。
　　AlexandrGrigorievitch。Thereisacomplaintagainstyou!Youdon'tpayyourdebts!You'reafinebird！”
　　ButRaskolnikovwasnotlisteningnow;hehadeagerlyclutchedatthepaper,inhastetofindanexplanation。Hereaditonce,andasecondtime,andstilldidnotunderstand。
　　“Whatisthis？”heaskedtheheadclerk。
　　“ItisfortherecoveryofmoneyonanI。O。U。,awrit。Youmusteitherpayit,withallexpenses,costsandsoon,orgiveawrittendeclarationwhenyoucanpayit,andatthesametimeanundertakingnottoleavethecapitalwithoutpayment,andnortosellorconcealyourproperty。Thecreditorisatlibertytosellyourproperty,andproceedagainstyouaccordingtothelaw。“
　　“ButI……amnotindebttoanyone！”
　　“That'snotourbusiness。Here,anI。O。U。forahundredandfifteenroubles,legallyattested,anddueforpayment,hasbeenbroughtusforrecovery,givenbyyoutothewidowoftheassessorZarnitsyn,ninemonthsago,andpaidoverbythewidowZarnitsyntooneMr。Tchebarov。Wethereforesummonyouhereupon。“
　　“Butsheismylandlady！”
　　“Andwhatifsheisyourlandlady？”
　　Theheadclerklookedathimwithacondescendingsmileofcompassion,andatthesametimewithacertaintriumph,asatanoviceunderfireforthefirsttime-asthoughhewouldsay：“Well,howdoyoufeelnow？”ButwhatdidhecarenowforanI。O。U。,forawritofrecovery!Wasthatworthworryingaboutnow,wasitworthattentioneven!Hestood,heread,helistened,heanswered,heevenaskedquestionshimself,butallmechanically。Thetriumphantsenseofsecurity,ofdeliverancefromoverwhelmingdanger,thatwaswhatfilledhiswholesoulthatmomentwithoutthoughtforthefuture,withoutanalysis,withoutsuppositionsorsurmises,withoutdoubtsandwithoutquestioning。Itwasaninstantoffull,direct,purelyinstinctivejoy。Butatthatverymomentsomethinglikeathunderstormtookplaceintheoffice。Theassistantsuperintendent,stillshakenbyRaskolnikov'sdisrespect,stillfumingandobviouslyanxioustokeepuphiswoundeddignity,pouncedontheunfortunatesmartlady,whohadbeengazingathimeversincehecameinwithanexceedinglysillysmile。
　　“Youshamefulhussy！”heshoutedsuddenlyatthetopofhisvoice。
　　Theladyinmourninghadlefttheoffice。“Whatwasgoingonatyourhouselastnight?Eh!Adisgraceagain,you'reascandaltothewholestreet。Fightinganddrinkingagain。Doyouwantthehouseofcorrection?Why,IhavewarnedyoutentimesoverthatIwouldnotletyouofftheeleventh!Andhereyouareagain,again,you……you……！”
　　ThepaperfelloutofRaskolnikov'shands,andhelookedwildlyatthesmartladywhowassounceremoniouslytreated。Buthesoonsawwhatitmeant,andatoncebegantofindpositiveamusementinthescandal。Helistenedwithpleasure,sothathelongedtolaughandlaugh……allhisnerveswereonedge。
　　“IlyaPetrovitch！”theheadclerkwasbeginninganxiously,butstoppedshort,forheknewfromexperiencethattheenragedassistantcouldnotbestoppedexceptbyforce。
　　Asforthesmartlady,atfirstshepositivelytrembledbeforethestorm。Butstrangetosay,themorenumerousandviolentthetermsofabusebecame,themoreamiableshelooked,andthemoreseductivethesmilesshelavishedontheterribleassistant。Shemoveduneasily,andcurtsiedincessantly,waitingimpatientlyforachanceofputtinginherword;andatlastshefoundit。
　　“Therewasnosortofnoiseorfightinginmyhouse,Mr。Captain,“
　　shepatteredallatonce,likepeasdropping,speakingRussianconfidently,thoughwithastrongGermanaccent,“andnosortofscandal,andhishonourcamedrunk,andit'sthewholetruthIamtelling,Mr。Captain,andIamnottoblame……Mineisanhonourablehouse,Mr。Captain,andhonourablebehaviour,Mr。
　　Captain,andIalways,alwaysdislikeanyscandalmyself。Buthecamequitetipsy,andaskedforthreebottlesagain,andthenhelifteduponeleg,andbeganplayingthepianofortewithonefoot,andthatisnotatallrightinanhonourablehouse,andheganzbrokethepiano,anditwasverybadmannersindeedandIsaidso。Andhetookupabottleandbeganhittingeveryonewithit。AndthenIcalledtheporter,andKarlcame,andhetookKarlandhithimintheeye;andhehitHenrietteintheeye,too,andgavemefiveslapsonthecheek。
　　Anditwassoungentlemanlyinanhonourablehouse,Mr。Captain,andI
　　screamed。Andheopenedthewindowoverthecanal,andstoodinthewindow,squealinglikealittlepig;itwasadisgrace。Theideaofsquealinglikealittlepigatthewindowintothestreet!Fieuponhim!AndKarlpulledhimawayfromthewindowbyhiscoat,anditistrue,Mr。Captain,hetoreseinRock。Andthenheshoutedthatmanmusspayhimfifteenroublesdamages。AndIdidpayhim,Mr。
　　Captain,fiveroublesforseinRock。Andheisanungentlemanlyvisitorandcausedallthescandal。'Iwillshowyouup,'hesaid,'forIcanwritetoallthepapersaboutyou。'“
　　“Thenhewasanauthor？”
　　“Yes,Mr。Captain,andwhatanungentlemanlyvisitorinanhonourablehouse……“
　　“Nowthen!Enough!Ihavetoldyoualready……“
　　“IlyaPetrovitch！”theheadclerkrepeatedsignificantly。
　　Theassistantglancedrapidlyathim;theheadclerkslightlyshookhishead。
　　“……SoItellyouthis,mostrespectableLuiseIvanovna,andItellityouforthelasttime,“theassistantwenton。“Ifthereisascandalinyourhonourablehouseonceagain,Iwillputyouyourselfinthelock-up,asitiscalledinpolitesociety。Doyouhear?Soaliteraryman,anauthortookfiveroublesforhiscoat-tailinan'honourablehouse'?Aniceset,theseauthors！”
　　AndhecastacontemptuousglanceatRaskolnikov。“Therewasascandaltheotherdayinarestaurant,too。Anauthorhadeatenhisdinnerandwouldnotpay;'I'llwriteasatireonyou,'sayshe。Andtherewasanotherofthemonasteamerlastweekusedthemostdisgracefullanguagetotherespectablefamilyofacivilcouncillor,hiswifeanddaughter。Andtherewasoneofthemturnedoutofaconfectioner'sshoptheotherday。Theyarelikethat,authors,literarymen,students,town-criers……Pfoo!Yougetalong!I
　　shalllookinuponyoumyselfoneday。Thenyouhadbetterbecareful!
　　Doyouhear？”
　　Withhurrieddeference,LuiseIvanovnafelltocurtsyinginalldirections,andsocurtsiedherselftothedoor。Butatthedoor,shestumbledbackwardsagainstagood-lookingofficerwithafresh,openfaceandsplendidthickfairwhiskers。Thiswasthesuperintendentofthedistricthimself,NikodimFomitch。LuiseIvanovnamadehastetocurtsyalmosttotheground,andwithmincinglittlesteps,sheflutteredoutoftheoffice。
　　“Againthunderandlightning-ahurricane！”saidNikodimFomitchtoIlyaPetrovitchinacivilandfriendlytone。“Youarearousedagain,youarefumingagain!Ihearditonthestairs！”
　　“Well,whatthen！”IlyaPetrovitchdrawledwithgentlemanlynonchalance;andhewalkedwithsomepaperstoanothertable,withajauntyswingofhisshouldersateachstep。“Here,ifyouwillkindlylook：anauthor,orastudent,hasbeenoneatleast,doesnotpayhisdebts,hasgivenanI。O。U。,won'tclearoutofhisroom,andcomplaintsareconstantlybeinglodgedagainsthim,andherehehasbeenpleasedtomakeaprotestagainstmysmokinginhispresence!
　　Hebehaveslikeacadhimself,andjustlookathim,please。Here'sthegentleman,andveryattractiveheis！”
　　“Povertyisnotavice,myfriend,butweknowyougoofflikepowder,youcan'tbearaslight,Idaresayyoutookoffenceatsomethingandwenttoofaryourself,“continuedNikodimFomitch,turningaffablytoRaskolnikov。“Butyouwerewrongthere;heisacapitalfellow,Iassureyou,butexplosive,explosive!Hegetshot,firesup,boilsover,andnostoppinghim!Andthenit'sallover!Andatthebottomhe'saheartofgold!HisnicknameintheregimentwastheExplosiveLieutenant……“
　　“Andwhataregimentitwas,too,“criedIlyaPetrovitch,muchgratifiedatthisagreeablebanter,thoughstillsulky。
　　Raskolnikovhadasuddendesiretosaysomethingexceptionallypleasanttothemall。“Excuseme,Captain,“hebeganeasily,suddenlyaddressingNikodimFomitch,“willyouenterintomyposition……Iamreadytoaskpardon,ifIhavebeenill-mannered。
　　Iamapoorstudent,sickandshatteredshatteredwasthewordheusedbypoverty。Iamnotstudying,becauseIcannotkeepmyselfnow,butIshallgetmoney……IhaveamotherandsisterintheprovinceofX。Theywillsendittome,andIwillpay。Mylandladyisagood-heartedwoman,butsheissoexasperatedatmyhavinglostmylessons,andnotpayingherforthelastfourmonths,thatshedoesnotevensendupmydinner……andIdon'tunderstandthisI。O。U。atall。SheisaskingmetopayheronthisI。O。U。HowamItopayher?
　　Judgeforyourselves!……“
　　“Butthatisnotourbusiness,youknow,“theheadclerkwasobserving。
　　“Yes,yes。Iperfectlyagreewithyou。Butallowmetoexplain……“
　　Raskolnikovputinagain,stilladdressingNikodimFomitch,buttryinghisbesttoaddressIlyaPetrovitchalso,thoughthelatterpersistentlyappearedtoberummagingamonghispapersandtobecontemptuouslyobliviousofhim。“AllowmetoexplainthatIhavebeenlivingwithherfornearlythreeyearsandatfirst……atfirst……forwhyshouldInotconfessit,attheverybeginningIpromisedtomarryherdaughter,itwasaverbalpromise,freelygiven……shewasagirl……indeed,Ilikedher,thoughIwasnotinlovewithher……ayouthfulaffairinfact……thatis,Imeantosay,thatmylandladygavemecreditfreelyinthosedays,andIledalifeof……Iwasveryheedless……“
　　“Nobodyasksyouforthesepersonaldetails,sir,we'venotimetowaste,“IlyaPetrovitchinterposedroughlyandwithanoteoftriumph;
　　butRaskolnikovstoppedhimhotly,thoughhesuddenlyfounditexceedinglydifficulttospeak。
　　“Butexcuseme,excuseme。Itisformetoexplain……howitallhappened……Inmyturn……thoughIagreewithyou……itisunnecessary。Butayearago,thegirldiedoftyphus。Iremainedlodgingthereasbefore,andwhenmylandladymovedintoherpresentquarters,shesaidtome……andinafriendlyway……thatshehadcompletetrustinme,butstill,wouldInotgiveheranI。O。U。foronehundredandfifteenroubles,allthedebtIowedher。ShesaidifonlyIgaveherthat,shewouldtrustmeagain,asmuchasIliked,andthatshewouldnever,never-thosewereherownwords-makeuseofthatI。O。U。tillIcouldpayofmyself……andnow,whenIhavelostmylessonsandhavenothingtoeat,shetakesactionagainstme。WhatamItosaytothat？”
　　“Alltheseaffectingdetailsarenobusinessofours。“IlyaPetrovitchinterruptedrudely。“Youmustgiveawrittenundertakingbutasforyourloveaffairsandallthesetragicevents,wehavenothingtodowiththat。“
　　“Comenow……youareharsh,“mutteredNikodimFomitch,sittingdownatthetableandalsobeginningtowrite。Helookedalittleashamed。
　　“Write！”saidtheheadclerktoRaskolnikov。
　　“Writewhat？”thelatterasked,gruffly。
　　“Iwilldictatetoyou。“
　　Raskolnikovfanciedthattheheadclerktreatedhimmorecasuallyandcontemptuouslyafterhisspeech,butstrangetosayhesuddenlyfeltcompletelyindifferenttoanyone'sopinion,andthisrevulsiontookplaceinaflash,inoneinstant。Ifhehadcaredtothinkalittle,hewouldhavebeenamazedindeedthathecouldhavetalkedtothemlikethataminutebefore,forcinghisfeelingsuponthem。Andwherehadthosefeelingscomefrom?Nowifthewholeroomhadbeenfilled,notwithpoliceofficers,butwiththosenearestanddearesttohim,hewouldnothavefoundonehumanwordforthem,soemptywashisheart。Agloomysensationofagonising,everlastingsolitudeandremoteness,tookconsciousforminhissoul。ItwasnotthemeannessofhissentimentaleffusionsbeforeIlyaPetrovitch,northemeannessofthelatter'striumphoverhimthathadcausedthissuddenrevulsioninhisheart。Oh,whathadhetodonowwithhisownbaseness,withallthesepettyvanities,officers,Germanwomen,debts,policeoffices?Ifhehadbeensentencedtobeburntatthatmoment,hewouldnothavestirred,wouldhardlyhaveheardthesentencetotheend。Somethingwashappeningtohimentirelynew,suddenandunknown。Itwasnotthatheunderstood,buthefeltclearlywithalltheintensityofsensationthathecouldnevermoreappealtothesepeopleinthepoliceofficewithsentimentaleffusionlikehisrecentoutburst,orwithanythingwhatever;andthatiftheyhadbeenhisownbrothersandsistersandnotpoliceofficers,itwouldhavebeenutterlyoutofthequestiontoappealtotheminanycircumstanceoflife。Hehadneverexperiencedsuchastrangeandawfulsensation。Andwhatwasmostagonising-itwasmoreasensationthanaconceptionoridea,adirectsensation,themostagonisingofallthesensationshehadknowninhislife。
　　Theheadclerkbegandictatingtohimtheusualformofdeclaration,thathecouldnotpay,thatheundertooktodosoatafuturedate,thathewouldnotleavethetown,norsellhisproperty,andsoon。
　　“Butyoucan'twrite,youcanhardlyholdthepen,“observedtheheadclerk,lookingwithcuriosityatRaskolnikov。“Areyouill？”
　　“Yes,Iamgiddy。Goon！”
　　“That'sall。Signit。“
　　Theheadclerktookthepaper,andturnedtoattendtoothers。
　　Raskolnikovgavebackthepen;butinsteadofgettingupandgoingaway,heputhiselbowsonthetableandpressedhisheadinhishands。Hefeltasifanailwerebeingdrivenintohisskull。A
　　strangeideasuddenlyoccurredtohim,togetupatonce,togouptoNikodimFomitch,andtellhimeverythingthathadhappenedyesterday,andthentogowithhimtohislodgingsandtoshowhimthethingsintheholeinthecorner。Theimpulsewassostrongthathegotupfromhisseattocarryitout。“Hadn'tIbetterthinkaminute？”flashedthroughhismind。“No,bettercastofftheburdenwithoutthinking。“Butallatoncehestoodstill,rootedtothespot。
　　NikodimFomitchwastalkingeagerlywithIlyaPetrovitch,andthewordsreachedhim：
　　“It'simpossible,they'llbothbereleased。Tobeginwith,thewholestorycontradictsitself。Whyshouldtheyhavecalledtheporter,ifithadbeentheirdoing?Toinformagainstthemselves?Orasablind?No,thatwouldbetoocunning!Besides,Pestryakov,thestudent,wasseenatthegatebyboththeportersandawomanashewentin。Hewaswalkingwiththreefriends,wholefthimonlyatthegate,andheaskedtheporterstodirecthim,inthepresenceofthefriends。Now,wouldhehaveaskedhiswayifhehadbeengoingwithsuchanobject?AsforKoch,hespenthalfanhouratthesilversmith'sbelow,beforehewentuptotheoldwomanandhelefthimatexactlyaquartertoeight。Nowjustconsider……“
　　“Butexcuseme,howdoyouexplainthiscontradiction?Theystatethemselvesthattheyknockedandthedoorwaslocked;yetthreeminuteslaterwhentheywentupwiththeporter,itturnedoutthedoorwasunfastened。“
　　“That'sjustit;themurderermusthavebeenthereandboltedhimselfin;andthey'dhavecaughthimforacertaintyifKochhadnotbeenanassandgonetolookfortheportertoo。Hemusthaveseizedtheintervaltogetdownstairsandslipbythemsomehow。Kochkeepscrossinghimselfandsaying：“IfIhadbeenthere,hewouldhavejumpedoutandkilledmewithhisaxe。'Heisgoingtohaveathanksgivingservice-ha,ha！”
　　“Andnoonesawthemurderer？”
　　“Theymightwellnotseehim;thehouseisaregularNoah'sArk,“
　　saidtheheadclerk,whowaslistening。
　　“It'sclear,quiteclear,“NikodimFomitchrepeatedwarmly。
　　“No,itisanythingbutclear,“IlyaPetrovitchmaintained。
　　Raskolnikovpickeduphishatandwalkedtowardsthedoor,buthedidnotreachit……
　　Whenherecoveredconsciousness,hefoundhimselfsittinginachair,supportedbysomeoneontherightside,whilesomeoneelsewasstandingontheleft,holdingayellowishglassfilledwithyellowwater,andNikodimFomitchstandingbeforehim,lookingintentlyathim。Hegotupfromthechair。
　　“What'sthis?Areyouill？”NikodimFomitchasked,rathersharply。
　　“Hecouldhardlyholdhispenwhenhewassigning,“saidtheheadclerk,settlingbackinhisplace,andtakinguphisworkagain。
　　“Haveyoubeenilllong？”criedIlyaPetrovitchfromhisplace,wherehe,too,waslookingthroughpapers。Hehad,ofcourse,cometolookatthesickmanwhenhefainted,butretiredatoncewhenherecovered。
　　“Sinceyesterday,“mutteredRaskolnikovinreply。
　　“Didyougooutyesterday？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Thoughyouwereill？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Atwhattime？”
　　“Aboutseven。“
　　“Andwheredidyougo,myIask？”
　　“Alongthestreet。“
　　“Shortandclear。“
　　Raskolnikov,whiteasahandkerchief,hadansweredsharply,jerkily,withoutdroppinghisblackfeverisheyesbeforeIlyaPetrovitch'sstare。
　　“Hecanscarcelystandupright。Andyou……“NikodimFomitchwasbeginning。
　　“Nomatter,“IlyaPetrovitchpronouncedratherpeculiarly。
　　NikodimFomitchwouldhavemadesomefurtherprotest,butglancingattheheadclerkwhowaslookingveryhardathim,hedidnotspeak。Therewasasuddensilence。Itwasstrange。
　　“Verywell,then,“concludedIlyaPetrovitch,“wewillnotdetainyou。“
　　Raskolnikovwentout。Hecaughtthesoundofeagerconversationonhisdeparture,andabovetherestrosethequestioningvoiceofNikodimFomitch。Inthestreet,hisfaintnesspassedoffcompletely。
　　“Asearch-therewillbeasearchatonce,“herepeatedtohimself,hurryinghome。“Thebrutes!theysuspect。“
　　Hisformerterrormasteredhimcompletelyagain。
　　ChapterTwo“ANDWHATiftherehasbeenasearchalready?WhatifIfindtheminmyroom？”
　　Butherewashisroom。Nothingandnooneinit。Noonehadpeepedin。EvenNastasyahadnottouchedit。Butheavens!howcouldhehaveleftallthosethingsinthehole?
　　Herushedtothecorner,slippedhishandunderthepaper,pulledthethingsoutandlinedhispocketswiththem。Therewereeightarticlesinall：twolittleboxeswithear-ringsorsomethingofthesort,hehardlylookedtosee;thenfoursmallleathercases。Therewasachain,too,merelywrappedinnewspaperandsomethingelseinnewspaper,thatlookedlikeadecoration……Heputthemallinthedifferentpocketsofhisovercoat,andtheremainingpocketofhistrousers,tryingtoconcealthemasmuchaspossible。Hetookthepurse,too。Thenhewentoutofhisroom,leavingthedooropen。Hewalkedquicklyandresolutely,andthoughhefeltshattered,hehadhissensesabouthim。Hewasafraidofpursuit,hewasafraidthatinanotherhalf-hour,anotherquarterofanhourperhaps,instructionswouldbeissuedforhispursuit,andsoatallcosts,hemusthidealltracesbeforethen。Hemustcleareverythingupwhilehestillhadsomestrength,somereasoningpowerlefthim……Wherewashetogo?
　　Thathadlongbeensettled：“Flingthemintothecanal,andalltraceshiddeninthewater,thethingwouldbeatanend。“Sohehaddecidedinthenightofhisdeliriumwhenseveraltimeshehadhadtheimpulsetogetupandgoaway,tomakehaste,andgetridofitall。
　　Buttogetridofit,turnedouttobeaverydifficulttask。HewanderedalongthebankoftheEkaterininskyCanalforhalfanhourormoreandlookedseveraltimesatthestepsrunningdowntothewater,buthecouldnotthinkofcarryingouthisplan;eitherraftsstoodatthesteps'edge,andwomenwerewashingclothesonthem,orboatsweremooredthere,andpeoplewereswarmingeverywhere。Moreoverhecouldbeseenandnoticedfromthebanksonallsides;itwouldlooksuspiciousforamantogodownonpurpose,stop,andthrowsomethingintothewater。Andwhatiftheboxesweretofloatinsteadofsinking?Andofcoursetheywould。Evenasitwas,everyonehemetseemedtostareandlookround,asiftheyhadnothingtodobuttowatchhim。“Whyisit,orcanitbemyfancy？”hethought。
　　AtlastthethoughtstruckhimthatitmightbebettertogototheNeva。Therewerenotsomanypeoplethere,hewouldbelessobserved,anditwouldbemoreconvenientineveryway,aboveallitwasfurtheroff。Hewonderedhowhecouldhavebeenwanderingforagoodhalf-hour,worriedandanxiousinthisdangerouspartwithoutthinkingofitbefore。Andthathalf-hourhehadlostoveranirrationalplan,simplybecausehehadthoughtofitindelirium!Hehadbecomeextremelyabsentandforgetfulandhewasawareofit。Hecertainlymustmakehaste。
　　HewalkedtowardstheNevaalongV___Prospect,butonthewayanotherideastruckhim。“WhytotheNeva?Woulditnotbebettertogosomewherefaroff,totheIslandsagain,andtherehidethethingsinsomesolitaryplace,inawoodorunderabush,andmarkthespotperhaps？”Andthoughhefeltincapableofclearjudgment,theideaseemedtohimasoundone。Buthewasnotdestinedtogothere。
　　ForcomingoutofV___Prospecttowardsthesquare,hesawontheleftapassageleadingbetweentwoblankwallstoacourtyard。Ontherighthand,theblankunwhitewashedwallofafour-storiedhousestretchedfarintothecourt;ontheleft,awoodenhoardingranparallelwithitfortwentypacesintothecourt,andthenturnedsharplytotheleft。Herewasadesertedfenced-offplacewhererubbishofdifferentsortswaslying。Attheendofthecourt,thecornerofalow,smutty,stoneshed,apparentlypartofsomeworkshop,peepedfrombehindthehoarding。Itwasprobablyacarriagebuilder'sorcarpenter'sshed;thewholeplacefromtheentrancewasblackwithcoaldust。Herewouldbetheplacetothrowit,hethought。Notseeinganyoneintheyard,heslippedin,andatoncesawnearthegateasink,suchasisoftenputinyardswheretherearemanyworkmenorcabdrivers;andonthehoardingabovehadbeenscribbledinchalkthetime-honouredwitticism,“Standingherestrictlyforbidden。“
　　Thiswasallthebetter,fortherewouldbenothingsuspiciousabouthisgoingin。“HereIcouldthrowitallinaheapandgetaway！”
　　Lookingroundoncemore,withhishandalreadyinhispocket,henoticedagainsttheouterwall,betweentheentranceandthesink,abigunhewnstone,weighingperhapssixtypounds。Theothersideofthewallwasastreet。Hecouldhearpassers-by,alwaysnumerousinthatpart,buthecouldnotbeseenfromtheentrance,unlesssomeonecameinfromthestreet,whichmightwellhappenindeed,sotherewasneedofhaste。
　　Hebentdownoverthestone,seizedthetopofitfirmlyinbothhands,andusingallhisstrengthturneditover。Underthestonewasasmallhollowintheground,andheimmediatelyemptiedhispocketintoit。Thepurselayatthetop,andyetthehollowwasnotfilledup。Thenheseizedthestoneagainandwithonetwistturneditback,sothatitwasinthesamepositionagain,thoughitstoodaverylittlehigher。Buthescrapedtheearthaboutitandpresseditattheedgeswithhisfoot。Nothingcouldbenoticed。
　　Thenhewentout,andturnedintothesquare。Againanintense,almostunbearablejoyoverwhelmedhimforaninstant,asithadinthepoliceoffice。“Ihaveburiedmytracks!Andwho,whocanthinkoflookingunderthatstone?Ithasbeenlyingtheremostlikelyeversincethehousewasbuilt,andwilllieasmanyyearsmore。Andifitwerefound,whowouldthinkofme?Itisallover!Noclue！”Andhelaughed。Yes,herememberedthathebeganlaughingathin,nervousnoiselesslaugh,andwentonlaughingallthetimehewascrossingthesquare。ButwhenhereachedtheK___Boulevardwheretwodaysbeforehehadcomeuponthatgirl,hislaughtersuddenlyceased。Otherideascreptintohismind。Hefeltallatoncethatitwouldbeloathsometopassthatseatonwhichafterthegirlwasgone,hehadsatandpondered,andthatitwouldbehateful,too,tomeetthatwhiskeredpolicemantowhomhehadgiventhetwentycopecks：“Damnhim！”
　　Hewalked,lookingabouthimangrilyanddistractedly。Allhisideasnowseemedtobecirclingroundsomesinglepoint,andhefeltthattherereallywassuchapoint,andthatnow,now,hewasleftfacingthatpoint-andforthefirsttime,indeed,duringthelasttwomonths。
　　“Damnitall！”hethoughtsuddenly,inafitofungovernablefury。
　　“Ifithasbegun,thenithasbegun。Hangthenewlife!GoodLord,howstupiditis!……AndwhatliesItoldto-day!HowdespicablyI
　　fawneduponthatwretchedIlyaPetrovitch!Butthatisallfolly!WhatdoIcareforthemall,andmyfawninguponthem!Itisnotthatatall!Itisnotthatatall！”
　　Suddenlyhestopped;anewutterlyunexpectedandexceedinglysimplequestionperplexedandbitterlyconfoundedhim。
　　“Ifitallhasreallybeendonedeliberatelyandnotidiotically,ifIreallyhadacertainanddefiniteobject,howisitIdidnotevenglanceintothepurseanddon'tknowwhatIhadthere,forwhichI
　　haveundergonetheseagonies,andhavedeliberatelyundertakenthisbase,filthydegradingbusiness?AndhereIwantedatoncetothrowintothewaterthepursetogetherwithallthethingswhichIhadnotseeneither……how'sthat？”
　　Yes,thatwasso,thatwasallso。Yethehadknownitallbefore,anditwasnotanewquestionforhim,evenwhenitwasdecidedinthenightwithouthesitationandconsideration,asthoughsoitmustbe,asthoughitcouldnotpossiblybeotherwise……Yes,hehadknownitall,andunderstooditall;itsurelyhadallbeensettledevenyesterdayatthemomentwhenhewasbendingovertheboxandpullingthejewel-casesoutofit……Yes,soitwas。
　　“ItisbecauseIamveryill,“hedecidedgrimlyatlast,“Ihavebeenworryingandfrettingmyself,andIdon'tknowwhatIamdoing……YesterdayandthedaybeforeyesterdayandallthistimeI
　　havebeenworryingmyself……IshallgetwellandIshallnotworry……ButwhatifIdon'tgetwellatall?GoodGod,howsickIamofitall！”
　　Hewalkedonwithoutresting。Hehadaterriblelongingforsomedistraction,buthedidnotknowwhattodo,whattoattempt。Anewoverwhelmingsensationwasgainingmoreandmoremasteryoverhimeverymoment;thiswasanimmeasurable,almostphysical,repulsionforeverythingsurroundinghim,anobstinate,malignantfeelingofhatred。
　　Allwhomethimwereloathsometohim-heloathedtheirfaces,theirmovements,theirgestures。Ifanyonehadaddressedhim,hefeltthathemighthavespatathimorbittenhim……
　　Hestoppedsuddenly,oncomingoutonthebankoftheLittleNeva,nearthebridgetoVassilyevskyOstrov。“Why,heliveshere,inthathouse,“hethought,“why,IhavenotcometoRazumihinofmyownaccord!Hereit'sthesamethingoveragain……Veryinterestingtoknow,though;haveIcomeonpurposeorhaveIsimplywalkedherebychance?Nevermind,IsaidthedaybeforeyesterdaythatIwouldgoandseehimthedayafter;well,andsoIwill!BesidesIreallycannotgofurthernow。“
　　HewentuptoRazumihin'sroomonthefifthfloor。
　　Thelatterwasathomeinhisgarret,busilywritingatthemoment,andheopenedthedoorhimself。Itwasfourmonthssincetheyhadseeneachother。Razumihinwassittinginaraggeddressing-gown,withslippersonhisbarefeet,unkempt,unshavenandunwashed。Hisfaceshowedsurprise。
　　“Isityou？”hecried。Helookedhiscomradeupanddown;thenafterabriefpause,hewhistled。“Ashardupasallthat!Why,brother,you'vecutmeout！”headded,lookingatRaskolnikov'srags。“Comesitdown,youaretired,I'llbebound。“
　　AndwhenhehadsunkdownontheAmericanleathersofa,whichwasinevenworseconditionthanhisown,Razumihinsawatoncethathisvisitorwasill。
　　“Why,youareseriouslyill,doyouknowthat？”Hebeganfeelinghispulse。Raskolnikovpulledawayhishand。
　　“Nevermind,“hesaid,“Ihavecomeforthis;Ihavenolessons……Iwanted……butIdon'twantlessons……“
　　“ButIsay!Youaredelirious,youknow！”Razumihinobserved,watchinghimcarefully。
　　“No,Iamnot。“
　　Raskolnikovgotupfromthesofa。AshehadmountedthestairstoRazumihin's,hehadnotrealisedthathewouldbemeetinghisfriendfacetoface。Now,inaflash,heknew,thatwhathewasleastofalldisposedforatthatmomentwastobefacetofacewithanyoneinthewideworld。Hisspleenrosewithinhim。HealmostchokedwithrageathimselfassoonashecrossedRazumihin'sthreshold。
　　“Good-bye,“hesaidabruptly,andwalkedtothedoor。
　　“Stop,stop!Youqueerfish。“
　　“Idon'twantto,“saidtheother,againpullingawayhishand。
　　“Thenwhythedevilhaveyoucome?Areyoumad,orwhat?Why,thisis……almostinsulting!Iwon'tletyougolikethat。“
　　“Well,then,IcametoyoubecauseIknownoonebutyouwhocouldhelp……tobegin……becauseyouarekinderthananyone-clever,I
　　mean,andcanjudge……andnowIseethatIwantnothing。Doyouhear?
　　Nothingatall……noone'sservices……noone'ssympathy。Iambymyself……alone。Come,that'senough。Leavemealone。“
　　“Stayaminute,yousweep!Youareaperfectmadman。AsyoulikeforallIcare。Ihavenolessons,doyousee,andIdon'tcareaboutthat,butthere'sabookseller,Heruvimov-andhetakestheplaceofalesson。Iwouldnotexchangehimforfivelessons。He'sdoingpublishingofakind,andissuingnaturalsciencemanualsandwhatacirculationtheyhave!Theverytitlesareworththemoney!YoualwaysmaintainedthatIwasafool,butbyJove,myboy,therearegreaterfoolsthanIam!Nowheissettingupforbeingadvanced,notthathehasaninklingofanything,but,ofcourse,Iencouragehim。HerearetwosignaturesoftheGermantext-inmyopinion,thecrudestcharlatanism;itdiscussesthequestion,'Iswomanahumanbeing?'
　　And,ofcourse,triumphantlyprovesthatsheis。Heruvimovisgoingtobringoutthisworkasacontributiontothewomanquestion;Iamtranslatingit;hewillexpandthesetwoandahalfsignaturesintosix,weshallmakeupagorgeoustitlehalfapagelongandbringitoutathalfarouble。Itwilldo!Hepaysmesixroublesthesignature,itworksouttofifteenroublesforthejob,andI'vehadsixalreadyinadvance。Whenwehavefinishedthis,wearegoingtobeginatranslationaboutwhales,andthensomeofthedullestscandalsoutofthesecondpartofLesConfessionswehavemarkedfortranslation;somebodyhastoldHeruvimov,thatRousseauwasakindofRadishchev。YoumaybesureIdon'tcontradicthim,hanghim!Well,wouldyouliketodothesecondsignatureof'Iswomanahumanbeing?'
　　Ifyouwould,taketheGermanandpensandpaper-allthoseareprovided,andtakethreeroubles;forasIhavehadsixroublesinadvanceonthewholething,threeroublescometoyouforyourshare。Andwhenyouhavefinishedthesignaturetherewillbeanotherthreeroublesforyou。Andpleasedon'tthinkIamdoingyouaservice;quitethecontrary,assoonasyoucamein,Isawhowyoucouldhelpme;tobeginwith,Iamweakinspelling,andsecondly,I
　　amsometimesutterlyadriftinGerman,sothatImakeitupasIgoalongforthemostpart。Theonlycomfortis,thatit'sboundtobeachangeforthebetter。Thoughwhocantell,maybeit'ssometimesfortheworse。Willyoutakeit？”
　　RaskolnikovtooktheGermansheetsinsilence,tookthethreeroublesandwithoutawordwentout。Razumihingazedafterhiminastonishment。ButwhenRaskolnikovwasinthenextstreet,heturnedback,mountedthestairstoRazumihin'sagainandlayingonthetabletheGermanarticleandthethreeroubles,wentoutagain,stillwithoututteringaword。
　　“Areyouraving,orwhat？”Razumihinshouted,rousedtofuryatlast。“Whatfarceisthis?You'lldrivemecrazytoo……whatdidyoucometoseemefor,damnyou？”
　　“Idon'twant……translation,“mutteredRaskolnikovfromthestairs。
　　“Thenwhatthedevildoyouwant？”shoutedRazumihinfromabove。
　　Raskolnikovcontinueddescendingthestaircaseinsilence。
　　“Hey,there!Whereareyouliving？”
　　Noanswer。
　　“Well,confoundyouthen！”
　　ButRaskolnikovwasalreadysteppingintothestreet。OntheNikolaevskyBridgehewasrousedtofullconsciousnessagainbyanunpleasantincident。Acoachman,aftershoutingathimtwoorthreetimes,gavehimaviolentlashonthebackwithhiswhip,forhavingalmostfallenunderhishorses'hoofs。Thelashsoinfuriatedhimthathedashedawaytotherailingforsomeunknownreasonhehadbeenwalkingintheverymiddleofthebridgeinthetraffic。Heangrilyclenchedandgroundhisteeth。Heheardlaughter,ofcourse。
　　“Serveshimright！”
　　“ApickpocketIdaresay。“
　　“Pretendingtobedrunk,forsure,andgettingunderthewheelsonpurpose;andyouhavetoanswerforhim。“
　　“It'saregularprofession,that'swhatitis。“
　　Butwhilehestoodattherailing,stilllookingangryandbewilderedaftertheretreatingcarriage,andrubbinghisback,hesuddenlyfeltsomeonethrustmoneyintohishand。Helooked。Itwasanelderlywomaninakerchiefandgoatskinshoes,withagirl,probablyherdaughter,wearingahat,andcarryingagreenparasol。
　　“Takeit,mygoodman,inChrist'sname。“
　　Hetookitandtheypassedon。Itwasapieceoftwentycopecks。
　　Fromhisdressandappearancetheymightwellhavetakenhimforabeggaraskingalmsinthestreets,andthegiftofthetwentycopeckshedoubtlessowedtotheblow,whichmadethemfeelsorryforhim。
　　Heclosedhishandonthetwentycopecks,walkedonfortenpaces,andturnedfacingtheNeva,lookingtowardsthepalace。Theskywaswithoutacloudandthewaterwasalmostbrightblue,whichissorareintheNeva。Thecupolaofthecathedral,whichisseenatitsbestfromthebridgeabouttwentypacesfromthechapel,glitteredinthesunlight,andinthepureaireveryornamentonitcouldbeclearlydistinguished。Thepainfromthelashwentoff,andRaskolnikovforgotaboutit;oneuneasyandnotquitedefiniteideaoccupiedhimnowcompletely。Hestoodstill,andgazedlongandintentlyintothedistance;thisspotwasespeciallyfamiliartohim。Whenhewasattendingtheuniversity,hehadhundredsoftimes-generallyonhiswayhome-stoodstillonthisspot,gazedatthistrulymagnificentspectacleandalmostalwaysmarvelledatavagueandmysteriousemotionitrousedinhim。Itlefthimstrangelycold;thisgorgeouspicturewasforhimblankandlifeless。Hewonderedeverytimeathissombreandenigmaticimpressionand,mistrustinghimself,putofffindingtheexplanationofit。Hevividlyrecalledthoseolddoubtsandperplexities,anditseemedtohimthatitwasnomerechancethatherecalledthemnow。Itstruckhimasstrangeandgrotesque,thatheshouldhavestoppedatthesamespotasbefore,asthoughheactuallyimaginedhecouldthinkthesamethoughts,beinterestedinthesametheoriesandpicturesthathadinterestedhim……soshortatimeago。Hefeltitalmostamusing,andyetitwrunghisheart。Deepdown,hiddenfarawayoutofsightallthatseemedtohimnow-allhisoldpast,hisoldthoughts,hisoldproblemsandtheories,hisoldimpressionsandthatpictureandhimselfandall,all……Hefeltasthoughhewereflyingupwards,andeverythingwerevanishingfromhissight。Makinganunconsciousmovementwithhishand,hesuddenlybecameawareofthepieceofmoneyinhisfist。Heopenedhishand,staredatthecoin,andwithasweephisarmflungitintothewater;thenheturnedandwenthome。
　　Itseemedtohim,hehadcuthimselfofffromeveryoneandfromeverythingthatmoment。
　　Eveningwascomingonwhenhereachedhome,sothathemusthavebeenwalkingaboutsixhours。Howandwherehecamebackhedidnotremember。Undressing,andquiveringlikeanoverdrivenhorse,helaydownonthesofa,drewhisgreatcoatoverhim,andatoncesankintooblivion……
　　Itwasduskwhenhewaswakedupbyafearfulscream。GoodGod,whatascream!Suchunnaturalsounds,suchhowling,wailing,grinding,tears,blowsandcurseshehadneverheard。
　　Hecouldneverhaveimaginedsuchbrutality,suchfrenzy。Interrorhesatupinbed,almostswooningwithagony。Butthefighting,wailingandcursinggrewlouderandlouder。Andthentohisintenseamazementhecaughtthevoiceofhislandlady。Shewashowling,shriekingandwailing,rapidly,hurriedly,incoherently,sothathecouldnotmakeoutwhatshewastalkingabout;shewasbeseeching,nodoubt,nottobebeaten,forshewasbeingmercilesslybeatenonthestairs。Thevoiceofherassailantwassohorriblefromspiteandragethatitwasalmostacroak;buthe,too,wassayingsomething,andjustasquicklyandindistinctly,hurryingandspluttering。AllatonceRaskolnikovtrembled;herecognizedthevoice-itwasthevoiceofIlyaPetrovitch。IlyaPetrovitchhereandbeatingthelandlady!Heiskickingher,bangingherheadagainstthesteps-that'sclear,thatcanbetoldfromthesounds,fromthecriesandthethuds。Howisit,istheworldtopsy-turvy?Hecouldhearpeoplerunningincrowdsfromallthestoreysandallthestaircases;heheardvoices,exclamations,knocking,doorsbanging。
　　“Butwhy,why,andhowcoulditbe？”herepeated,thinkingseriouslythathehadgonemad。Butno,heheardtoodistinctly!Andtheywouldcometohimthennext,“fornodoubt……it'sallaboutthat……
　　aboutyesterday……GoodGod！”Hewouldhavefastenedhisdoorwiththelatch,buthecouldnotlifthishand……besides,itwouldbeuseless。Terrorgrippedhisheartlikeice,torturedhimandnumbedhim……Butatlastallthisuproar,aftercontinuingabouttenminutes,begangraduallytosubside。Thelandladywasmoaningandgroaning;IlyaPetrovitchwasstillutteringthreatsandcurses……
　　Butatlasthe,too,seemedtobesilent,andnowhecouldnotbeheard。“Canhehavegoneaway?GoodLord！”Yes,andnowthelandladyisgoingtoo,stillweepingandmoaning……andthenherdoorslammed……Nowthecrowdwasgoingfromthestairstotheirrooms,exclaiming,disputing,callingtooneanother,raisingtheirvoicestoashout,droppingthemtoawhisper。Theremusthavebeennumbersofthem-almostalltheinmatesoftheblock。“But,goodGod,howcoulditbe!Andwhy,whyhadhecomehere！”
　　Raskolnikovsankwornoutonthesofa,butcouldnotclosehiseyes。
　　Helayforhalfanhourinsuchanguish,suchanintolerablesensationofinfiniteterrorashehadneverexperiencedbefore。Suddenlyabrightlightflashedintohisroom。Nastasyacameinwithacandleandaplateofsoup。Lookingathimcarefullyandascertainingthathewasnotasleep,shesetthecandleonthetableandbegantolayoutwhatshehadbrought-bread,salt,aplate,aspoon。
　　“You'veeatennothingsinceyesterday,Iwarrant。You'vebeentrudgingaboutallday,andyou'reshakingwithfever。“
　　“Nastasya……whatweretheybeatingthelandladyfor？”
　　Shelookedintentlyathim。
　　“Whobeatthelandlady？”
　　“Justnow……halfanhourago,IlyaPetrovitch,theassistant-superintendent,onthestairs……Whywasheill-treatingherlikethat,and……whywashehere？”
　　Nastasyascrutinisedhim,silentandfrowning,andherscrutinylastedalongtime。Hefeltuneasy,evenfrightenedathersearchingeyes。
　　“Nastasya,whydon'tyouspeak？”hesaidtimidlyatlastinaweakvoice。
　　“It'stheblood,“sheansweredatlastsoftly,asthoughspeakingtoherself。
　　“Blood?Whatblood？”hemuttered,growingwhiteandturningtowardsthewall。
　　Nastasyastilllookedathimwithoutspeaking。
　　“Nobodyhasbeenbeatingthelandlady,“shedeclaredatlastinafirm,resolutevoice。
　　Hegazedather,hardlyabletobreathe。
　　“Ihearditmyself……Iwasnotasleep……Iwassittingup,“hesaidstillmoretimidly。“Ilistenedalongwhile。Theassistant-superintendentcame……Everyoneranoutontothestairsfromalltheflats。“
　　“Noonehasbeenhere。That'sthebloodcryinginyourears。Whenthere'snooutletforitanditgetsclotted,youbeginfancyingthings……Willyoueatsomething？”
　　Hemadenoanswer。Nastasyastillstoodoverhim,watchinghim。
　　“Givemesomethingtodrink……Nastasya。“
　　Shewentdownstairsandreturnedwithawhiteearthenwarejugofwater。Herememberedonlyswallowingonesipofthecoldwaterandspillingsomeonhisneck。Thenfollowedforgetfulness。
　　ChapterThreeHEWASnotcompletelyunconscious,however,allthetimehewasill;
　　hewasinafeverishstate,sometimesdelirious,sometimeshalfconscious。Herememberedagreatdealafterwards。Sometimesitseemedasthoughtherewereanumberofpeopleroundhim;theywantedtotakehimawaysomewhere,therewasagreatdealofsquabblinganddiscussingabouthim。Thenhewouldbealoneintheroom;theyhadallgoneawayafraidofhim,andonlynowandthenopenedthedooracracktolookathim;theythreatenedhim,plottedsomethingtogether,laughed,andmockedathim。HerememberedNastasyaoftenathisbedside;hedistinguishedanotherperson,too,whomheseemedtoknowverywell,thoughhecouldnotrememberwhohewas,andthisfrettedhim,evenmadehimcry。Sometimeshefanciedhehadbeenlyingthereamonth;atothertimesitallseemedpartofthesameday。Butofthat-ofthathehadnorecollection,andyeteveryminutehefeltthathehadforgottensomethingheoughttoremember。
　　Heworriedandtormentedhimselftryingtoremember,moaned,flewintoarage,orsankintoawful,intolerableterror。Thenhestruggledtogetup,wouldhaverunaway,butsomeonealwayspreventedhimbyforce,andhesankbackintoimpotenceandforgetfulness。Atlasthereturnedtocompleteconsciousness。
　　Ithappenedatteno'clockinthemorning。Onfinedaysthesunshoneintotheroomatthathour,throwingastreakoflightontherightwallandthecornernearthedoor。Nastasyawasstandingbesidehimwithanotherperson,acompletestranger,whowaslookingathimveryinquisitively。Hewasayoungmanwithabeard,wearingafull,short-waistedcoat,andlookedlikeamessenger。Thelandladywaspeepinginatthehalf-openeddoor。Raskolnikovsatup。
　　“Whoisthis,Nastasya？”heasked,pointingtotheyoungman。
　　“Isay,he'shimselfagain！”shesaid。
　　“Heishimself,“echoedtheman。
　　Concludingthathehadreturnedtohissenses,thelandladyclosedthedooranddisappeared。Shewasalwaysshyanddreadedconversationsordiscussions。Shewasawomanofforty,notatallbad-looking,fatandbuxom,withblackeyesandeyebrows,good-naturedfromfatnessandlaziness,andabsurdlybashful。
　　“Who……areyou？”hewenton,addressingtheman。Butatthatmomentthedoorwasflungopen,and,stoopingalittle,ashewassotall,Razumihincamein。
　　“Whatacabinitis！”hecried。“Iamalwaysknockingmyhead。Youcallthisalodging!Soyouareconscious,brother?I'vejustheardthenewsfromPashenka。“
　　“Hehasjustcometo,“saidNastasya。
　　“Justcometo,“echoedthemanagain,withasmile。
　　“Andwhoareyou？”Razumihinasked,suddenlyaddressinghim。“MynameisVrazumihin,atyourservice;notRazumihin,asIamalwayscalled,butVrazumihin,astudentandgentleman;andheismyfriend。Andwhoareyou？”
　　“Iamthemessengerfromouroffice,fromthemerchantShelopaev,andI'vecomeonbusiness。“
　　“Pleasesitdown。“Razumihinseatedhimselfontheothersideofthetable。“It'sagoodthingyou'vecometo,brother,“hewentontoRaskolnikov。“Forthelastfourdaysyouhavescarcelyeatenordrunkanything。Wehadtogiveyouteainspoonfuls。IbroughtZossimovtoseeyoutwice。YourememberZossimov?Heexaminedyoucarefullyandsaidatonceitwasnothingserious-somethingseemedtohavegonetoyourhead。Somenervousnonsense,theresultofbadfeeding,hesaysyouhavenothadenoughbeerandradish,butit'snothingmuch,itwillpassandyouwillbeallright。Zossimovisafirst-ratefellow!Heismakingquiteaname。Come,Iwon'tkeepyou,“
　　hesaid,addressingthemanagain。“Willyouexplainwhatyouwant?
　　Youmustknow,Rodya,thisisthesecondtimetheyhavesentfromtheoffice;butitwasanothermanlasttime,andItalkedtohim。Whowasitcamebefore？”
　　“Thatwasthedaybeforeyesterday,Iventuretosay,ifyouplease,sir。ThatwasAlexeySemyonovitch;heisinouroffice,too。“
　　“Hewasmoreintelligentthanyou,don'tyouthinkso？”
　　“Yes,indeed,sir,heisofmoreweightthanIam。“
　　“Quiteso;goon。“
　　“Atyourmamma'srequest,throughAfanasyIvanovitchVahrushin,ofwhomIpresumeyouhaveheardmorethanonce,aremittanceissenttoyoufromouroffice,“themanbegan,addressingRaskolnikov。“Ifyouareinanintelligiblecondition,I'vethirty-fiveroublestoremittoyou,asSemyonSemyonovitchhasreceivedfromAfanasyIvanovitchatyourmamma'srequestinstructionstothateffect,asonpreviousoccasions。Doyouknowhim,sir？”
　　“Yes,Iremember……Vahrushin,“Raskolnikovsaiddreamily。
　　“Youhear,heknowsVahrushin,“criedRazumihin。“Heisin'anintelligiblecondition'!AndIseeyouareanintelligentmantoo。
　　Well,it'salwayspleasanttohearwordsofwisdom。“
　　“That'sthegentleman,Vahrushin,AfanasyIvanovitch。Andattherequestofyourmamma,whohassentyouaremittanceoncebeforeinthesamemannerthroughhim,hedidnotrefusethistimealso,andsentinstructionstoSemyonSemyonovitchsomedayssincetohandyouthirty-fiveroublesinthehopeofbettertocome。“
　　“That'hopingforbettertocome'isthebestthingyou'vesaid,though'yourmamma'isnotbadeither。Comethen,whatdoyousay?
　　Ishefullyconscious,eh？”
　　“That'sallright。Ifonlyhecansignthislittlepaper。“
　　“Hecanscrawlhisname。Haveyougotthebook？”
　　“Yes,here'sthebook。“
　　“Giveittome。Here,Rodya,situp。I'llholdyou。Takethepenandscribble'Raskolnikov'forhim。Forjustnow,brother,moneyissweetertousthantreacle。“
　　“Idon'twantit,“saidRaskolnikov,pushingawaythepen。
　　“Notwantit？”
　　“Iwon'tsignit。“
　　“Howthedevilcanyoudowithoutsigningit？”
　　“Idon'twant……themoney。“
　　“Don'twantthemoney!Come,brother,that'snonsense,Ibearwitness。Don'ttrouble,please,it'sonlythatheisonhistravelsagain。Butthat'sprettycommonwithhimatalltimesthough……Youareamanofjudgmentandwewilltakehiminhand,thatis,moresimply,takehishandandhewillsignit。Here。“
　　“ButIcancomeanothertime。“
　　“No,no。Whyshouldwetroubleyou?Youareamanofjudgment……
　　Now,Rodya,don'tkeepyourvisitor,youseeheiswaiting,“andhemadereadytoholdRaskolnikov'shandinearnest。
　　“Stop,I'lldoitalone,“saidthelatter,takingthepenandsigninghisname。
　　Themessengertookoutthemoneyandwentaway。
　　“Bravo!Andnow,brother,areyouhungry？”
　　“Yes,“answeredRaskolnikov。
　　“Isthereanysoup？”
　　“Someofyesterday's,“answeredNastasya,whowasstillstandingthere。
　　“Withpotatoesandriceinit？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Iknowitbyheart。Bringsoupandgiveussometea。“
　　“Verywell。“
　　Raskolnikovlookedatallthiswithprofoundastonishmentandadull,unreasoningterror。Hemadeuphismindtokeepquietandseewhatwouldhappen。“IbelieveIamnotwandering。Ibelieveit'sreality,“hethought。
　　InacoupleofminutesNastasyareturnedwiththesoup,andannouncedthattheteawouldbereadydirectly。Withthesoupshebroughttwospoons,twoplates,salt,pepper,mustardforthebeef,andsoon。Thetablewassetasithadnotbeenforalongtime。Theclothwasclean。
　　“Itwouldnotbeamiss,Nastasya,ifPraskovyaPavlovnaweretosendusupacoupleofbottlesofbeer。Wecouldemptythem。“
　　“Well,youareacoolhand,“mutteredNastasya,andshedepartedtocarryouthisorders。
　　Raskolnikovstillgazedwildlywithstrainedattention。MeanwhileRazumihinsatdownonthesofabesidehim,asclumsilyasabearputhisleftarmroundRaskolnikov'shead,althoughhewasabletositup,andwithhisrighthandgavehimaspoonfulofsoup,blowingonitthatitmightnotburnhim。Butthesoupwasonlyjustwarm。
　　Raskolnikovswallowedonespoonfulgreedily,thenasecond,thenathird。Butaftergivinghimafewmorespoonfulsofsoup,Razumihinsuddenlystopped,andsaidthathemustaskZossimovwhetherheoughttohavemore。
　　Nastasyacameinwithtwobottlesofbeer。
　　“Andwillyouhavetea？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Cutalong,Nastasya,andbringsometea,forteawemayventureonwithoutthefaculty。Buthereisthebeer！”Hemovedbacktohischair,pulledthesoupandmeatinfrontofhim,andbeganeatingasthoughhehadnottouchedfoodforthreedays。
　　“Imusttellyou,Rodya,Idinelikethishereeverydaynow,“hemumbledwithhismouthfullofbeef,“andit'sallPashenka,yourdearlittlelandlady,whoseestothat;shelovestodoanythingforme。
　　Idon'taskforit,but,ofcourse,Idon'tobject。Andhere'sNastasyawiththetea。Sheisaquickgirl。Nastasya,mydear,won'tyouhavesomebeer？”
　　“Getalongwithyournonsense！”
　　“Acupoftea,then？”
　　“Acupoftea,maybe。“
　　“Pouritout。Stay,I'llpouritoutmyself。Sitdown。“
　　Hepouredouttwocups,lefthisdinner,andsatonthesofaagain。Asbefore,heputhisleftarmroundthesickman'shead,raisedhimupandgavehimteainspoonfuls,againblowingeachspoonfulsteadilyandearnestly,asthoughthisprocesswastheprincipalandmosteffectivemeanstowardshisfriend'srecovery。
　　Raskolnikovsaidnothingandmadenoresistance,thoughhefeltquitestrongenoughtosituponthesofawithoutsupportandcouldnotmerelyhaveheldacuporaspoon,butevenperhapscouldhavewalkedabout。Butfromsomequeer,almostanimal,cunningheconceivedtheideaofhidinghisstrengthandlyinglowforatime,pretendingifnecessarynottobeyetinfullpossessionofhisfaculties,andmeanwhilelisteningtofindoutwhatwasgoingon。Yethecouldnotovercomehissenseofrepugnance。Aftersippingadozenspoonfulsoftea,hesuddenlyreleasedhishead,pushedthespoonawaycapriciously,andsankbackonthepillow。Therewereactuallyrealpillowsunderhisheadnow,downpillowsincleancases,heobservedthat,too,andtooknoteofit。
　　“Pashenkamustgiveussomeraspberryjamto-daytomakehimsomeraspberrytea,“saidRazumihin,goingbacktohischairandattackinghissoupandbeeragain。
　　“Andwhereisshetogetraspberriesforyou？”askedNastasya,balancingasauceronherfiveoutspreadfingersandsippingteathroughalumpofsugar。
　　“She'llgetitattheshop,mydear。Yousee,Rodya,allsortsofthingshavebeenhappeningwhileyouhavebeenlaidup。Whenyoudecampedinthatrascallywaywithoutleavingyouraddress,IfeltsoangrythatIresolvedtofindyououtandpunishyou。Isettoworkthatveryday。HowIranaboutmakinginquiriesforyou!ThislodgingofyoursIhadforgotten,thoughIneverrememberedit,indeed,becauseIdidnotknowit;andasforyouroldlodgings,I
　　couldonlyrememberitwasattheFiveCorners,Harlamov'shouse。I
　　kepttryingtofindthatHarlamov'shouse,andafterwardsitturnedoutthatitwasnotHarlamov's,butBuch's。Howonemuddlesupsoundsometimes!SoIlostmytemper,andIwentonthechancetotheaddressbureaunextday,andonlyfancy,intwominutestheylookedyouup!Yournameisdownthere。“
　　“Myname！”
　　“Ishouldthinkso;andyetaGeneralKobelevtheycouldnotfindwhileIwasthere。Well,it'salongstory。ButassoonasIdidlandonthisplace,Isoongottoknowallyouraffairs-all,all,brother,Iknoweverything;Nastasyaherewilltellyou。ImadetheacquaintanceofNikodimFomitchandIlyaPetrovitch,andthehouse-porterandMr。Zametov,AlexandrGrigorievitch,theheadclerkinthepoliceoffice,and,last,butnotleast,ofPashenka;
　　Nastasyahereknows……“
　　“He'sgotroundher,“Nastasyamurmured,smilingslyly。
　　“Whydon'tyouputthesugarinyourtea,NastasyaNikiforovna？”
　　“Youareaone！”Nastasyacriedsuddenly,goingoffintoagiggle。
　　“IamnotNikiforovna,butPetrovna,“sheaddedsuddenly,recoveringfromhermirth。
　　“I'llmakeanoteofit。Well,brother,tomakealongstoryshort,Iwasgoinginforaregularexplosionheretouprootallmalignantinfluencesinthelocality,butPashenkawontheday。I
　　hadnotexpected,brother,tofindherso……prepossessing。Eh,whatdoyouthink？”
　　Raskolnikovdidnotspeak,buthestillkepthiseyesfixeduponhim,fullofalarm。
　　“Andallthatcouldbewished,indeed,ineveryrespect,“
　　Razumihinwenton,notatallembarrassedbyhissilence。
　　“Ah,theslydog！”Nastasyashriekedagain。Thisconversationaffordedherunspeakabledelight。
　　“It'sapity,brother,thatyoudidnotsettoworkintherightwayatfirst。Yououghttohaveapproachedherdifferently。Sheis,sotospeak,amostunaccountablecharacter。Butwewilltalkabouthercharacterlater……Howcouldyouletthingscometosuchapassthatshegaveupsendingyouyourdinner?AndthatI。O。U。?YoumusthavebeenmadtosignanI。O。U。Andthatpromiseofmarriagewhenherdaughter,NatalyaYegorovna,wasalive?……Iknowallaboutit!
　　ButIseethat'sadelicatematterandIamanass;forgiveme。But,talkingoffoolishness,doyouknowPraskovyaPavlovnaisnotnearlysofoolishasyouwouldthinkatfirstsight？”
　　“No,“mumbledRaskolnikov,lookingaway,butfeelingthatitwasbettertokeepuptheconversation。
　　“Sheisn't,isshe？”criedRazumihin,delightedtogetanansweroutofhim。“Butsheisnotveryclevereither,eh?Sheisessentially,essentiallyanunaccountablecharacter!Iamsometimesquiteataloss,Iassureyou……Shemustbeforty;shesayssheisthirty-six,andofcourseshehaseveryrighttosayso。ButIswearI
　　judgeherintellectually,simplyfromthemetaphysicalpointofview;thereisasortofsymbolismsprungupbetweenus,asortofalgebraorwhatnot!Idon'tunderstandit!Well,that'sallnonsense。
　　Only,seeingthatyouarenotastudentnowandhavelostyourlessonsandyourclothes,andthatthroughtheyounglady'sdeathshehasnoneedtotreatyouasarelation,shesuddenlytookfright;andasyouhidinyourdenanddroppedallyouroldrelationswithher,sheplannedtogetridofyou。Andshe'sbeencherishingthatdesignalongtime,butwassorrytolosetheI。O。U。foryouassuredheryourselfthatyourmotherwouldpay。“
　　“Itwasbaseofmetosaythat……Mymotherherselfisalmostabeggar……andItoldalietokeepmylodging……andbefed,“
　　Raskolnikovsaidloudlyanddistinctly。
　　“Yes,youdidverysensibly。ButtheworstofitisthatatthatpointMr。Tchebarovturnsup,abusinessman。Pashenkawouldneverhavethoughtofdoinganythingonherownaccount,sheistooretiring;butthebusinessmanisbynomeansretiring,andfirstthingheputsthequestion,'IsthereanyhopeofrealisingtheI。O。U。?'Answer：thereis,becausehehasamotherwhowouldsaveherRodyawithherhundredandtwenty-fiveroublespension,ifshehastostarveherself;andasister,too,whowouldgointobondageforhissake。That'swhathewasbuildingupon……Whydoyoustart?I
　　knowalltheinsandoutsofyouraffairsnow,mydearboy-it'snotfornothingthatyouweresoopenwithPashenkawhenyouwereherprospectiveson-in-law,andIsayallthisasafriend……ButI
　　tellyouwhatitis;anhonestandsensitivemanisopen;andabusinessman'listensandgoesoneating'youup。Well,thenshegavetheI。O。U。bywayofpaymenttothisTchebarov,andwithouthesitationhemadeaformaldemandforpayment。WhenIheardofallthisIwantedtoblowhimup,too,toclearmyconscience,butbythattimeharmonyreignedbetweenmeandPashenka,andIinsistedonstoppingthewholeaffair,engagingthatyouwouldpay。Iwentsecurityforyou,brother。Doyouunderstand?WecalledTchebarov,flunghimtenroublesandgottheI。O。U。backfromhim,andhereI
　　havethehonourofpresentingittoyou。Shetrustsyourwordnow。
　　Here,takeit,youseeIhavetornit。“
　　Razumihinputthenoteonthetable。Raskolnikovlookedathimandturnedtothewallwithoututteringaword。EvenRazumihinfeltatwinge。
　　“Isee,brother,“hesaidamomentlater,“thatIhavebeenplayingthefoolagain。IthoughtIshouldamuseyouwithmychatter,andIbelieveIhaveonlymadeyoucross。“
　　“WasityouIdidnotrecognisewhenIwasdelirious？”Raskolnikovasked,afteramoment'spausewithoutturninghishead。
　　“Yes,andyouflewintoarageaboutit,especiallywhenIbroughtZametovoneday。“
　　“Zametov?Theheadclerk?Whatfor？”RaskolnikovturnedroundquicklyandfixedhiseyesonRazumihin。
　　“What'sthematterwithyou?……Whatareyouupsetabout?HewantedtomakeyouracquaintancebecauseItalkedtohimalotaboutyou……HowcouldIhavefoundoutsomuchexceptfromhim?Heisacapitalfellow,brother,first-rate……inhisownway,ofcourse。