Raskolnikov'sthoughtswereinawhirl。Hewasinterribleexasperation。
　　“Theworstofitistheydon'tdisguiseit;theydon'tcaretostandonceremony!Andhowifyoudidn'tknowmeatall,didyoucometotalktoNikodimFomitchaboutme?Sotheydidn'tcaretohidethattheyaretrackingmelikeapackofdogs。Theysimplyspitinmyface。“Hewasshakingwithrage。“Come,strikemeopenly,don'tplaywithmelikeacatwithamouse。It'shardlycivil,PorfiryPetrovitch,butperhapsIwon'tallowit!Ishallgetupandthrowthewholetruthinyouruglyfaces,andyou'llseehowIdespiseyou。“
　　Hecouldhardlybreathe。“Andwhatifit'sonlymyfancy?WhatifIammistaken,andthroughinexperienceIgetangryanddon'tkeepupmynastypart?Perhapsit'sallunintentional。Alltheirphrasesaretheusualones,butthereissomethingaboutthem……Itallmightbesaid,butthereissomething。Whydidhesaybluntly,'Withher'?
　　WhydidZametovaddthatIspokeartfully?Whydotheyspeakinthattone?Yes,thetone……Razumihinissittinghere,whydoesheseenothing?Thatinnocentblockheadneverdoesseeanything!Feverishagain!DidPorfirywinkatmejustnow?Ofcourseit'snonsense!
　　Whatcouldhewinkfor?Aretheytryingtoupsetmynervesoraretheyteasingme?Eitherit'sillfancyortheyknow!EvenZametovisrude……IsZametovrude?Zametovhaschangedhismind。Iforesawhewouldchangehismind!Heisathomehere,whileit'smyfirstvisit。Porfirydoesnotconsiderhimavisitor;sitswithhisbacktohim。They'reasthickasthieves,nodoubt,overme!Notadoubttheyweretalkingaboutmebeforewecame。Dotheyknowabouttheflat?Ifonlythey'dmakehaste!WhenIsaidthatIranawaytotakeaflatheletitpass……Iputthatincleverlyaboutaflat,itmaybeofuseafterwards……Delirious,indeed……ha-ha-ha!Heknowsallaboutlastnight!Hedidn'tknowofmymother'sarrival!Thehaghadwrittenthedateoninpencil!Youarewrong,youwon'tcatchme!
　　Therearenofacts……it'sallsupposition!Youproducefacts!Theflatevenisn'tafactbutdelirium。Iknowwhattosaytothem……Dotheyknowabouttheflat?Iwon'tgowithoutfindingout。WhatdidI
　　comefor?Butmybeingangrynow,maybeisafact!Fool,howirritableIam!Perhapsthat'sright;toplaytheinvalid……Heisfeelingme。Hewilltrytocatchme。WhydidIcome？”
　　Allthisflashedlikelightningthroughhismind。
　　PorfiryPetrovitchreturnedquickly。Hebecamesuddenlymorejovial。
　　“Yourpartyyesterday,brother,hasleftmyheadrather……AndIamoutofsortsaltogether,“hebeganinquiteadifferenttone,laughingtoRazumihin。
　　“Wasitinteresting?Ileftyouyesterdayatthemostinterestingpoint。Whogotthebestofit？”
　　“Oh,noone,ofcourse。Theygotontoeverlastingquestions,floatedoffintospace。“
　　“Onlyfancy,Rodya,whatwegotontoyesterday。Whetherthereissuchathingascrime。Itoldyouthatwetalkedourheadsoff。“
　　“Whatistherestrange?It'saneverydaysocialquestion,“
　　Raskolnikovansweredcasually。
　　“Thequestionwasn'tputquitelikethat,“observedPorfiry。
　　“Notquite,that'strue,“Razumihinagreedatonce,gettingwarmandhurriedasusual。“Listen,Rodion,andtellusyouropinion,Iwanttohearit。Iwasfightingtoothandnailwiththemandwantedyoutohelpme。Itoldthemyouwerecoming……Itbeganwiththesocialistdoctrine。Youknowtheirdoctrine;crimeisaprotestagainsttheabnormalityofthesocialorganizationandnothingmore,andnothingmore;noothercausesadmitted!……“
　　“Youarewrongthere,“criedPorfiryPetrovitch;hewasnoticeablyanimatedandkeptlaughingashelookedatRazumihinwhichmadehimmoreexcitedthanever。
　　“Nothingisadmitted,“Razumihininterruptedwithheat。
　　“Iamnotwrong。I'llshowyoutheirpamphlets。Everythingwiththemis'theinfluenceofenvironment,'andnothingelse。Theirfavouritephrase!Fromwhichitfollowsthat,ifsocietyisnormallyorganized,allcrimewillceaseatonce,sincetherewillbenothingtoprotestagainstandallmenwillbecomerighteousinoneinstant。
　　Humannatureisnottakenintoaccount,itisexcluded,it'snotsupposedtoexist!Theydon'trecognisethathumanity,developingbyahistoricallivingprocess,willbecomeatlastanormalsociety,buttheybelievethatasocialsystemthathascomeoutofsomemathematicalbrainisgoingtoorganiseallhumanityatonceandmakeitjustandsinlessinaninstant,quickerthananylivingprocess!That'swhytheyinstinctivelydislikehistory,'nothingbutuglinessandstupidityinit,'andtheyexplainitallasstupidity!
　　That'swhytheysodislikethelivingprocessoflife;theydon'twantalivingsoul!Thelivingsouldemandslife,thesoulwon'tobeytherulesofmechanics,thesoulisanobjectofsuspicion,thesoulisretrograde!ButwhattheywantthoughitsmellsofdeathandcanbemadeofIndia-rubber,atleastisnotalive,hasnowill,isservileandwon'trevolt!Anditcomesintheendtotheirreducingeverythingtothebuildingofwallsandtheplanningofroomsandpassagesinaphalanstery!Thephalansteryisready,indeed,butyourhumannatureisnotreadyforthephalanstery-itwantslife,ithasn'tcompleteditsvitalprocess,it'stoosoonforthegraveyard!Youcan'tskipovernaturebylogic。Logicpresupposesthreepossibilities,buttherearemillions!Cutawayamillion,andreduceitalltothequestionofcomfort!That'stheeasiestsolutionoftheproblem!It'sseductivelyclearandyoumusn'tthinkaboutit。That'sthegreatthing,youmustn'tthink!Thewholesecretoflifeintwopagesofprint！”
　　“Nowheisoff,beatingthedrum!Catchholdofhim,do！”laughedPorfiry。“Canyouimagine,“heturnedtoRaskolnikov,“sixpeopleholdingforthlikethatlastnight,inoneroom,withpunchasapreliminary!No,brother,youarewrong,environmentaccountsforagreatdealincrime;Icanassureyouofthat。“
　　“Oh,Iknowitdoes,butjusttellme：amanoffortyviolatesachildoften;wasitenvironmentdrovehimtoit？”
　　“Well,strictlyspeaking,itdid,“Porfiryobservedwithnoteworthygravity;“acrimeofthatnaturemaybeverywellascribedtotheinfluenceofenvironment。“
　　Razumihinwasalmostinafrenzy。“Oh,ifyoulike,“heroared。
　　“I'llprovetoyouthatyourwhiteeyelashesmayverywellbeascribedtotheChurchofIvantheGreat'sbeingtwohundredandfiftyfeethigh,andIwillproveitclearly,exactly,progressively,andevenwithaLiberaltendency!Iundertaketo!Willyoubetonit？”
　　“Done!Let'shear,please,howhewillproveit！”
　　“Heisalwayshumbugging,confoundhim,“criedRazumihin,jumpingupandgesticulating。“What'stheuseoftalkingtoyou!Hedoesallthatonpurpose;youdon'tknowhim,Rodion!Hetooktheirsideyesterday,simplytomakefoolsofthem。Andthethingshesaidyesterday!Andtheyweredelighted!Hecankeepitupforafortnighttogether。Lastyearhepersuadedusthathewasgoingintoamonastery：hestucktoitfortwomonths。Notlongagohetookitintohisheadtodeclarehewasgoingtogetmarried,thathehadeverythingreadyforthewedding。Heorderednewclothesindeed。Weallbegantocongratulatehim。Therewasnobride,nothing,allpurefantasy！”
　　“Ah,youarewrong!Igottheclothesbefore。Itwasthenewclothesinfactthatmademethinkoftakingyouin。“
　　“Areyousuchagooddissembler？”Raskolnikovaskedcarelessly。
　　“Youwouldn'thavesupposedit,eh?Waitabit,Ishalltakeyouin,too。Ha-ha-ha!No,I'lltellyouthetruth。Allthesequestionsaboutcrime,environment,children,recalltomymindanarticleofyourswhichinterestedmeatthetime。'OnCrime'……orsomethingofthesort,Iforgetthetitle,IreaditwithpleasuretwomonthsagointhePeriodicalReview。“
　　“Myarticle?InthePeriodicalReview？”Raskolnikovaskedinastonishment。“IcertainlydidwriteanarticleuponabooksixmonthsagowhenIlefttheuniversity,butIsentittotheWeeklyReview。“
　　“ButitcameoutinthePeriodical。“
　　“AndtheWeeklyReviewceasedtoexist,sothat'swhyitwasn'tprintedatthetime。“
　　“That'strue;butwhenitceasedtoexist,theWeeklyReviewwasamalgamatedwiththePeriodical,andsoyourarticleappearedtwomonthsagointhelatter。Didn'tyouknow？”
　　Raskolnikovhadnotknown。
　　“Why,youmightgetsomemoneyoutofthemforthearticle!Whatastrangepersonyouare!Youleadsuchasolitarylifethatyouknownothingofmattersthatconcernyoudirectly。It'safact,Iassureyou。“
　　“Bravo,Rodya!Iknewnothingaboutiteither！”criedRazumihin。
　　“I'llrunto-daytothereading-roomandaskforthenumber。Twomonthsago?Whatwasthedate?Itdoesn'tmatterthough,Iwillfindit。Thinkofnottellingus！”
　　“Howdidyoufindoutthatthearticlewasmine?It'sonlysignedwithaninitial。“
　　“Ionlylearntitbychance,theotherday。Throughtheeditor;I
　　knowhim……Iwasverymuchinterested。“
　　“Itanalysed,ifIremember,thepsychologyofacriminalbeforeandafterthecrime。“
　　“Yes,andyoumaintainedthattheperpetrationofacrimeisalwaysaccompaniedbyillness。Very,veryoriginal,but……itwasnotthatpartofyourarticlethatinterestedmesomuch,butanideaattheendofthearticlewhichIregrettosayyoumerelysuggestedwithoutworkingitoutclearly。Thereis,ifyourecollect,asuggestionthattherearecertainpersonswhocan……thatis,notpreciselyareableto,buthaveaperfectrighttocommitbreachesofmoralityandcrimes,andthatthelawisnotforthem。“
　　Raskolnikovsmiledattheexaggeratedandintentionaldistortionofhisidea。
　　“What?Whatdoyoumean?Arighttocrime?Butnotbecauseoftheinfluenceofenvironment？”Razumihininquiredwithsomealarmeven。
　　“No,notexactlybecauseofit,“answeredPorfiry。“Inhisarticleallmenaredividedinto'ordinary'and'extraordinary。'Ordinarymenhavetoliveinsubmission,havenorighttotransgressthelaw,because,don'tyousee,theyareordinary。Butextraordinarymenhavearighttocommitanycrimeandtotransgressthelawinanyway,justbecausetheyareextraordinary。Thatwasyouridea,ifIamnotmistaken？”
　　“Whatdoyoumean?Thatcan'tberight？”Razumihinmutteredinbewilderment。
　　Raskolnikovsmiledagain。Hesawthepointatonce,andknewwheretheywantedtodrivehim。Hedecidedtotakeupthechallenge。
　　“Thatwasn'tquitemycontention,“hebegansimplyandmodestly。
　　“YetIadmitthatyouhavestateditalmostcorrectly;perhaps,ifyoulike,perfectlyso。“Italmostgavehimpleasuretoadmitthis。“TheonlydifferenceisthatIdon'tcontendthatextraordinarypeoplearealwaysboundtocommitbreachesofmorals,asyoucallit。Infact,Idoubtwhethersuchanargumentcouldbepublished。Isimplyhintedthatan'extraordinary'manhastheright……thatisnotanofficialright,butaninnerrighttodecideinhisownconsciencetooverstep……certainobstacles,andonlyincaseitisessentialforthepracticalfulfilmentofhisideasometimes,perhaps,ofbenefittothewholeofhumanity。Yousaythatmyarticleisn'tdefinite;I
　　amreadytomakeitasclearasIcan。PerhapsIamrightinthinkingyouwantmeto;verywell。ImaintainthatifthediscoveriesofKeplerandNewtoncouldnothavebeenmadeknownexceptbysacrificingthelivesofone,adozen,ahundred,ormoremen,Newtonwouldhavehadtheright,wouldindeedhavebeenindutybound……toeliminatethedozenorthehundredmenforthesakeofmakinghisdiscoveriesknowntothewholeofhumanity。ButitdoesnotfollowfromthatthatNewtonhadarighttomurderpeoplerightandleftandtostealeverydayinthemarket。Then,Iremember,I
　　maintaininmyarticlethatall……well,legislatorsandleadersofmen,suchasLycurgus,Solon,Mahomet,Napoleon,andsoon,wereallwithoutexceptioncriminals,fromtheveryfactthat,makinganewlaw,theytransgressedtheancientone,handeddownfromtheirancestorsandheldsacredbythepeople,andtheydidnotstopshortatbloodshedeither,ifthatbloodshed-oftenofinnocentpersonsfightingbravelyindefenceofancientlaw-wereofusetotheircause。It'sremarkable,infact,thatthemajority,indeed,ofthesebenefactorsandleadersofhumanitywereguiltyofterriblecarnage。
　　Inshort,Imaintainthatallgreatmenorevenmenalittleoutofthecommon,thatistosaycapableofgivingsomenewword,mustfromtheirverynaturebecriminals-moreorless,ofcourse。
　　Otherwiseit'shardforthemtogetoutofthecommonrut;andtoremaininthecommonrutiswhattheycan'tsubmitto,fromtheirverynatureagain,andtomymindtheyoughtnot,indeed,tosubmittoit。Youseethatthereisnothingparticularlynewinallthat。Thesamethinghasbeenprintedandreadathousandtimesbefore。Asformydivisionofpeopleintoordinaryandextraordinary,Iacknowledgethatit'ssomewhatarbitrary,butIdon'tinsistuponexactnumbers。I
　　onlybelieveinmyleadingideathatmenareingeneraldividedbyalawofnatureintotwocategories,inferiorordinary,thatis,sotosay,materialthatservesonlytoreproduceitskind,andmenwhohavethegiftorthetalenttoutteranewword。Thereare,ofcourse,innumerablesub-divisions,butthedistinguishingfeaturesofbothcategoriesarefairlywellmarked。Thefirstcategory,generallyspeaking,aremenconservativeintemperamentandlaw-abiding;theyliveundercontrolandlovetobecontrolled。Tomythinkingitistheirdutytobecontrolled,becausethat'stheirvocation,andthereisnothinghumiliatinginitforthem。Thesecondcategoryalltransgressthelaw;theyaredestroyersordisposedtodestructionaccordingtotheircapacities。Thecrimesofthesemenareofcourserelativeandvaried;forthemostparttheyseekinveryvariedwaysthedestructionofthepresentforthesakeofthebetter。Butifsuchaoneisforcedforthesakeofhisideatostepoveracorpseorwadethroughblood,hecan,Imaintain,findwithinhimself,inhisconscience,asanctionforwadingthroughblood-thatdependsontheideaanditsdimensions,notethat。It'sonlyinthatsenseIspeakoftheirrighttocrimeinmyarticleyourememberitbeganwiththelegalquestion。There'snoneedforsuchanxiety,however;themasseswillscarcelyeveradmitthisright,theypunishthemorhangthemmoreorless,andindoingsofulfilquitejustlytheirconservativevocation。Butthesamemassessetthesecriminalsonapedestalinthenextgenerationandworshipthemmoreorless。Thefirstcategoryisalwaysthemanofthepresent,thesecondthemanofthefuture。Thefirstpreservetheworldandpeopleit,thesecondmovetheworldandleadittoitsgoal。Eachclasshasanequalrighttoexist。Infact,allhaveequalrightswithme-andvivelaguerreeternelle-
　　tilltheNewJerusalem,ofcourse！”
　　“ThenyoubelieveintheNewJerusalem,doyou？”
　　“Ido,“Raskolnikovansweredfirmly;ashesaidthesewordsandduringthewholeprecedingtiradehekepthiseyesononespotonthecarpet。
　　“And……anddoyoubelieveinGod?Excusemycuriosity。“
　　“Ido,“repeatedRaskolnikov,raisinghiseyestoPorfiry。
　　“And……doyoubelieveinLazarus'risingfromthedead？”
　　“I……Ido。Whydoyouaskallthis？”
　　“Youbelieveitliterally？”
　　“Literally。“
　　“Youdon'tsayso……Iaskedfromcuriosity。Excuseme。Butletusgobacktothequestion;theyarenotalwaysexecuted。Some,onthecontrary……“
　　“Triumphintheirlifetime?Oh,yes,someattaintheirendsinthislife,andthen……“
　　“Theybeginexecutingotherpeople？”
　　“Ifit'snecessary;indeed,forthemostparttheydo。Yourremarkisverywitty。“
　　“Thankyou。Buttellmethis：howdoyoudistinguishthoseextraordinarypeoplefromtheordinaryones?Aretheresignsattheirbirth?Ifeelthereoughttobemoreexactitude,moreexternaldefinition。Excusethenaturalanxietyofapracticallaw-abidingcitizen,butcouldn'ttheyadoptaspecialuniform,forinstance,couldn'ttheywearsomething,bebrandedinsomeway?Foryouknowifconfusionarisesandamemberofonecategoryimaginesthathebelongstotheother,beginsto'eliminateobstacles,'asyousohappilyexpressedit,then……“
　　“Oh,thatveryoftenhappens!Thatremarkiswittierthantheother。“
　　“Thankyou。“
　　“Noreasonto;buttakenotethatthemistakecanonlyariseinthefirstcategory,thatisamongtheordinarypeopleasIperhapsunfortunatelycalledthem。Inspiteoftheirpredispositiontoobedienceverymanyofthem,throughaplayfulnessofnature,sometimesvouchsafedeventothecow,liketoimaginethemselvesadvancedpeople,'destroyers,'andtopushthemselvesintothe'newmovement,'andthisquitesincerely。Meanwhilethereallynewpeopleareveryoftenunobservedbythem,orevendespisedasreactionariesofgrovellingtendencies。ButIdon'tthinkthereisanyconsiderabledangerhere,andyoureallyneednotbeuneasyfortheynevergoveryfar。Ofcourse,theymighthaveathrashingsometimesforlettingtheirfancyrunawaywiththemandtoteachthemtheirplace,butnomore;infact,eventhisisn'tnecessaryastheycastigatethemselves,fortheyareveryconscientious：someperformthisserviceforoneanotherandotherschastisethemselveswiththeirownhands……Theywillimposevariouspublicactsofpenitenceuponthemselveswithabeautifulandedifyingeffect;infactyou'venothingtobeuneasyabout……It'salawofnature。“
　　“Well,youhavecertainlysetmymindmoreatrestonthatscore;
　　butthere'sanotherthingworriesme。Tellme,please,aretheremanypeoplewhohavetherighttokillothers,theseextraordinarypeople?Iamreadytobowdowntothem,ofcourse,butyoumustadmitit'salarmingifthereareagreatmanyofthem,eh？”
　　“Oh,youneedn'tworryaboutthateither,“Raskolnikovwentoninthesametone。“Peoplewithnewideas,peoplewiththefaintestcapacityforsayingsomethingnew,areextremelyfewinnumber,extraordinarilysoinfact。Onethingonlyisclear,thattheappearanceofallthesegradesandsub-divisionsofmenmustfollowwithunfailingregularitysomelawofnature。Thatlaw,ofcourse,isunknownatpresent,butIamconvincedthatitexists,andonedaymaybecomeknown。Thevastmassofmankindismerematerial,andonlyexistsinorderbysomegreateffort,bysomemysteriousprocess,bymeansofsomecrossingofracesandstocks,tobringintotheworldatlastperhapsonemanoutofathousandwithasparkofindependence。Oneintenthousandperhaps-Ispeakroughly,approximately-isbornwithsomeindependence,andwithstillgreaterindependenceoneinahundredthousand。Themanofgeniusisoneofmillions,andthegreatgeniuses,thecrownofhumanity,appearonearthperhapsoneinmanythousandmillions。InfactIhavenotpeepedintotheretortinwhichallthistakesplace。Buttherecertainlyisandmustbeadefinitelaw,itcannotbeamatterofchance。“
　　“Why,areyoubothjoking？”Razumihincriedatlast。“Thereyousit,makingfunofoneanother。Areyouserious,Rodya？”
　　Raskolnikovraisedhispaleandalmostmournfulfaceandmadenoreply。Andtheunconcealed,persistent,nervous,anddiscourteoussarcasmofPorfiryseemedstrangetoRazumihinbesidethatquietandmournfulface。
　　“Well,brother,ifyouarereallyserious……Youareright,ofcourse,insayingthatit'snotnew,thatit'slikewhatwe'vereadandheardathousandtimesalready;butwhatisreallyoriginalinallthis,andisexclusivelyyourown,tomyhorror,isthatyousanctionbloodshedinthenameofconscience,and,excusemysayingso,withsuchfanaticism……That,Itakeit,isthepointofyourarticle。Butthatsanctionofbloodshedbyconscienceistomymind……
　　moreterriblethantheofficial,legalsanctionofbloodshed……“
　　“Youarequiteright,itismoreterrible,“Porfiryagreed。
　　“Yes,youmusthaveexaggerated!Thereissomemistake,Ishallreadit。Youcan'tthinkthat!Ishallreadit。“
　　“Allthatisnotinthearticle,there'sonlyahintofit,“saidRaskolnikov。
　　“Yes,yes。“Porfirycouldn'tsitstill。“Yourattitudetocrimeisprettycleartomenow,but……excusemeformyimpertinenceIamreallyashamedtobeworryingyoulikethis,yousee,you'veremovedmyanxietyastothetwogrades'gettingmixed,but……therearevariouspracticalpossibilitiesthatmakemeuneasy!WhatifsomemanoryouthimaginesthatheisaLycurgusorMahomet-afutureoneofcourse-andsupposehebeginstoremoveallobstacles……Hehassomegreatenterprisebeforehimandneedsmoneyforit……andtriestogetit……doyousee？”
　　Zametovgaveasuddenguffawinhiscorner。Raskolnikovdidnotevenraisehiseyestohim。
　　“Imustadmit,“hewentoncalmly,“thatsuchcasescertainlymustarise。Thevainandfoolishareparticularlyapttofallintothatsnare;youngpeopleespecially。“
　　“Yes,yousee。Wellthen？”
　　“Whatthen？”Raskolnikovsmiledinreply;“that'snotmyfault。Soitisandsoitalwayswillbe。HesaidjustnowhenoddedatRazumihinthatIsanctionbloodshed。Societyistoowellprotectedbyprisons,banishment,criminalinvestigators,penalservitude。
　　There'snoneedtobeuneasy。Youhavebuttocatchthethief。“
　　“Andwhatifwedocatchhim？”
　　“Thenhegetswhathedeserves。“
　　“Youarecertainlylogical。Butwhatofhisconscience？”
　　“Whydoyoucareaboutthat？”
　　“Simplyfromhumanity。“
　　“Ifhehasaconsciencehewillsufferforhismistake。Thatwillbehispunishment-aswellastheprison。“
　　“Buttherealgeniuses,“askedRazumihinfrowning,“thosewhohavetherighttomurder?Oughtn'ttheytosufferatallevenforthebloodthey'veshed？”
　　“Whythewordought?It'snotamatterofpermissionorprohibition。
　　Hewillsufferifheissorryforhisvictim。Painandsufferingarealwaysinevitableforalargeintelligenceandadeepheart。Thereallygreatmenmust,Ithink,havegreatsadnessonearth,“headdeddreamily,notinthetoneoftheconversation。
　　Heraisedhiseyes,lookedearnestlyatthemall,smiled,andtookhiscap。Hewastooquietbycomparisonwithhismannerathisentrance,andhefeltthis。Everyonegotup。
　　“Well,youmayabuseme,beangrywithmeifyoulike,“PorfiryPetrovitchbeganagain,“butIcan'tresist。AllowmeonelittlequestionIknowIamtroublingyou。ThereisjustonelittlenotionIwanttoexpress,simplythatImaynotforgetit。“
　　“Verygood,tellmeyourlittlenotion,“Raskolnikovstoodwaiting,paleandgravebeforehim。
　　“Well,yousee……Ireallydon'tknowhowtoexpressitproperly……
　　It'saplayful,psychologicalidea……Whenyouwerewritingyourarticle,surelyyoucouldn'thavehelped,he-he,fancyingyourself……justalittle,an'extraordinary'man,utteringanewwordinyoursense……That'sso,isn'tit？”
　　“Quitepossibly,“Raskolnikovansweredcontemptuously。
　　Razumihinmadeamovement。
　　“And,ifso,couldyoubringyourselfincaseofworldlydifficultiesandhardshiporforsomeservicetohumanity-tooverstepobstacles?……Forinstance,torobandmurder？”
　　Andagainhewinkedwithhislefteye,andlaughednoiselesslyjustasbefore。
　　“IfIdidIcertainlyshouldnottellyou,“Raskolnikovansweredwithdefiantandhaughtycontempt。
　　“No,Iwasonlyinterestedonaccountofyourarticle,fromaliterarypointofview……“
　　“Foo,howobviousandinsolentthatis,“Raskolnikovthoughtwithrepulsion。
　　“Allowmetoobserve,“heanswereddryly,“thatIdon'tconsidermyselfaMahometoraNapoleon,noranypersonageofthatkind,andnotbeingoneofthemIcannottellyouhowIshouldact。“
　　“Oh,come,don'tweallthinkourselvesNapoleonsnowinRussia？”
　　PorfiryPetrovitchsaidwithalarmingfamiliarity。
　　Somethingpeculiarbetrayeditselfintheveryintonationofhisvoice。
　　“PerhapsitwasoneofthesefutureNapoleonswhodidforAlyonaIvanovnalastweek？”Zametovblurtedoutfromthecorner。
　　Raskolnikovdidnotspeak,butlookedfirmlyandintentlyatPorfiry。Razumihinwasscowlinggloomily。Heseemedbeforethistobenoticingsomething。Helookedangrilyaround。Therewasaminuteofgloomysilence。Raskolnikovturnedtogo。
　　“Areyougoingalready？”Porfirysaidamiably,holdingouthishandwithexcessivepoliteness。“Very,verygladofyouracquaintance。
　　Asforyourrequest,havenouneasiness,writejustasItoldyou,or,betterstill,cometomethereyourselfinadayortwo……
　　to-morrow,indeed。Ishallbethereateleveno'clockforcertain。
　　We'llarrangeitall;we'llhaveatalk。Asoneofthelasttobethere,youmightperhapsbeabletotellussomething,“headdedwithamostgood-naturedexpression。
　　“Youwanttocross-examinemeofficiallyindueform？”Raskolnikovaskedsharply。
　　“Oh,why?That'snotnecessaryforthepresent。Youmisunderstandme。Ilosenoopportunity,yousee,and……I'vetalkedwithallwhohadpledges……Iobtainedevidencefromsomeofthem,andyouarethelast……Yes,bytheway,“hecried,seeminglysuddenlydelighted,“Ijustremember,whatwasIthinkingof？”heturnedtoRazumihin,“youweretalkingmyearsoffaboutthatNikolay……ofcourse,Iknow,Iknowverywell,“heturnedtoRaskolnikov,“thatthefellowisinnocent,butwhatisonetodo?WehadtotroubleDmitritoo……Thisisthepoint,thisisall：whenyouwentupthestairsitwaspastseven,wasn'tit？”
　　“Yes,“answeredRaskolnikov,withanunpleasantsensationattheverymomenthespokethatheneednothavesaidit。
　　“Thenwhenyouwentupstairsbetweensevenandeight,didn'tyouseeinaflatthatstoodopenonasecondstorey,doyouremember,twoworkmenoratleastoneofthem?Theywerepaintingthere,didn'tyounoticethem?It'svery,veryimportantforthem。“
　　“Painters?No,Ididn'tseethem,“Raskolnikovansweredslowly,asthoughransackinghismemory,whileatthesameinstanthewasrackingeverynerve,almostswooningwithanxietytoconjectureasquicklyaspossiblewherethetraplayandnottooverlookanything。“No,I
　　didn'tseethem,andIdon'tthinkInoticedaflatlikethatopen……
　　Butonthefourthstorey“hehadmasteredthetrapnowandwastriumphant“IremembernowthatsomeonewasmovingoutoftheflatoppositeAlyonaIvanovna's……Iremember……Irememberitclearly。
　　Someporterswerecarryingoutasofaandtheysqueezedmeagainstthewall。Butpainters……no,Idon'trememberthattherewereanypainters,andIdon'tthinkthattherewasaflatopenanywhere,no,therewasn't。“
　　“Whatdoyoumean？”Razumihinshoutedsuddenly,asthoughhehadreflectedandrealised。“Why,itwasonthedayofthemurderthepainterswereatwork,andhewastherethreedaysbefore?Whatareyouasking？”
　　“Foo!Ihavemuddledit！”Porfiryslappedhimselfontheforehead。
　　“Deucetakeit!Thisbusinessisturningmybrain！”headdressedRaskolnikovsomewhatapologetically。“Itwouldbesuchagreatthingforustofindoutwhetheranyonehadseenthembetweensevenandeightattheflat,soIfanciedyoucouldperhapshavetoldussomething……Iquitemuddledit。“
　　“Thenyoushouldbemorecareful,“Razumihinobservedgrimly。
　　Thelastwordswereutteredinthepassage。PorfiryPetrovitchsawthemtothedoorwithexcessivepoliteness。
　　Theywentoutintothestreetgloomyandsullen,andforsomestepstheydidnotsayaword。Raskolnikovdrewadeepbreath。
　　ChapterSix“IDON'TBELIEVEit,Ican'tbelieveit！”repeatedRazumihin,tryinginperplexitytorefuteRaskolnikov'sarguments。
　　TheywerebynowapproachingBakaleyev'slodgings,wherePulcheriaAlexandrovnaandDouniahadbeenexpectingthemalongwhile。
　　Razumihinkeptstoppingonthewayintheheatofdiscussion,confusedandexcitedbytheveryfactthattheywereforthefirsttimespeakingopenlyaboutit。
　　“Don'tbelieveit,then！”answeredRaskolnikov,withacold,carelesssmile。“Youwerenoticingnothingasusual,butIwasweighingeveryword。“
　　“Youaresuspicious。Thatiswhyyouweighedtheirwords……h'm……
　　certainly,Iagree,Porfiry'stonewasratherstrange,andstillmorethatwretchZametov!……Youareright,therewassomethingabouthim-butwhy?Why？”
　　“Hehaschangedhismindsincelastnight。“
　　“Quitethecontrary!Iftheyhadthatbrainlessidea,theywoulddotheirutmosttohideit,andconcealtheircards,soastocatchyouafterwards……Butitwasallimpudentandcareless。“
　　“Iftheyhadhadfacts-Imean,realfacts-oratleastgroundsforsuspicion,thentheywouldcertainlyhavetriedtohidetheirgame,inthehopeofgettingmoretheywouldhavemadeasearchlongagobesides。Buttheyhavenofacts,notone。Itisallmirage-allambiguous。Simplyafloatingidea。Sotheytrytothrowmeoutbyimpudence。Andperhaps,hewasirritatedathavingnofacts,andblurteditoutinhisvexation-orperhapshehassomeplan……
　　heseemsanintelligentman。Perhapshewantedtofrightenmebypretendingtoknow。Theyhaveapsychologyoftheirown,brother。
　　Butitisloathsomeexplainingitall。Stop！”
　　“Andit'sinsulting,insulting!Iunderstandyou。But……sincewehavespokenopenlynowanditisanexcellentthingthatwehaveatlast-IamgladIwillownnowfranklythatInoticeditinthemlongago,thisidea。Ofcoursethemeresthintonly-aninsinuation-butwhyaninsinuationeven?Howdarethey?Whatfoundationhavethey?
　　IfonlyyouknewhowfuriousIhavebeen。Thinkonly!Simplybecauseapoorstudent,unhingedbypovertyandhypochondria,ontheeveofaseveredeliriousillnessnotethat,suspicious,vain,proud,whohasnotseenasoultospeaktoforsixmonths,inragsandinbootswithoutsoles,hastofacesomewretchedpolicemenandputupwiththeirinsolence;andtheunexpecteddebtthrustunderhisnose,theI。O。U。presentedbyTchebarov,thenewpaint,thirtydegreesReaumurandastiflingatmosphere,acrowdofpeople,thetalkaboutthemurderofapersonwherehehadbeenjustbefore,andallthatonanemptystomach-hemightwellhaveafaintingfit!Andthat,thatiswhattheyfounditallon!Damnthem!Iunderstandhowannoyingitis,butinyourplace,Rodya,Iwouldlaughatthem,orbetterstill,spitintheiruglyfaces,andspitadozentimesinalldirections。I'dhitoutinalldirections,neatlytoo,andsoI'dputanendtoit。Damnthem!Don'tbedownhearted。It'sashame！”
　　“Hereallyhasputitwell,though,“Raskolnikovthought。
　　“Damnthem?Butthecross-examinationagain,to-morrow？”hesaidwithbitterness。“MustIreallyenterintoexplanationswiththem?I
　　feelvexedasitisthatIcondescendedtospeaktoZametovyesterdayintherestaurant……“
　　“Damnit!IwillgomyselftoPorfiry。Iwillsqueezeitoutofhim,asoneofthefamily：hemustletmeknowtheinsandoutsofitall!AndasforZametov……“
　　“Atlastheseesthroughhim！”thoughtRaskolnikov。
　　“Stay！”criedRazumihin,seizinghimbytheshoulderagain。“Stay!
　　youwerewrong。Ihavethoughtitout。Youarewrong!Howwasthatatrap?Yousaythatthequestionabouttheworkmenwasatrap。Butifyouhaddonethat,couldyouhavesaidyouhadseenthempaintingtheflat……andtheworkmen?Onthecontrary,youwouldhaveseennothing,evenifyouhadseenit。Whowouldownitagainsthimself？”
　　“IfIhaddonethatthing,IshouldcertainlyhavesaidthatIhadseentheworkmenandtheflat。“Raskolnikovanswered,withreluctanceandobviousdisgust。
　　“Butwhyspeakagainstyourself？”
　　“Becauseonlypeasants,orthemostinexperiencednovicesdenyeverythingflatlyatexaminations。Ifamaniseversolittledevelopedandexperienced,hewillcertainlytrytoadmitalltheexternalfactsthatcan'tbeavoided,butwillseekotherexplanationsofthem,willintroducesomespecial,unexpectedturn,thatwillgivethemanothersignificanceandputtheminanotherlight。
　　PorfirymightwellreckonthatIshouldbesuretoanswerso,andsayIhadseenthemtogiveanairoftruth,andthenmakesomeexplanation。“
　　“Buthewouldhavetoldyouatonce,thattheworkmencouldnothavebeentheretwodaysbefore,andthatthereforeyoumusthavebeenthereonthedayofthemurderateighto'clock。Andsohewouldhavecaughtyouoveradetail。“
　　“Yes,thatiswhathewasreckoningon,thatIshouldnothavetimetoreflect,andshouldbeinahurrytomakethemostlikelyanswer,andsowouldforgetthattheworkmencouldnothavebeentheretwodaysbefore。“
　　“Buthowcouldyouforgetit？”
　　“Nothingeasier。Itisinjustsuchstupidthingscleverpeoplearemosteasilycaught。Themorecunningamanis,thelesshesuspectsthathewillbecaughtinasimplething。Themorecunningamanis,thesimplerthetraphemustbecaughtin。Porfiryisnotsuchafoolasyouthink……“
　　“Heisaknavethen,ifthatisso！”
　　Raskolnikovcouldnothelplaughing。Butattheverymoment,hewasstruckbythestrangenessofhisownfrankness,andtheeagernesswithwhichhehadmadethisexplanation,thoughhehadkeptupalltheprecedingconversationwithgloomyrepulsion,obviouslywithamotive,fromnecessity。
　　“Iamgettingarelishforcertainaspects！”hethoughttohimself。Butalmostatthesameinstant,hebecamesuddenlyuneasy,asthoughanunexpectedandalarmingideahadoccurredtohim。Hisuneasinesskeptonincreasing。TheyhadjustreachedtheentrancetoBakaleyev's。
　　“Goinalone！”saidRaskolnikovsuddenly。“Iwillbebackdirectly。“
　　“Whereareyougoing?Why,wearejusthere。“
　　“Ican'thelpit……Iwillcomeinhalfanhour。Tellthem。“
　　“Saywhatyoulike,Iwillcomewithyou。“
　　“You,too,wanttotortureme！”hescreamed,withsuchbitterirritation,suchdespairinhiseyesthatRazumihin'shandsdropped。
　　Hestoodforsometimeonthesteps,lookinggloomilyatRaskolnikovstridingrapidlyawayinthedirectionofhislodging。Atlast,grittinghisteethandclenchinghisfist,hesworehewouldsqueezePorfirylikealemonthatveryday,andwentupthestairstoreassurePulcheriaAlexandrovna,whowasbynowalarmedattheirlongabsence。
　　WhenRaskolnikovgothome,hishairwassoakedwithsweatandhewasbreathingheavily。Hewentrapidlyupthestairs,walkedintohisunlockedroomandatoncefastenedthelatch。Theninsenselessterrorherushedtothecorner,tothatholeunderthepaperwherehehadputthething;puthishandin,andforsomeminutesfeltcarefullyinthehole,ineverycrackandfoldofthepaper。Findingnothing,hegotupanddrewadeepbreath。AshewasreachingthestepsofBakaleyev's,hesuddenlyfanciedthatsomething,achain,astudorevenabitofpaperinwhichtheyhadbeenwrappedwiththeoldwoman'shandwritingonit,mightsomehowhaveslippedoutandbeenlostinsomecrack,andthenmightsuddenlyturnupasunexpected,conclusiveevidenceagainsthim。
　　Hestoodasthoughlostinthought,andastrange,humiliated,halfsenselesssmilestrayedonhislips。Hetookhiscapatlastandwentquietlyoutoftheroom。Hisideaswerealltangled。Hewentdreamilythroughthegateway。
　　“Hereheishimself,“shoutedaloudvoice。
　　Heraisedhishead。
　　Theporterwasstandingatthedoorofhislittleroomandwaspointinghimouttoashortmanwholookedlikeanartisan,wearingalongcoatandawaistcoat,andlookingatadistanceremarkablylikeawoman。Hestooped,andhisheadinagreasycaphungforward。Fromhiswrinkledflabbyfacehelookedoverfifty;hislittleeyeswerelostinfatandtheylookedoutgrimly,sternlyanddiscontentedly。
　　“Whatisit？”Raskolnikovasked,goinguptotheporter。
　　Themanstolealookathimfromunderhisbrowsandhelookedathimattentively,deliberately;thenheturnedslowlyandwentoutofthegateintothestreetwithoutsayingaword。
　　“Whatisit？”criedRaskolnikov。
　　“Why,hetherewasaskingwhetherastudentlivedhere,mentionedyournameandwhomyoulodgedwith。Isawyoucomingandpointedyououtandhewentaway。It'sfunny。“
　　Theportertooseemedratherpuzzled,butnotmuchso,andafterwonderingforamomentheturnedandwentbacktohisroom。
　　Raskolnikovranafterthestranger,andatoncecaughtsightofhimwalkingalongtheothersideofthestreetwiththesameeven,deliberatestepwithhiseyesfixedontheground,asthoughinmeditation。Hesoonovertookhim,butforsometimewalkedbehindhim。
　　Atlast,movingontoalevelwithhim,helookedathisface。Themannoticedhimatonce,lookedathimquickly,butdroppedhiseyesagain;andsotheywalkedforaminutesidebysidewithoututteringaword。
　　“Youwereinquiringforme……oftheporter？”Raskolnikovsaidatlast,butinacuriouslyquietvoice。
　　Themanmadenoanswer;hedidn'tevenlookathim。Againtheywerebothsilent。
　　“Whydoyou……comeandaskforme……andsaynothing……What'sthemeaningofit？”
　　Raskolnikov'svoicebrokeandheseemedunabletoarticulatethewordsclearly。
　　ThemanraisedhiseyesthistimeandturnedagloomysinisterlookatRaskolnikov。
　　“Murderer！”hesaidsuddenlyinaquietbutclearanddistinctvoice。
　　Raskolnikovwentonwalkingbesidehim。Hislegsfeltsuddenlyweak,acoldshiverrandownhisspine,andhisheartseemedtostandstillforamoment,thensuddenlybeganthrobbingasthoughitweresetfree。Sotheywalkedforaboutahundredpaces,sidebysideinsilence。
　　Themandidnotlookathim。
　　“Whatdoyoumean……whatis……Whoisamurderer？”mutteredRaskolnikovhardlyaudibly。
　　“Youareamurderer,“themanansweredstillmorearticulatelyandemphatically,withasmileoftriumphanthatred,andagainhelookedstraightintoRaskolnikov'spalefaceandstrickeneyes。
　　Theyhadjustreachedthecrossroads。Themanturnedtotheleftwithoutlookingbehindhim。Raskolnikovremainedstanding,gazingafterhim。Hesawhimturnroundfiftypacesawayandlookbackathimstillstandingthere。Raskolnikovcouldnotseeclearly,buthefanciedthathewasagainsmilingthesamesmileofcoldhatredandtriumph。
　　Withslowfalteringsteps,withshakingknees,Raskolnikovmadehiswaybacktohislittlegarret,feelingchilledallover。Hetookoffhiscapandputitonthetable,andfortenminuteshestoodwithoutmoving。Thenhesankexhaustedonthesofaandwithaweakmoanofpainhestretchedhimselfonit。Sohelayforhalfanhour。
　　Hethoughtofnothing。Somethoughtsorfragmentsofthoughts,someimageswithoutorderorcoherencefloatedbeforehismind-
　　facesofpeoplehehadseeninhischildhoodormetsomewhereonce,whomhewouldneverhaverecalled,thebelfryofthechurchatV。,thebilliardtableinarestaurantandsomeofficersplayingbilliards,thesmellofcigarsinsomeundergroundtobaccoshop,atavernroom,abackstaircasequitedark,allsloppywithdirtywaterandstrewnwitheggshells,andtheSundaybellsfloatinginfromsomewhere……Theimagesfollowedoneanother,whirlinglikeahurricane。Someofthemhelikedandtriedtoclutchat,buttheyfadedandallthewhiletherewasanoppressionwithinhim,butitwasnotoverwhelming,sometimesitwasevenpleasant……Theslightshiveringstillpersisted,butthattoowasanalmostpleasantsensation。
　　HeheardthehurriedfootstepsofRazumihin;heclosedhiseyesandpretendedtobeasleep。Razumihinopenedthedoorandstoodforsometimeinthedoorwayasthoughhesitating,thenhesteppedsoftlyintotheroomandwentcautiouslytothesofa。RaskolnikovheardNastasya'swhisper：
　　“Don'tdisturbhim!Lethimsleep。Hecanhavehisdinnerlater。“
　　“Quiteso,“answeredRazumihin。Bothwithdrewcarefullyandclosedthedoor。Anotherhalf-hourpassed。Raskolnikovopenedhiseyes,turnedonhisbackagain,claspinghishandsbehindhishead。
　　“Whoishe?Whoisthatmanwhosprangoutoftheearth?Wherewashe,whatdidhesee?Hehasseenitall,that'sclear。Wherewashethen?Andfromwheredidhesee?Whyhasheonlynowsprungoutoftheearth?Andhowcouldhesee?Isitpossible?Hm……“continuedRaskolnikov,turningcoldandshivering,“andthejewelcaseNikolayfoundbehindthedoor-wasthatpossible?Aclue?Youmissaninfinitesimallineandyoucanbuilditintoapyramidofevidence!
　　Aflyflewbyandsawit!Isitpossible？”Hefeltwithsuddenloathinghowweak,howphysicallyweakhehadbecome。“Ioughttohaveknownit,“hethoughtwithabittersmile。“AndhowdaredI,knowingmyself,knowinghowIshouldbe,takeupanaxeandshedblood!I
　　oughttohaveknownbeforehand……Ah,butIdidknow！”hewhisperedindespair。Attimeshecametoastandstillatsomethought。
　　“No,thosemenarenotmadeso。TherealMastertowhomallispermittedstormsToulon,makesamassacreinParis,forgetsanarmyinEgypt,wasteshalfamillionmenintheMoscowexpeditionandgetsoffwithajestatVilna。Andaltarsaresetuptohimafterhisdeath,andsoallispermitted。No,suchpeopleitseemsarenotoffleshbutofbronze！”
　　Onesuddenirrelevantideaalmostmadehimlaugh。Napoleon,thepyramids,Waterloo,andawretchedskinnyoldwoman,apawnbrokerwitharedtrunkunderherbed-it'sanicehashforPorfiryPetrovitchtodigest!Howcantheydigestit!It'stooinartistic。“ANapoleoncreepunderanoldwoman'sbed!Ugh,howloathsome！”
　　Atmomentshefelthewasraving。Hesankintoastateoffeverishexcitement。“Theoldwomanisofnoconsequence,“hethought,hotlyandincoherently。“Theoldwomanwasamistakeperhaps,butsheisnotwhatmatters!Theoldwomanwasonlyanillness……Iwasinahurrytooverstep……Ididn'tkillahumanbeing,butaprinciple!Ikilledtheprinciple,butIdidn'toverstep,Istoppedonthisside……Iwasonlycapableofkilling。AnditseemsIwasn'tevencapableofthat……
　　Principle?WhywasthatfoolRazumihinabusingthesocialists?Theyareindustrious,commercialpeople;'thehappinessofall'istheircase。No,lifeisonlygiventomeonceandIshallneverhaveitagain;Idon'twanttowaitfor'thehappinessofall。'Iwanttolivemyself,orelsebetternotliveatall。Isimplycouldn'tpassbymymotherstarving,keepingmytroubleinmypocketwhileIwaitedforthe'happinessofall。'Iamputtingmylittlebrickintothehappinessofallandsomyheartisatpeace。Ha-ha!Whyhaveyouletmeslip?Ionlyliveonce,Itoowant……Ech,Iamanaestheticlouseandnothingmore,“headdedsuddenly,laughinglikeamadman。
　　“Yes,Iamcertainlyalouse,“hewenton,clutchingattheidea,gloatingoveritandplayingwithitwithvindictivepleasure。“Inthefirstplace,becauseIcanreasonthatIamone,andsecondly,becauseforamonthpastIhavebeentroublingbenevolentProvidence,callingittowitnessthatnotformyownfleshlylustsdidI
　　undertakeit,butwithagrandandnobleobject-ha-ha!Thirdly,becauseIaimedatcarryingitoutasjustlyaspossible,weighing,measuringandcalculating。OfalltheliceIpickedoutthemostuselessoneandproposedtotakefromheronlyasmuchasIneededforthefirststep,nomorenorlesssotherestwouldhavegonetoamonastery,accordingtoherwill,ha-ha!。AndwhatshowsthatIamutterlyalouse,“headded,grindinghisteeth,“isthatIamperhapsvilerandmoreloathsomethanthelouseIkilled,andIfeltbeforehandthatIshouldtellmyselfsoafterkillingher。Cananythingbecomparedwiththehorrorofthat!Thevulgarity!Theabjectness!Iunderstandthe'prophet'withhissabre,onhissteed：
　　Allahcommandsand'trembling'creationmustobey!The'prophet'isright,heisrightwhenhesetsabatteryacrossthestreetandblowsuptheinnocentandtheguiltywithoutdeigningtoexplain!It'sforyoutoobey,tremblingcreation,andnottohavedesires,forthat'snotforyou!……Ishallnever,neverforgivetheoldwoman！”
　　Hishairwassoakedwithsweat,hisquiveringlipswereparched,hiseyeswerefixedontheceiling。
　　“Mother,sister-howIlovedthem!WhydoIhatethemnow?Yes,I
　　hatethem,Ifeelaphysicalhatredforthem,Ican'tbearthemnearme……Iwentuptomymotherandkissedher,Iremember……Toembraceherandthinkifsheonlyknew……shallItellherthen?
　　That'sjustwhatImightdo……ShemustbethesameasIam,“headded,straininghimselftothink,asitwerestrugglingwithdelirium。“Ah,howIhatetheoldwomannow!IfeelIshouldkillheragainifshecametolife!PoorLizaveta!Whydidshecomein?……It'sstrangethough,whyisitIscarcelyeverthinkofher,asthoughIhadn'tkilledher!Lizaveta!Sonia!Poorgentlethings,withgentleeyes……Dearwomen!Whydon'ttheyweep?Whydon'ttheymoan?Theygiveupeverything……theireyesaresoftandgentle……
　　Sonia,Sonia!GentleSonia！”
　　Helostconsciousness;itseemedstrangetohimthathedidn'trememberhowhegotintothestreet。Itwaslateevening。Thetwilighthadfallenandthefullmoonwasshiningmoreandmorebrightly;buttherewasapeculiarbreathlessnessintheair。Therewerecrowdsofpeopleinthestreet;workmenandbusinesspeopleweremakingtheirwayhome;otherpeoplehadcomeoutforawalk;therewasasmellofmortar,dustandstagnantwater。Raskolnikovwalkedalong,mournfulandanxious;hewasdistinctlyawareofhavingcomeoutwithapurpose,ofhavingtodosomethinginahurry,butwhatitwashehadforgotten。Suddenlyhestoodstillandsawamanstandingontheothersideofthestreet,beckoningtohim。Hecrossedovertohim,butatoncethemanturnedandwalkedawaywithhisheadhanging,asthoughhehadmadenosigntohim。“Stay,didhereallybeckon？”
　　Raskolnikovwondered,buthetriedtoovertakehim。Whenhewaswithintenpacesherecognisedhimandwasfrightened;itwasthesamemanwithstoopingshouldersinthelongcoat。Raskolnikovfollowedhimatadistance;hisheartwasbeating;theywentdownaturning;themanstilldidnotlookround。“DoesheknowIamfollowinghim？”
　　thoughtRaskolnikov。Themanwentintothegatewayofabighouse。
　　Raskolnikovhastenedtothegateandlookedintoseewhetherhewouldlookroundandsigntohim。Inthecourtyardthemandidturnroundandagainseemedtobeckonhim。Raskolnikovatoncefollowedhimintotheyard,butthemanwasgone。Hemusthavegoneupthefirststaircase。Raskolnikovrushedafterhim。Heheardslowmeasuredstepstwoflightsabove。Thestaircaseseemedstrangelyfamiliar。Hereachedthewindowonthefirstfloor;themoonshonethroughthepaneswithamelancholyandmysteriouslight;thenhereachedthesecondfloor。Bah!thisistheflatwherethepainterswereatwork……
　　buthowwasithedidnotrecogniseitatonce?Thestepsofthemanabovehaddiedaway。“Sohemusthavestoppedorhiddensomewhere。“Hereachedthethirdstorey,shouldhegoon?Therewasastillnessthatwasdreadful……Buthewenton。Thesoundofhisownfootstepsscaredandfrightenedhim。Howdarkitwas!Themanmustbehidinginsomecornerhere。Ah!theflatwasstandingwideopen,hehesitatedandwentin。Itwasverydarkandemptyinthepassage,asthougheverythinghadbeenremoved;hecreptontiptoeintotheparlourwhichwasfloodedwithmoonlight。Everythingtherewasasbefore,thechairs,thelooking-glass,theyellowsofaandthepicturesintheframes。Ahuge,round,copper-redmoonlookedinatthewindows。“It'sthemoonthatmakesitsostill,weavingsomemystery,“thoughtRaskolnikov。Hestoodandwaited,waitedalongwhile,andthemoresilentthemoonlight,themoreviolentlyhisheartbeat,tillitwaspainful。Andstillthesamehush。Suddenlyheheardamomentarysharpcracklikethesnappingofasplinterandallwasstillagain。A
　　flyflewupsuddenlyandstruckthewindowpanewithaplaintivebuzz。
　　Atthatmomenthenoticedinthecornerbetweenthewindowandthelittlecupboardsomethinglikeacloakhangingonthewall。“Whyisthatcloakhere？”hethought,“itwasn'ttherebefore……“Hewentuptoitquietlyandfeltthattherewassomeonehidingbehindit。Hecautiouslymovedthecloakandsaw,sittingonachairinthecorner,theoldwomanbentdoublesothathecouldn'tseeherface;
　　butitwasshe。Hestoodoverher。“Sheisafraid,“hethought。Hestealthilytooktheaxefromthenooseandstruckheroneblow,thenanotherontheskull。Butstrangetosayshedidnotstir,asthoughsheweremadeofwood。Hewasfrightened,bentdownnearerandtriedtolookather;butshe,too,bentherheadlower。Hebentrightdowntothegroundandpeepedupintoherfacefrombelow,hepeepedandturnedcoldwithhorror：theoldwomanwassittingandlaughing,shakingwithnoiselesslaughter,doingherutmostthatheshouldnothearit。Suddenlyhefanciedthatthedoorfromthebedroomwasopenedalittleandthattherewaslaughterandwhisperingwithin。Hewasovercomewithfrenzyandhebeganhittingtheoldwomanontheheadwithallhisforce,butateveryblowoftheaxethelaughterandwhisperingfromthebedroomgrewlouderandtheoldwomanwassimplyshakingwithmirth。Hewasrushingaway,butthepassagewasfullofpeople,thedoorsoftheflatsstoodopenandonthelanding,onthestairsandeverywherebelowtherewerepeople,rowsofheads,alllooking,buthuddledtogetherinsilenceandexpectation。Somethinggrippedhisheart,hislegswererootedtothespot,theywouldnotmove……Hetriedtoscreamandwokeup。
　　Hedrewadeepbreath-buthisdreamseemedstrangelytopersist：
　　hisdoorwasflungopenandamanwhomhehadneverseenstoodinthedoorwaywatchinghimintently。
　　Raskolnikovhadhardlyopenedhiseyesandheinstantlyclosedthemagain。Helayonhisbackwithoutstirring。
　　“Isitstilladream？”hewonderedandagainraisedhiseyelidshardlyperceptibly;thestrangerwasstandinginthesameplace,stillwatchinghim。
　　Hesteppedcautiouslyintotheroom,carefullyclosingthedoorafterhim,wentuptothetable,pausedamoment,stillkeepinghiseyesonRaskolnikovandnoiselesslyseatedhimselfonthechairbythesofa;heputhishatonthefloorbesidehimandleanedhishandsonhiscaneandhischinonhishands。Itwasevidentthathewaspreparedtowaitindefinitely。AsfarasRaskolnikovcouldmakeoutfromhisstolenglances,hewasamannolongeryoung,stout,withafull,fair,almostwhitishbeard。
　　Tenminutespassed。Itwasstilllight,butbeginningtogetdusk。
　　Therewascompletestillnessintheroom。Notasoundcamefromthestairs。Onlyabigflybuzzedandflutteredagainstthewindowpane。
　　Itwasunbearableatlast。Raskolnikovsuddenlygotupandsatonthesofa。
　　“Come,tellmewhatyouwant。“
　　“Iknewyouwerenotasleep,butonlypretending,“thestrangeransweredoddly,laughingcalmly。“ArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailov,allowmetointroducemyself……“
　　PARTFOUR
　　ChapterOne“CANthisbestilladream？”Raskolnikovthoughtoncemore。
　　Helookedcarefullyandsuspiciouslyattheunexpectedvisitor。
　　“Svidrigailov!Whatnonsense!Itcan'tbe！”hesaidatlastaloudinbewilderment。
　　Hisvisitordidnotseematallsurprisedatthisexclamation。
　　“I'vecometoyoufortworeasons。Inthefirstplace,Iwantedtomakeyourpersonalacquaintance,asIhavealreadyheardagreatdealaboutyouthatisinterestingandflattering;secondly,Icherishthehopethatyoumaynotrefusetoassistmeinamatterdirectlyconcerningthewelfareofyoursister,AvdotyaRomanovna。Forwithoutyoursupportshemightnotletmecomenearhernow,forsheisprejudicedagainstme,butwithyourassistanceIreckonon……“
　　“Youreckonwrongly,“interruptedRaskolnikov。
　　“Theyonlyarrivedyesterday,mayIaskyou？”
　　Raskolnikovmadenoreply。
　　“Itwasyesterday,Iknow。Ionlyarrivedmyselfthedaybefore。
　　Well,letmetellyouthis,RodionRomanovitch,Idon'tconsideritnecessarytojustifymyself,butkindlytellmewhatwasthereparticularlycriminalonmypartinallthisbusiness,speakingwithoutprejudice,withcommonsense？”
　　Raskolnikovcontinuedtolookathiminsilence。
　　“ThatinmyownhouseIpersecutedadefencelessgirland'insultedherwithmyinfamousproposals'-isthatit?Iamanticipatingyou。Butyou'veonlytoassumethatI,too,amamanetnihilhumanum……inaword,thatIamcapableofbeingattractedandfallinginlovewhichdoesnotdependonourwill,theneverythingcanbeexplainedinthemostnaturalmanner。Thequestionis,amIamonster,oramImyselfavictim?AndwhatifIamavictim?InproposingtotheobjectofmypassiontoelopewithmetoAmericaorSwitzerland,Imayhavecherishedthedeepestrespectforher,andmayhavethoughtthatIwaspromotingourmutualhappiness!
　　Reasonistheslaveofpassion,youknow;why,probably,Iwasdoingmoreharmtomyselfthananyone！”
　　“Butthat'snotthepoint,“Raskolnikovinterruptedwithdisgust。
　　“It'ssimplythatwhetheryouarerightorwrong,wedislikeyou。Wedon'twanttohaveanythingtodowithyou。Weshowyouthedoor。Goout！”
　　Svidrigailovbrokeintoasuddenlaugh。
　　“Butyou're……butthere'snogettingroundyou,“hesaid,laughinginthefrankestway。“Ihopedtogetroundyou,butyoutookuptherightlineatonce！”
　　“Butyouaretryingtogetroundmestill！”
　　“Whatofit?Whatofit？”criedSvidrigailov,laughingopenly。
　　“ButthisiswhattheFrenchcallbonneguerre,andthemostinnocentformofdeception!……Butstillyouhaveinterruptedme;
　　onewayoranother,Irepeatagain：therewouldneverhavebeenanyunpleasantnessexceptforwhathappenedinthegarden。MarfaPetrovna……“
　　“YouhavegotridofMarfaPetrovna,too,sotheysay？”
　　Raskolnikovinterruptedrudely。
　　“Oh,you'veheardthat,too,then?You'dbesureto,though……
　　Butasforyourquestion,Ireallydon'tknowwhattosay,thoughmyownconscienceisquiteatrestonthatscore。Don'tsupposethatIaminanyapprehensionaboutit。Allwasregularandinorder;themedicalinquirydiagnosedapoplexyduetobathingimmediatelyafteraheavydinnerandabottleofwine,andindeeditcouldhaveprovednothingelse。ButI'lltellyouwhatIhavebeenthinkingtomyselfoflate,onmywayhereinthetrain,especially：didn'tIcontributetoallthat……calamity,morally,inaway,byirritationorsomethingofthesort。ButIcametotheconclusionthatthat,too,wasquiteoutofthequestion。“
　　Raskolnikovlaughed。
　　“Iwonderyoutroubleyourselfaboutit！”
　　“Butwhatareyoulaughingat?Onlyconsider,Istruckherjusttwicewithaswitch-therewerenomarkseven……don'tregardmeasacynic,please;Iamperfectlyawarehowatrociousitwasofmeandallthat;butIknowforcertain,too,thatMarfaPetrovnawasverylikelypleasedatmy,sotosay,warmth。Thestoryofyoursisterhadbeenwrungouttothelastdrop;forthelastthreedaysMarfaPetrovnahadbeenforcedtositathome;shehadnothingtoshowherselfwithinthetown。Besides,shehadboredthemsowiththatletteryouheardaboutherreadingtheletter。Andallofasuddenthosetwoswitchesfellfromheaven!Herfirstactwastoorderthecarriagetobegotout……Nottospeakofthefactthattherearecaseswhenwomenarevery,verygladtobeinsultedinspiteofalltheirshowofindignation。Thereareinstancesofitwitheveryone;
　　humanbeingsingeneral,indeed,greatlylovetobeinsulted,haveyounoticedthat?Butit'sparticularlysowithwomen。Onemightevensayit'stheironlyamusement。“
　　AtonetimeRaskolnikovthoughtofgettingupandwalkingoutandsofinishingtheinterview。Butsomecuriosityandevenasortofprudencemadehimlingerforamoment。
　　“Youarefondoffighting？”heaskedcarelessly。
　　“No,notvery,“Svidrigailovanswered,calmly。“AndMarfaPetrovnaandIscarcelyeverfought。Welivedveryharmoniously,andshewasalwayspleasedwithme。Ionlyusedthewhiptwiceinalloursevenyearsnotcountingathirdoccasionofaveryambiguouscharacter。
　　Thefirsttime,twomonthsafterourmarriage,immediatelyafterwearrivedinthecountry,andthelasttimewasthatofwhichwearespeaking。DidyousupposeIwassuchamonster,suchareactionary,suchaslavedriver?Ha,ha!Bytheway,doyouremember,RodionRomanovitch,howafewyearsago,inthosedaysofbeneficentpublicity,anobleman,I'veforgottenhisname,wasputtoshameeverywhere,inallthepapers,forhavingthrashedaGermanwomanintherailwaytrain。Youremember?Itwasinthosedays,thatveryyearIbelieve,the'disgracefulactionoftheAge'tookplaceyouknow,'TheEgyptianNights,'thatpublicreading,youremember?Thedarkeyes,youknow!Ah,thegoldendaysofouryouth,wherearethey?。Well,asforthegentlemanwhothrashedtheGerman,Ifeelnosympathywithhim,becauseafterallwhatneedisthereforsympathy?ButImustsaythattherearesometimessuchprovoking'Germans'thatIdon'tbelievethereisaprogressivewhocouldquiteanswerforhimself。Noonelookedatthesubjectfromthatpointofviewthen,butthat'sthetrulyhumanepointofview,Iassureyou。“
　　Aftersayingthis,Svidrigailovbrokeintoasuddenlaughagain。
　　Raskolnikovsawclearlythatthiswasamanwithafirmpurposeinhismindandabletokeepittohimself。
　　“Iexpectyou'venottalkedtoanyoneforsomedays？”heasked。
　　“Scarcelyanyone。Isupposeyouarewonderingatmybeingsuchanadaptableman？”
　　“No,Iamonlywonderingatyourbeingtooadaptableaman。“
　　“BecauseIamnotoffendedattherudenessofyourquestions?Isthatit?Butwhytakeoffence?Asyouasked,soIanswered,“hereplied,withasurprisingexpressionofsimplicity。“Youknow,there'shardlyanythingItakeinterestin,“hewenton,asitweredreamily,“especiallynow,I'venothingtodo……YouarequiteatlibertytoimaginethoughthatIammakinguptoyouwithamotive,particularlyasItoldyouIwanttoseeyoursisteraboutsomething。ButI'llconfessfrankly,Iamverymuchbored。Thelastthreedaysespecially,soIamdelightedtoseeyou……Don'tbeangry,RodionRomanovitch,butyouseemtobesomehowawfullystrangeyourself。Saywhatyoulike,there'ssomethingwrongwithyou,andnow,too……notthisveryminute,Imean,butnow,generally……
　　Well,well,Iwon't,Iwon't,don'tscowl!Iamnotsuchabear,youknow,asyouthink。“
　　Raskolnikovlookedgloomilyathim。
　　“Youarenotabear,perhaps,atall,“hesaid。“Ifancyindeedthatyouareamanofverygoodbreeding,oratleastknowhowonoccasiontobehavelikeone。“
　　“Iamnotparticularlyinterestedinanyone'sopinion,“
　　Svidrigailovanswered,drylyandevenwithashadeofhaughtiness,“andthereforewhynotbevulgarattimeswhenvulgarityissuchaconvenientcloakforourclimate……andespeciallyifonehasanaturalpropensitythatway,“headded,laughingagain。
　　“ButI'veheardyouhavemanyfriendshere。Youare,astheysay,'notwithoutconnections。'Whatcanyouwantwithme,then,unlessyou'vesomespecialobject？”
　　“That'struethatIhavefriendshere,“Svidrigailovadmitted,notreplyingtothechiefpoint。“I'vemetsomealready。I'vebeenloungingaboutforthelastthreedays,andI'veseenthem,orthey'veseenme。That'samatterofcourse。Iamwelldressedandreckonednotapoorman;theemancipationoftheserfshasn'taffectedme;mypropertyconsistschieflyofforestsandwatermeadows。Therevenuehasnotfallenoff;but……Iamnotgoingtoseethem,Iwassickofthemlongago。I'vebeenherethreedaysandhavecalledonnoone……
　　Whatatownitis!Howhasitcomeintoexistenceamongus,tellmethat?Atownofofficialsandstudentsofallsorts。Yes,there'sagreatdealIdidn'tnoticewhenIwashereeightyearsago,kickingupmyheels……Myonlyhopenowisinanatomy,byJove,itis！”
　　“Anatomy？”
　　“Butasfortheseclubs,Dussauts,parades,orprogress,indeed,maybe-well,allthatcangoonwithoutme,“hewenton,againwithoutnoticingthequestion。“Besides,whowantstobeacard-sharper？”
　　“Why,haveyoubeenacard-sharperthen？”
　　“HowcouldIhelpbeing?Therewasaregularsetofus,menofthebestsociety,eightyearsago;wehadafinetime。Andallmenofbreeding,youknow,poets,menofproperty。AndindeedasaruleinourRussiansociety,thebestmannersarefoundamongthosewho'vebeenthrashed,haveyounoticedthat?I'vedeterioratedinthecountry。ButIdidgetintoprisonfordebt,throughalowGreekwhocamefromNezhin。ThenMarfaPetrovnaturnedup;shebargainedwithhimandboughtmeoffforthirtythousandsilverpiecesIowedseventythousand。Wewereunitedinlawfulwedlockandsheboremeoffintothecountrylikeatreasure。YouknowshewasfiveyearsolderthanI。Shewasveryfondofme。ForsevenyearsIneverleftthecountry。And,takenote,thatallmylifesheheldadocumentoverme,theI。O。U。forthirtythousandroubles,soifIweretoelecttoberestiveaboutanythingIshouldbetrappedatonce!Andshewouldhavedoneit!Womenfindnothingincompatibleinthat。“
　　“Ifithadn'tbeenforthat,wouldyouhavegivenhertheslip？”
　　“Idon'tknowwhattosay。Itwasscarcelythedocumentrestrainedme。Ididn'twanttogoanywhereelse。MarfaPetrovnaherselfinvitedmetogoabroad,seeingIwasbored,butI'vebeenabroadbefore,andalwaysfeltsickthere。Fornoreason,butthesunrise,thebayofNaples,thesea-youlookatthemanditmakesyousad。
　　What'smostrevoltingisthatoneisreallysad!No,it'sbetterathome。Hereatleastoneblamesothersforeverythingandexcusesoneself。IshouldhavegoneperhapsonanexpeditiontotheNorthPole,becausej'ailevinmauvaisandhatedrinking,andthere'snothingleftbutwine。Ihavetriedit。But,Isay,I'vebeentoldBergisgoingupinagreatballoonnextSundayfromtheYusupovGardenandwilltakeuppassengersatafee。Isittrue？”
　　“Why,wouldyougoup？”
　　“I……No,oh,no,“mutteredSvidrigailovreallyseemingtobedeepinthought。
　　“Whatdoeshemean?Isheinearnest？”Raskolnikovwondered。
　　“No,thedocumentdidn'trestrainme,“Svidrigailovwenton,meditatively。“Itwasmyowndoing,notleavingthecountry,andnearlyayearagoMarfaPetrovnagavemebackthedocumentonmynamedayandmademeapresentofaconsiderablesumofmoney,too。
　　Shehadafortune,youknow。'YouseehowItrustyou,ArkadyIvanovitch'-thatwasactuallyherexpression。Youdon'tbelievesheusedit?ButdoyouknowImanagedtheestatequitedecently,theyknowmeintheneighbourhood。Iorderedbooks,too。MarfaPetrovnaatfirstapproved,butafterwardsshewasafraidofmyover-studying。“
　　“YouseemtobemissingMarfaPetrovnaverymuch？”
　　“Missingher?Perhaps。Really,perhapsIam。And,bytheway,doyoubelieveinghosts？”
　　“Whatghosts？”
　　“Why,ordinaryghosts。“
　　“Doyoubelieveinthem？”
　　“Perhapsnot,pourvousplaire……Iwouldn'tsaynoexactly。“
　　“Doyouseethem,then？”
　　Svidrigailovlookedathimratheroddly。
　　“MarfaPetrovnaispleasedtovisitme,“hesaid,twistinghismouthintoastrangesmile。
　　“Howdoyoumean'sheispleasedtovisityou'？”
　　“Shehasbeenthreetimes。Isawherfirstontheverydayofthefuneral,anhouraftershewasburied。ItwasthedaybeforeIlefttocomehere。Thesecondtimewasthedaybeforeyesterday,atdaybreak,onthejourneyatthestationofMalayaVishera,andthethirdtimewastwohoursagointheroomwhereIamstaying。Iwasalone。“
　　“Wereyouawake？”
　　“Quiteawake。Iwaswideawakeeverytime。Shecomes,speakstomeforaminuteandgoesoutatthedoor-alwaysatthedoor。Icanalmosthearher。“
　　“Whatmademethinkthatsomethingofthesortmustbehappeningtoyou？”Raskolnikovsaidsuddenly。
　　Atthesamemomenthewassurprisedathavingsaidit。Hewasmuchexcited。
　　“What!Didyouthinkso？”Svidrigailovaskedinastonishment。“Didyoureally?Didn'tIsaythattherewassomethingincommonbetweenus,eh？”
　　“Youneversaidso！”Raskolnikovcriedsharplyandwithheat。
　　“Didn'tI？”
　　“No！”
　　“IthoughtIdid。WhenIcameinandsawyoulyingwithyoureyesshut,pretending,Isaidtomyselfatonce'here'stheman。'“
　　“Whatdoyoumeanby'theman?'Whatareyoutalkingabout？”criedRaskolnikov。
　　“WhatdoImean?Ireallydon'tknow……“Svidrigailovmutteredingenuously,asthoughhe,too,werepuzzled。
　　Foraminutetheyweresilent。Theystaredineachother'sfaces。
　　“That'sallnonsense！”Raskolnikovshoutedwithvexation。“Whatdoesshesaywhenshecomestoyou？”
　　“She!Wouldyoubelieveit,shetalksofthesilliesttriflesand-
　　manisastrangecreature-itmakesmeangry。ThefirsttimeshecameinIwastiredyouknow：thefuneralservice,thefuneralceremony,thelunchafterwards。AtlastIwasleftaloneinmystudy。Ilightedacigarandbegantothink,shecameinatthedoor。