'You'vebeensobusyto-day,ArkadyIvanovitch,youhaveforgottentowindthediningroomclock,'shesaid。AllthosesevenyearsI'vewoundthatclockeveryweek,andifIforgotitshewouldalwaysremindme。ThenextdayIsetoffonmywayhere。Igotoutatthestationatdaybreak;I'dbeenasleep,tiredout,withmyeyeshalfopen,Iwasdrinkingsomecoffee。IlookedupandtherewassuddenlyMarfaPetrovnasittingbesidemewithapackofcardsinherhands。
　　'ShallItellyourfortuneforthejourney,ArkadyIvanovitch?'Shewasagreathandattellingfortunes。Ishallneverforgivemyselffornotaskingherto。Iranawayinafright,and,besides,thebellrang。Iwassittingto-day,feelingveryheavyafteramiserabledinnerfromacookshop;Iwassittingsmoking,allofasuddenMarfaPetrovnaagain。Shecameinverysmartinanewgreensilkdresswithalongtrain。'Goodday,ArkadyIvanovitch!Howdoyoulikemydress?Aniskacan'tmakelikethis。'Aniskawasadressmakerinthecountry,oneofourformerserfgirlswhohadbeentrainedinMoscow,aprettywench。Shestoodturningroundbeforeme。Ilookedatthedress,andthenIlookedcarefully,verycarefully,atherface。'Iwonderyoutroubletocometomeaboutsuchtrifles,MarfaPetrovna。''Goodgracious,youwon'tletonedisturbyouaboutanything!'ToteaseherIsaid,'Iwanttogetmarried,MarfaPetrovna。''That'sjustlikeyou,ArkadyIvanovitch;itdoesyouverylittlecredittocomelookingforabridewhenyou'vehardlyburiedyourwife。Andifyoucouldmakeagoodchoice,atleast,butI
　　knowitwon'tbeforyourhappinessorhers,youwillonlybealaughing-stocktoallgoodpeople。'Thenshewentoutandhertrainseemedtorustle。Isn'titnonsense,eh？”
　　“Butperhapsyouaretellinglies？”Raskolnikovputin。
　　“Irarelylie,“answeredSvidrigailovthoughtfully,apparentlynotnoticingtherudenessofthequestion。
　　“Andinthepast,haveyoueverseenghostsbefore？”
　　“Y-yes,Ihaveseenthem,butonlyonceinmylife,sixyearsago。I
　　hadaserf,Filka;justafterhisburialIcalledoutforgetting'Filka,mypipe!'Hecameinandwenttothecupboardwheremypipeswere。Isatstillandthought'heisdoingitoutofrevenge,'becausewehadaviolentquarreljustbeforehisdeath。'Howdareyoucomeinwithaholeinyourelbow,'Isaid。'Goaway,youscamp!'Heturnedandwentout,andnevercameagain。Ididn'ttellMarfaPetrovnaatthetime。Iwantedtohaveaservicesungforhim,butIwasashamed。“
　　“Youshouldgotoadoctor。“
　　“IknowIamnotwell,withoutyourtellingme,thoughIdon'tknowwhat'swrong;IbelieveIamfivetimesasstrongasyouare。I
　　didn'taskyouwhetheryoubelievethatghostsareseen,butwhetheryoubelievethattheyexist。“
　　“No,Iwon'tbelieveit！”Raskolnikovcried,withpositiveanger。
　　“Whatdopeoplegenerallysay？”mutteredSvidrigailov,asthoughspeakingtohimself,lookingasideandbowinghishead：“Theysay,'Youareill,sowhatappearstoyouisonlyunrealfantasy。'Butthat'snotstrictlylogical。Iagreethatghostsonlyappeartothesick,butthatonlyprovesthattheyareunabletoappearexcepttothesick,notthattheydon'texist。“
　　“Nothingofthesort,“Raskolnikovinsistedirritably。
　　“No?Youdon'tthinkso？”Svidrigailovwenton,lookingathimdeliberately。“Butwhatdoyousaytothisargumenthelpmewithit：
　　ghostsareasitwereshredsandfragmentsofotherworlds,thebeginningofthem。Amaninhealthhas,ofcourse,noreasontoseethem,becauseheisaboveallamanofthisearthandisboundforthesakeofcompletenessandordertoliveonlyinthislife。Butassoonasoneisill,assoonasthenormalearthlyorderoftheorganismisbroken,onebeginstorealisethepossibilityofanotherworld;andthemoreseriouslyilloneis,thecloserbecomesone'scontactwiththatotherworld,sothatassoonasthemandieshestepsstraightintothatworld。Ithoughtofthatlongago。Ifyoubelieveinafuturelife,youcouldbelieveinthat,too。“
　　“Idon'tbelieveinafuturelife,“saidRaskolnikov。
　　Svidrigailovsatlostinthought。
　　“Andwhatifthereareonlyspidersthere,orsomethingofthatsort,“hesaidsuddenly。
　　“Heisamadman,“thoughtRaskolnikov。
　　“Wealwaysimagineeternityassomethingbeyondourconception,somethingvast,vast!Butwhymustitbevast?Insteadofallthat,whatifit'sonelittleroom,likeabathhouseinthecountry,blackandgrimyandspidersineverycorner,andthat'salleternityis?I
　　sometimesfancyitlikethat。“
　　“Canitbeyoucanimaginenothingjusterandmorecomfortingthanthat？”Raskolnikovcried,withafeelingofanguish。
　　“Juster?Andhowcanwetell,perhapsthatisjust,anddoyouknowit'swhatIwouldcertainlyhavemadeit,“answeredSvidrigailov,withavaguesmile。
　　ThishorribleanswersentacoldchillthroughRaskolnikov。
　　Svidrigailovraisedhishead,lookedathim,andsuddenlybeganlaughing。
　　“Onlythink,“hecried,“halfanhouragowehadneverseeneachother,weregardedeachotherasenemies;thereisamatterunsettledbetweenus;we'vethrownitaside,andawaywe'vegoneintotheabstract!Wasn'tIrightinsayingthatwewerebirdsofafeather？”
　　“Kindlyallowme,“Raskolnikovwentonirritably,“toaskyoutoexplainwhyyouhavehonouredmewithyourvisit……and……andIaminahurry,Ihavenotimetowaste。Iwanttogoout。“
　　“Byallmeans,byallmeans。Yoursister,AvdotyaRomanovna,isgoingtobemarriedtoMr。Luzhin,PyotrPetrovitch？”
　　“Canyourefrainfromanyquestionaboutmysisterandfrommentioninghername?Ican'tunderstandhowyoudareutterhernameinmypresence,ifyoureallyareSvidrigailov。“
　　“Why,butI'vecomeheretospeakabouther;howcanIavoidmentioningher？”
　　“Verygood,speak,butmakehaste。“
　　“IamsurethatyoumusthaveformedyourownopinionofthisMr。
　　Luzhin,whoisaconnectionofminethroughmywife,ifyouhaveonlyseenhimforhalfanhour,orheardanyfactsabouthim。HeisnomatchforAvdotyaRomanovna。IbelieveAvdotyaRomanovnaissacrificingherselfgenerouslyandimprudentlyforthesakeof……
　　forthesakeofherfamily。IfanciedfromallIhadheardofyouthatyouwouldbeverygladifthematchcouldbebrokenoffwithoutthesacrificeofworldlyadvantages。NowIknowyoupersonally,Iamconvincedofit。“
　　“Allthisisverynaive……excuseme,Ishouldhavesaidimpudentonyourpart,“saidRaskolnikov。
　　“YoumeantosaythatIamseekingmyownends。Don'tbeuneasy,RodionRomanovitch,ifIwereworkingformyownadvantage,Iwouldnothavespokenoutsodirectly。Iamnotquiteafool。Iwillconfesssomethingpsychologicallycuriousaboutthat：justnow,defendingmyloveforAvdotyaRomanovna,IsaidIwasmyselfthevictim。Well,letmetellyouthatI'venofeelingoflovenow,nottheslightest,sothatIwondermyselfindeed,forIreallydidfeelsomething……“
　　“Throughidlenessanddepravity,“Raskolnikovputin。
　　“Icertainlyamidleanddepraved,butyoursisterhassuchqualitiesthatevenIcouldnothelpbeingimpressedbythem。Butthat'sallnonsense,asIseemyselfnow。“
　　“Haveyouseenthatlong？”
　　“Ibegantobeawareofitbefore,butwasonlyperfectlysureofitthedaybeforeyesterday,almostatthemomentIarrivedinPetersburg。IstillfanciedinMoscow,though,thatIwascomingtotrytogetAvdotyaRomanovna'shandandtocutoutMr。Luzhin。“
　　“Excusemeforinterruptingyou;kindlybebrief,andcometotheobjectofyourvisit。Iaminahurry,Iwanttogoout……“
　　“Withthegreatestpleasure。Onarrivinghereanddeterminingonacertain……journey,Ishouldliketomakesomenecessarypreliminaryarrangements。Ileftmychildrenwithanaunt;theyarewellprovidedfor;andtheyhavenoneedofmepersonally。AndanicefatherIshouldmake,too!IhavetakennothingbutwhatMarfaPetrovnagavemeayearago。That'senoughforme。Excuseme,Iamjustcomingtothepoint。Beforethejourneywhichmaycomeoff,I
　　wanttosettleMr。Luzhin,too。It'snotthatIdetesthimsomuch,butitwasthroughhimIquarrelledwithMarfaPetrovnawhenIlearnedthatshehaddishedupthismarriage。IwantnowtoseeAvdotyaRomanovnathroughyourmediation,andifyoulikeinyourpresence,toexplaintoherthatinthefirstplaceshewillnevergainanythingbutharmfromMr。Luzhin。Thenbeggingherpardonforallpastunpleasantness,tomakeherapresentoftenthousandroublesandsoassisttherupturewithMr。Luzhin,arupturetowhichIbelievesheisherselfnotdisinclined,ifshecouldseethewaytoit。“
　　“Youarecertainlymad,“criedRaskolnikovnotsomuchangeredasastonished。“Howdareyoutalklikethat！”
　　“Iknewyouwouldscreamatme;butinthefirstplace,thoughI
　　amnotrich,thistenthousandroublesisperfectlyfree;Ihaveabsolutelynoneedforit。IfAvdotyaRomanovnadoesnotacceptit,Ishallwasteitinsomemorefoolishway。That'sthefirstthing。
　　Secondly,myconscienceisperfectlyeasy;Imaketheofferwithnoulteriormotive。Youmaynotbelieveit,butintheendAvdotyaRomanovnaandyouwillknow。Thepointis,thatIdidactuallycauseyoursister,whomIgreatlyrespect,sometroubleandunpleasantness,andso,sincerelyregrettingit,Iwant-nottocompensate,nottorepayherfortheunpleasantness,butsimplytodosomethingtoheradvantage,toshowthatIamnot,afterall,privilegedtodonothingbutharm。Iftherewereamillionthfractionofselfinterestinmyoffer,Ishouldnothavemadeitsoopenly;andIshouldnothaveofferedhertenthousandonly,whenfiveweeksagoIofferedhermore,Besides,Imay,perhaps,verysoonmarryayounglady,andthataloneoughttopreventsuspicionofanydesignonAvdotyaRomanovna。Inconclusion,letmesaythatinmarryingMr。Luzhin,sheistakingmoneyjustthesame,onlyfromanotherman。Don'tbeangry,RodionRomanovitch,thinkitovercoollyandquietly。“
　　Svidrigailovhimselfwasexceedinglycoolandquietashewassayingthis。
　　“Ibegyoutosaynomore,“saidRaskolnikov。“Inanycasethisisunpardonableimpertinence。“
　　“Notintheleast。Thenamanmaydonothingbutharmtohisneighbourinthisworld,andispreventedfromdoingthetiniestbitofgoodbytrivialconventionalformalities。That'sabsurd。IfIdied,forinstance,andleftthatsumtoyoursisterinmywill,surelyshewouldn'trefuseit？”
　　“Verylikelyshewould。“
　　“Oh,no,indeed。However,ifyourefuseit,sobeit,thoughtenthousandroublesisacapitalthingtohaveonoccasion。InanycaseI
　　begyoutorepeatwhatIhavesaidtoAvdotyaRomanovna。“
　　“No,Iwon't。“
　　“Inthatcase,RodionRomanovitch,Ishallbeobligedtotryandseehermyselfandworryherbydoingso。“
　　“AndifIdotellher,willyounottrytoseeher？”
　　“Idon'tknowreallywhattosay。Ishouldlikeverymuchtoseeheroncemore。“
　　“Don'thopeforit。“
　　“I'msorry。Butyoudon'tknowme。Perhapswemaybecomebetterfriends。“
　　“Youthinkwemaybecomefriends？”
　　“Andwhynot？”Svidrigailovsaid,smiling。Hestoodupandtookhishat。“Ididn'tquiteintendtodisturbyouandIcameherewithoutreckoningonit……thoughIwasverymuchstruckbyyourfacethismorning。“
　　“Wheredidyouseemethismorning？”Raskolnikovaskeduneasily。
　　“Isawyoubychance……Ikeptfancyingthereissomethingaboutyoulikeme……Butdon'tbeuneasy。Iamnotintrusive;Iusedtogetonallrightwithcard-sharpers,andIneverboredPrinceSvirbey,agreatpersonagewhoisadistantrelationofmine,andIcouldwriteaboutRaphael'sMadonnainMadamPrilukov'salbum,andIneverleftMarfaPetrovna'ssideforsevenyears,andIusedtostaythenightatViazemsky'shouseintheHayMarketintheolddays,andImaygoupinaballoonwithBerg,perhaps。“
　　“Oh,allright。Areyoustartingsoononyourtravels,mayIask？”
　　“Whattravels？”
　　“Why,onthat'journey';youspokeofityourself。“
　　“Ajourney?Oh,yes。Ididspeakofajourney。Well,that'sawidesubject……ifonlyyouknewwhatyouareasking,“headded,andgaveasudden,loud,shortlaugh。“PerhapsI'llgetmarriedinsteadofthejourney。They'remakingamatchforme。“
　　“Here？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Howhaveyouhadtimeforthat？”
　　“ButIamveryanxioustoseeAvdotyaRomanovnaonce。Iearnestlybegit。Well,good-byeforthepresent。Oh,yes,Ihaveforgottensomething。Tellyoursister,RodionRomanovitch,thatMarfaPetrovnarememberedherinherwillandleftherthreethousandrubles。
　　That'sabsolutelycertain。MarfaPetrovnaarrangeditaweekbeforeherdeath,anditwasdoneinmypresence。AvdotyaRomanovnawillbeabletoreceivethemoneyintwoorthreeweeks。“
　　“Areyoutellingthetruth？”
　　“Yes,tellher。Well,yourservant。Iamstayingverynearyou。“
　　Ashewentout,SvidrigailovranupagainstRazumihininthedoorway。
　　ChapterTwoITWASnearlyeighto'clock。ThetwoyoungmenhurriedtoBakaleyev's,toarrivebeforeLuzhin。
　　“Why,whowasthat？”askedRazumihin,assoonastheywereinthestreet。
　　“ItwasSvidrigailov,thatlandownerinwhosehousemysisterwasinsultedwhenshewastheirgoverness。Throughhispersecutingherwithhisattentions,shewasturnedoutbyhiswife,MarfaPetrovna。
　　ThisMarfaPetrovnabeggedDounia'sforgivenessafterwards,andshe'sjustdiedsuddenly。Itwasofherweweretalkingthismorning。Idon'tknowwhyI'mafraidofthatman。Hecamehereatonceafterhiswife'sfuneral。Heisverystrange,andisdeterminedondoingsomething……WemustguardDouniafromhim……that'swhatI
　　wantedtotellyou,doyouhear？”
　　“Guardher!WhatcanhedotoharmAvdotyaRomanovna?Thankyou,Rodya,forspeakingtomelikethat……Wewill,wewillguardher。
　　Wheredoeshelive？”
　　“Idon'tknow。“
　　“Whydidn'tyouask?Whatapity!I'llfindout,though。“
　　“Didyouseehim？”askedRaskolnikovafterapause。
　　“Yes,Inoticedhim,Inoticedhimwell。“
　　“Youdidreallyseehim?Yousawhimclearly？”Raskolnikovinsisted。
　　“Yes,Irememberhimperfectly,Ishouldknowhiminathousand;I
　　haveagoodmemoryforfaces。“
　　Theyweresilentagain。
　　“Hm!……that'sallright,“mutteredRaskolnikov。“Doyouknow,I
　　fancied……Ikeepthinkingthatitmayhavebeenanhallucination。“
　　“Whatdoyoumean?Idon'tunderstandyou。“
　　“Well,youallsay,“Raskolnikovwenton,twistinghismouthintoasmile,“thatIammad。IthoughtjustnowthatperhapsIreallyammad,andhaveonlyseenaphantom。“
　　“Whatdoyoumean？”
　　“Why,whocantell?PerhapsIamreallymad,andperhapseverythingthathappenedallthesedaysmaybeonlyimagination。“
　　“Ach,Rodya,youhavebeenupsetagain!……Butwhatdidhesay,whatdidhecomefor？”
　　Raskolnikovdidnotanswer。Razumihinthoughtaminute。
　　“Nowletmetellyoumystory,“hebegan,“Icametoyou,youwereasleep。ThenwehaddinnerandthenIwenttoPorfiry's,Zametovwasstillwithhim。Itriedtobegin,butitwasnouse。Icouldn'tspeakintherightway。Theydon'tseemtounderstandandcan'tunderstand,butarenotabitashamed。IdrewPorfirytothewindow,andbegantalkingtohim,butitwasstillnouse。HelookedawayandIlookedaway。AtlastIshookmyfistinhisuglyface,andtoldhimasacousinI'dbrainhim。Hemerelylookedatme,Icursedandcameaway。Thatwasall。Itwasverystupid。ToZametovIdidn'tsayaword。But,yousee,IthoughtI'dmadeamessofit,butasI
　　wentdownstairsabrilliantideastruckme：whyshouldwetrouble?
　　Ofcourseifyouwereinanydangeroranything,butwhyneedyoucare?Youneedn'tcareahangforthem。Weshallhavealaughatthemafterwards,andifIwereinyourplaceI'dmystifythemmorethanever。Howashamedthey'llbeafterwards!Hangthem!Wecanthrashthemafterwards,butlet'slaughatthemnow！”
　　“Tobesure,“answeredRaskolnikov。“Butwhatwillyousayto-morrow？”hethoughttohimself。Strangetosay,tillthatmomentithadneveroccurredtohimtowonderwhatRazumihinwouldthinkwhenheknew。Ashethoughtit,Raskolnikovlookedathim。Razumihin'saccountofhisvisittoPorfiryhadverylittleinterestforhim,somuchhadcomeandgonesincethen。
　　InthecorridortheycameuponLuzhin;hehadarrivedpunctuallyateight,andwaslookingforthenumber,sothatallthreewentintogetherwithoutgreetingorlookingatoneanother。Theyoungmenwalkedinfirst,whilePyotrPetrovitch,forgoodmanners,lingeredalittleinthepassage,takingoffhiscoat。PulcheriaAlexandrovnacameforwardatoncetogreethiminthedoorway,Douniawaswelcomingherbrother。PyotrPetrovitchwalkedinandquiteamiably,thoughwithredoubleddignity,bowedtotheladies。Helooked,however,asthoughhewerealittleputoutandcouldnotyetrecoverhimself。
　　PulcheriaAlexandrovna,whoseemedalsoalittleembarrassed,hastenedtomakethemallsitdownattheroundtablewhereasamovarwasboiling。DouniaandLuzhinwerefacingoneanotheronoppositesidesofthetable。RazumihinandRaskolnikovwerefacingPulcheriaAlexandrovna,RazumihinwasnexttoLuzhinandRaskolnikovwasbesidehissister。
　　Amoment'ssilencefollowed。PyotrPetrovitchdeliberatelydrewoutacambrichandkerchiefreekingofscentandblewhisnosewithanairofabenevolentmanwhofelthimselfslighted,andwasfirmlyresolvedtoinsistonanexplanation。Inthepassagetheideahadoccurredtohimtokeeponhisovercoatandwalkaway,andsogivethetwoladiesasharpandemphaticlessonandmakethemfeelthegravityoftheposition。Buthecouldnotbringhimselftodothis。
　　Besides,hecouldnotendureuncertaintyandhewantedanexplanation：
　　ifhisrequesthadbeensoopenlydisobeyed,therewassomethingbehindit,andinthatcaseitwasbettertofinditoutbeforehand;
　　itrestedwithhimtopunishthemandtherewouldalwaysbetimeforthat。
　　“Itrustyouhadafavourablejourney,“heinquiredofficiallyofPulcheriaAlexandrovna。
　　“Oh,very,PyotrPetrovitch。“
　　“Iamgratifiedtohearit。AndAvdotyaRomanovnaisnotoverfatiguedeither？”
　　“Iamyoungandstrong,Idon'tgettired,butitwasagreatstrainformother,“answeredDounia。
　　“That'sunavoidable;ournationalrailwaysareofterriblelength。
　　'MotherRussia,'astheysay,isavastcountry……Inspiteofallmydesiretodoso,Iwasunabletomeetyouyesterday。ButItrustallpassedoffwithoutinconvenience？”
　　“Oh,no,PyotrPetrovitch,itwasallterriblydisheartening,“
　　PulcheriaAlexandrovnahastenedtodeclarewithpeculiarintonation,“andifDmitriProkofitchhadnotbeensentus,IreallybelievebyGodHimself,weshouldhavebeenutterlylost。Here,heis!DmitriProkofitchRazumihin,“sheadded,introducinghimtoLuzhin。
　　“Ihadthepleasure……yesterday,“mutteredPyotrPetrovitchwithahostileglancesidelongatRazumihin;thenhescowledandwassilent。
　　PyotrPetrovitchbelongedtothatclassofpersons,onthesurfaceverypoliteinsociety,whomakeagreatpointofpunctiliousness,butwho,directlytheyarecrossedinanything,arecompletelydisconcerted,andbecomemorelikesacksofflourthanelegantandlivelymenofsociety。Againallwassilent;Raskolnikovwasobstinatelymute,AvdotyaRomanovnawasunwillingtoopentheconversationtoosoon。Razumihinhadnothingtosay,soPulcheriaAlexandrovnawasanxiousagain。
　　“MarfaPetrovnaisdead,haveyouheard？”shebeganhavingrecoursetoherleadingitemofconversation。
　　“Tobesure,Iheardso。Iwasimmediatelyinformed,andIhavecometomakeyouacquaintedwiththefactthatArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailovsetoffinhasteforPetersburgimmediatelyafterhiswife'sfuneral。SoatleastIhaveexcellentauthorityforbelieving。“
　　“ToPetersburg?here？”Douniaaskedinalarmandlookedathermother。
　　“Yes,indeed,anddoubtlessnotwithoutsomedesign,havinginviewtherapidityofhisdeparture,andallthecircumstancesprecedingit。“
　　“Goodheavens!won'theleaveDouniainpeaceevenhere？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。
　　“IimaginethatneitheryounorAvdotyaRomanovnahaveanygroundsforuneasiness,unless,ofcourse,youareyourselvesdesirousofgettingintocommunicationwithhim。FormypartIamonmyguard,andamnowdiscoveringwhereheislodging。“
　　“Oh,PyotrPetrovitch,youwouldnotbelievewhatafrightyouhavegivenme,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnawenton。“I'veonlyseenhimtwice,butIthoughthimterrible,terrible!IamconvincedthathewasthecauseofMarfaPetrovna'sdeath。“
　　“It'simpossibletobecertainaboutthat。Ihavepreciseinformation。Idonotdisputethathemayhavecontributedtoacceleratethecourseofeventsbythemoralinfluence,sotosay,oftheaffront;butastothegeneralconductandmoralcharacteristicsofthatpersonage,Iaminagreementwithyou。Idonotknowwhetherheiswelloffnow,andpreciselywhatMarfaPetrovnalefthim;thiswillbeknowntomewithinaveryshortperiod;butnodoubthereinPetersburg,ifhehasanypecuniaryresources,hewillrelapseatonceintohisoldways。Heisthemostdepraved,andabjectlyviciousspecimenofthatclassofmen。IhaveconsiderablereasontobelievethatMarfaPetrovna,whowassounfortunateastofallinlovewithhimandtopayhisdebtseightyearsago,wasofservicetohimalsoinanotherway。Solelybyherexertionsandsacrifices,acriminalcharge,involvinganelementoffantasticandhomicidalbrutalityforwhichhemightwellhavebeensentencedtoSiberia,washushedup。That'sthesortofmanheis,ifyoucaretoknow。“
　　“Goodheavens！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Raskolnikovlistenedattentively。
　　“Areyouspeakingthetruthwhenyousaythatyouhavegoodevidenceofthis？”Douniaaskedsternlyandemphatically。
　　“IonlyrepeatwhatIwastoldinsecretbyMarfaPetrovna。Imustobservethatfromthelegalpointofviewthecasewasfarfromclear。
　　Therewas,andIbelievestillis,livinghereawomancalledResslich,aforeigner,wholentsmallsumsofmoneyatinterest,anddidothercommissions,andwiththiswomanSvidrigailovhadforalongwhilecloseandmysteriousrelations。Shehadarelation,anieceI
　　believe,livingwithher,adeafanddumbgirloffifteen,orperhapsnotmorethanfourteen。Resslichhatedthisgirl,andgrudgedhereverycrust;sheusedtobeathermercilessly。Onedaythegirlwasfoundhanginginthegarret。Attheinquesttheverdictwassuicide。Aftertheusualproceedingsthematterended,but,lateron,informationwasgiventhatthechildhadbeen……cruellyoutragedbySvidrigailov。Itistrue,thiswasnotclearlyestablished,theinformationwasgivenbyanotherGermanwomanofloosecharacterwhosewordcouldnotbetrusted;nostatementwasactuallymadetothepolice,thankstoMarfaPetrovna'smoneyandexertions;itdidnotgetbeyondgossip。Andyetthestoryisaverysignificantone。Youheard,nodoubt,AvdotyaRomanovna,whenyouwerewiththemthestoryoftheservantPhilipwhodiedofilltreatmenthereceivedsixyearsago,beforetheabolitionofserfdom。“
　　“IheardonthecontrarythatthisPhiliphangedhimself。“
　　“Quiteso,butwhatdrovehim,orratherperhapsdisposedhim,tosuicide,wasthesystematicpersecutionandseverityofMr。
　　Svidrigailov。“
　　“Idon'tknowthat,“answeredDounia,dryly。“IonlyheardaqueerstorythatPhilipwasasortofhypochondriac,asortofdomesticphilosopher,theservantsusedtosay,'hereadhimselfsilly,'andthathehangedhimselfpartlyonaccountofMr。Svidrigailov'smockeryofhimandnothisblows。WhenIwastherehebehavedwelltotheservants,andtheywereactuallyfondofhim,thoughtheycertainlydidblamehimforPhilip'sdeath。“
　　“Iperceive,AvdotyaRomanovna,thatyouseemdisposedtoundertakehisdefenceallofasudden,“Luzhinobserved,twistinghislipsintoanambiguoussmile,“there'snodoubtthatheisanastuteman,andinsinuatingwhereladiesareconcerned,ofwhichMarfaPetrovna,whohasdiedsostrangely,isaterribleinstance。Myonlydesirehasbeentobeofservicetoyouandyourmotherwithmyadvice,inviewoftherenewedeffortswhichmaycertainlybeanticipatedfromhim。Formypartit'smyfirmconviction,thathewillendinadebtor'sprisonagain。MarfaPetrovnahadnottheslightestintentionofsettlinganythingsubstantialonhim,havingregardforhischildren'sinterests,and,ifshelefthimanything,itwouldonlybethemerestsufficiency,somethinginsignificantandephemeral,whichwouldnotlastayearforamanofhishabits。“
　　“PyotrPetrovitch,Ibegyou,“saidDounia,“saynomoreofMr。
　　Svidrigailov。Itmakesmemiserable。“
　　“Hehasjustbeentoseeme,“saidRaskolnikov,breakinghissilenceforthefirsttime。
　　Therewereexclamationsfromall,andtheyallturnedtohim。EvenPyotrPetrovitchwasroused。
　　“Anhourandahalfago,hecameinwhenIwasasleep,wakedme,andintroducedhimself,“Raskolnikovcontinued。“Hewasfairlycheerfulandatease,andquitehopesthatweshallbecomefriends。Heisparticularlyanxiousbytheway,Dounia,foraninterviewwithyou,atwhichheaskedmetoassist。Hehasapropositiontomaketoyou,andhetoldmeaboutit。Hetoldme,too,thataweekbeforeherdeathMarfaPetrovnaleftyouthreethousandroublesinherwill,Dounia,andthatyoucanreceivethemoneyveryshortly。“
　　“ThankGod！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna,crossingherself。“Prayforhersoul,Dounia！”
　　“It'safact！”brokefromLuzhin。
　　“Tellus,whatmore？”DouniaurgedRaskolnikov。
　　“Thenhesaidthathewasn'trichandalltheestatewaslefttohischildrenwhoarenowwithanaunt,thenthathewasstayingsomewherenotfarfromme,butwhere,Idon'tknow,Ididn'task……“
　　“Butwhat,whatdoeshewanttoproposetoDounia？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovnainafright。“Didhetellyou？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Whatwasit？”
　　“I'lltellyouafterwards。“
　　Raskolnikovceasedspeakingandturnedhisattentiontohistea。
　　PyotrPetrovitchlookedathiswatch。
　　“Iamcompelledtokeepabusinessengagement,andsoIshallnotbeinyourway,“headdedwithanairofsomepiqueandhebegangettingup。
　　“Don'tgo,PyotrPetrovitch,“saidDounia,“youintendedtospendtheevening。Besides,youwroteyourselfthatyouwantedtohaveanexplanationwithmother。“
　　“Preciselyso,AvdotyaRomanovna,“PyotrPetrovitchansweredimpressively,sittingdownagain,butstillholdinghishat。“I
　　certainlydesiredanexplanationwithyouandyourhonouredmotheruponaveryimportantpointindeed。ButasyourbrothercannotspeakopenlyinmypresencetosomeproposalsofMr。Svidrigailov,I,too,donotdesireandamnotabletospeakopenly……inthepresenceofothers……ofcertainmattersofthegreatestgravity。Moreover,mymostweightyandurgentrequesthasbeendisregarded……“
　　Assuminganaggrievedair,Luzhinrelapsedintodignifiedsilence。
　　“Yourrequestthatmybrothershouldnotbepresentatourmeetingwasdisregardedsolelyatmyinstance,“saidDounia。“Youwrotethatyouhadbeeninsultedbymybrother;Ithinkthatthismustbeexplainedatonce,andyoumustbereconciled。AndifRodyareallyhasinsultedyou,thenheshouldandwillapologise。“
　　PyotrPetrovitchtookastrongerline。
　　“Thereareinsults,AvdotyaRomanovna,whichnogood-willcanmakeusforget。Thereisalineineverythingwhichitisdangeroustooverstep;andwhenithasbeenoverstepped,thereisnoreturn。“
　　“Thatwasn'twhatIwasspeakingofexactly,PyotrPetrovitch,“
　　Douniainterruptedwithsomeimpatience。“Pleaseunderstandthatourwholefuturedependsnowonwhetherallthisisexplainedandsetrightassoonaspossible。ItellyoufranklyatthestartthatI
　　cannotlookatitinanyotherlight,andifyouhavetheleastregardforme,allthisbusinessmustbeendedto-day,howeverhardthatmaybe。Irepeatthatifmybrotheristoblamehewillaskyourforgiveness。“
　　“Iamsurprisedatyourputtingthequestionlikethat,“saidLuzhin,gettingmoreandmoreirritated。“Esteeming,andsotosay,adoringyou,Imayatthesametime,verywellindeed,beabletodislikesomememberofyourfamily。ThoughIlayclaimtothehappinessofyourhand,Icannotacceptdutiesincompatiblewith……“
　　“Ah,don'tbesoreadytotakeoffence,PyotrPetrovitch,“Douniainterruptedwithfeeling,“andbethesensibleandgenerousmanIhavealwaysconsidered,andwishtoconsider,youtobe。I'vegivenyouagreatpromise,Iamyourbetrothed。Trustmeinthismatterand,believeme,Ishallbecapableofjudgingimpartially。Myassumingthepartofjudgeisasmuchasurpriseformybrotherasforyou。WhenIinsistedonhiscomingtoourinterviewto-dayafteryourletter,ItoldhimnothingofwhatImeanttodo。Understandthat,ifyouarenotreconciled,Imustchoosebetweenyou-itmustbeeitheryouorhe。Thatishowthequestionrestsonyoursideandonhis。Idon'twanttobemistakeninmychoice,andImustnotbe。ForyoursakeI
　　mustbreakoffwithmybrother,formybrother'ssakeImustbreakoffwithyou。Icanfindoutforcertainnowwhetherheisabrothertome,andIwanttoknowit;andofyou,whetherIamdeartoyou,whetheryouesteemme,whetheryouarethehusbandforme。“
　　“AvdotyaRomanovna,“Luzhindeclaredhuffily,“yourwordsareoftoomuchconsequencetome;Iwillsaymore,theyareoffensiveinviewofthepositionIhavethehonourtooccupyinrelationtoyou。Tosaynothingofyourstrangeandoffensivesettingmeonalevelwithanimpertinentboy,youadmitthepossibilityofbreakingyourpromisetome。Yousay'youorhe,'showingtherebyofhowlittleconsequenceI
　　aminyoureyes……Icannotletthispassconsideringtherelationshipand……theobligationsexistingbetweenus。“
　　“What！”criedDounia,flushing。“Isetyourinterestbesideallthathashithertobeenmostpreciousinmylife,whathasmadeupthewholeofmylife,andhereyouareoffendedatmymakingtoolittleaccountofyou。“
　　Raskolnikovsmiledsarcastically,Razumihinfidgeted,butPyotrPetrovitchdidnotacceptthereproof;onthecontrary,ateverywordhebecamemorepersistentandirritable,asthoughherelishedit。
　　“Loveforthefuturepartnerofyourlife,foryourhusband,oughttooutweighyourloveforyourbrother,“hepronouncedsententiously,“andinanycaseIcannotbeputonthesamelevel……AlthoughIsaidsoemphaticallythatIwouldnotspeakopenlyinyourbrother'spresence,nevertheless,Iintendnowtoaskyourhonouredmotherforanecessaryexplanationonapointofgreatimportancecloselyaffectingmydignity。Yourson,“heturnedtoPulcheriaAlexandrovna,“yesterdayinthepresenceofMr。Razsudkinor……Ithinkthat'sit?excusemeIhaveforgottenyoursurname,“hebowedpolitelytoRazumihin“insultedmebymisrepresentingtheideaIexpressedtoyouinaprivateconversation,drinkingcoffee,thatis,thatmarriagewithapoorgirlwhohashadexperienceoftroubleismoreadvantageousfromtheconjugalpointofviewthanwithonewhohaslivedinluxury,sinceitismoreprofitableforthemoralcharacter。Yoursonintentionallyexaggeratedthesignificanceofmywordsandmadethemridiculous,accusingmeofmaliciousintentions,and,asfarasIcouldsee,relieduponyourcorrespondencewithhim。Ishallconsidermyselfhappy,PulcheriaAlexandrovna,ifitispossibleforyoutoconvincemeofanoppositeconclusion,andtherebyconsideratelyreassureme。KindlyletmeknowinwhattermspreciselyyourepeatedmywordsinyourlettertoRodionRomanovitch。“
　　“Idon'tremember,“falteredPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“IrepeatedthemasIunderstoodthem。Idon'tknowhowRodyarepeatedthemtoyou,perhapsheexaggerated。“
　　“Hecouldnothaveexaggeratedthem,exceptatyourinstigation。“
　　“PyotrPetrovitch,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnadeclaredwithdignity,“theproofthatDouniaandIdidnottakeyourwordsinaverybadsenseisthefactthatwearehere。“
　　“Good,mother,“saidDouniaapprovingly。
　　“Thenthisismyfaultagain,“saidLuzhin,aggrieved。
　　“Well,PyotrPetrovitch,youkeepblamingRodion,butyouyourselfhavejustwrittenwhatwasfalseabouthim,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnaadded,gainingcourage。
　　“Idon'trememberwritinganythingfalse。“
　　“Youwrote,“Raskolnikovsaidsharply,notturningtoLuzhin,“thatIgavemoneyyesterdaynottothewidowofthemanwhowaskilled,aswasthefact,buttohisdaughterwhomIhadneverseentillyesterday。Youwrotethistomakedissensionbetweenmeandmyfamily,andforthatobjectaddedcoarseexpressionsabouttheconductofagirlwhomyoudon'tknow。Allthatismeanslander。“
　　“Excuseme,sir,“saidLuzhin,quiveringwithfury。“Ienlargeduponyourqualitiesandconductinmylettersolelyinresponsetoyoursister'sandmother'sinquirieshowIfoundyouandwhatimpressionyoumadeonme。Asforwhatyou'vealludedtoinmyletter,besogoodastopointoutonewordoffalsehood,show,thatis,thatyoudidn'tthrowawayyourmoney,andthattherearenotworthlesspersonsinthatfamily,howeverunfortunate。“
　　“Tomythinking,youwithallyourvirtuesarenotworththelittlefingerofthatunfortunategirlatwhomyouthrowstones。“
　　“Wouldyougosofarthenastoletherassociatewithyourmotherandsister？”
　　“Ihavedonesoalready,ifyoucaretoknow。Imadehersitdownto-daywithmotherandDounia。“
　　“Rodya！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Douniacrimsoned,Razumihinknittedhisbrows。Luzhinsmiledwithloftysarcasm。
　　“Youmayseeforyourself,AvdotyaRomanovna,“hesaid,“whetheritispossibleforustoagree。Ihopenowthatthisquestionisatanend,onceandforall。Iwillwithdraw,thatImaynothinderthepleasuresoffamilyintimacy,andthediscussionofsecrets。“Hegotupfromhischairandtookhishat。“Butinwithdrawing,IventuretorequestthatforthefutureImaybesparedsimilarmeetings,and,sotosay,compromises。Iappealparticularlytoyou,honouredPulcheriaAlexandrovna,onthissubject,themoreasmyletterwasaddressedtoyouandtonooneelse。“
　　PulcheriaAlexandrovnawasalittleoffended。
　　“Youseemtothinkwearecompletelyunderyourauthority,PyotrPetrovitch。Douniahastoldyouthereasonyourdesirewasdisregarded,shehadthebestintentions。Andindeedyouwriteasthoughyouwerelayingcommandsuponme。Arewetoconsidereverydesireofyoursasacommand?Letmetellyouonthecontrarythatyououghttoshowparticulardelicacyandconsiderationforusnow,becausewehavethrownupeverything,andhavecomehererelyingonyou,andsoweareinanycaseinasenseinyourhands。“
　　“Thatisnotquitetrue,PulcheriaAlexandrovna,especiallyatthepresentmoment,whenthenewshascomeofMarfaPetrovna'slegacy,whichseemsindeedveryapropos,judgingfromthenewtoneyoutaketome,“headdedsarcastically。
　　“Judgingfromthatremark,wemaycertainlypresumethatyouwerereckoningonourhelplessness,“Douniaobservedirritably。
　　“ButnowinanycaseIcannotreckononit,andIparticularlydesirenottohinderyourdiscussionofthesecretproposalsofArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailov,whichhehasentrustedtoyourbrotherandwhichhave,Iperceive,agreatandpossiblyaveryagreeableinterestforyou。“
　　“Goodheavens！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。
　　Razumihincouldnotsitstillonhischair。
　　“Aren'tyouashamednow,sister？”askedRaskolnikov。
　　“Iamashamed,Rodya,“saidDounia。“PyotrPetrovitch,goaway,“sheturnedtohim,whitewithanger。
　　PyotrPetrovitchhadapparentlynotatallexpectedsuchaconclusion。Hehadtoomuchconfidenceinhimself,inhispowerandinthehelplessnessofhisvictims。Hecouldnotbelieveitevennow。
　　Heturnedpale,andhislipsquivered。
　　“AvdotyoRomanovna,ifIgooutofthisdoornow,aftersuchadismissal,then,youmayreckononit,Iwillnevercomeback。
　　Considerwhatyouaredoing。Mywordisnottobeshaken。“
　　“Whatinsolence！”criedDounia,springingupfromherseat。“Idon'twantyoutocomebackagain。“
　　“What!Sothat'showitstands！”criedLuzhin,utterlyunabletothelastmomenttobelieveintheruptureandsocompletelythrownoutofhisreckoningnow。“Sothat'showitstands!Butdoyouknow,AvdotyaRomanovna,thatImightprotest？”
　　“Whatrighthaveyoutospeaktoherlikethat？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaintervenedhotly。“Andwhatcanyouprotestabout?Whatrightshaveyou?AmItogivemyDouniatoamanlikeyou?Goaway,leaveusaltogether!Wearetoblameforhavingagreedtoawrongaction,andIaboveall……“
　　“Butyouhaveboundme,PulcheriaAlexandrovna,“Luzhinstormedinafrenzy,“byyourpromise,andnowyoudenyitand……besides……Ihavebeenledonaccountofthatintoexpenses……“
　　ThislastcomplaintwassocharacteristicofPyotrPetrovitch,thatRaskolnikov,palewithangerandwiththeeffortofrestrainingit,couldnothelpbreakingintolaughter。ButPulcheriaAlexandrovnawasfurious。
　　“Expenses?Whatexpenses?Areyouspeakingofourtrunk?Buttheconductorbroughtitfornothingforyou。Mercyonus,wehaveboundyou!Whatareyouthinkingabout,PyotrPetrovitch,itwasyouboundus,handandfoot,notwe！”
　　“Enough,mother,nomoreplease,“AvdotyaRomanovnaimplored。“PyotrPetrovitch,dobekindandgo！”
　　“Iamgoing,butonelastword,“hesaid,quiteunabletocontrolhimself。“YourmammaseemstohaveentirelyforgottenthatImadeupmymindtotakeyou,sotospeak,afterthegossipofthetownhadspreadalloverthedistrictinregardtoyourreputation。
　　Disregardingpublicopinionforyoursakeandreinstatingyourreputation,Icertainlymightverywellreckononafittingreturn,andmightindeedlookforgratitudeonyourpart。Andmyeyeshaveonlynowbeenopened!IseemyselfthatImayhaveactedvery,veryrecklesslyindisregardingtheuniversalverdict……“
　　“Doesthefellowwanthisheadsmashed？”criedRazumihin,jumpingup。
　　“Youareameanandspitefulman！”criedDounia。
　　“Notaword!Notamovement！”criedRaskolnikov,holdingRazumihinback;thengoingcloseuptoLuzhin,“Kindlyleavetheroom！”hesaidquietlyanddistinctly,“andnotawordmoreor……“
　　PyotrPetrovitchgazedathimforsomesecondswithapalefacethatworkedwithanger,thenheturned,wentout,andrarelyhasanymancarriedawayinhisheartsuchvindictivehatredashefeltagainstRaskolnikov。Him,andhimalone,heblamedforeverything。Itisnoteworthythatashewentdownstairshestillimaginedthathiscasewasperhapsnotutterlylost,andthat,sofarastheladieswereconcerned,allmight“verywellindeed“besetrightagain。
　　ChapterThreeTHEFACTwasthatuptothelastmomenthehadneverexpectedsuchanending;hehadbeenoverbearingtothelastdegree,neverdreamingthattwodestituteanddefencelesswomencouldescapefromhiscontrol。Thisconvictionwasstrengthenedbyhisvanityandconceit,aconceittothepointoffatuity。PyotrPetrovitch,whohadmadehiswayupfrominsignificance,wasmorbidlygiventoself-admiration,hadthehighestopinionofhisintelligenceandcapacities,andsometimesevengloatedinsolitudeoverhisimageintheglass。Butwhathelovedandvaluedaboveallwasthemoneyhehadamassedbyhislabour,andbyallsortsofdevices：thatmoneymadehimtheequalofallwhohadbeenhissuperiors。
　　WhenhehadbitterlyremindedDouniathathehaddecidedtotakeherinspiteofevilreport,PyotrPetrovitchhadspokenwithperfectsincerityandhad,indeed,feltgenuinelyindignantatsuch“blackingratitude。“Andyet,whenhemadeDouniahisoffer,hewasfullyawareofthegroundlessnessofallthegossip。ThestoryhadbeeneverywherecontradictedbyMarfaPetrovna,andwasbythendisbelievedbyallthetownspeople,whowerewarminDounia'adefence。Andhewouldnothavedeniedthatheknewallthatatthetime。YethestillthoughthighlyofhisownresolutioninliftingDouniatohislevelandregardeditassomethingheroic。InspeakingofittoDounia,hehadletoutthesecretfeelinghecherishedandadmired,andhecouldnotunderstandthatothersshouldfailtoadmireittoo。HehadcalledonRaskolnikovwiththefeelingsofabenefactorwhoisabouttoreapthefruitsofhisgooddeedsandtohearagreeableflattery。Andashewentdownstairsnow,heconsideredhimselfmostundeservedlyinjuredandunrecognised。
　　Douniawassimplyessentialtohim;todowithoutherwasunthinkable。Formanyyearshehadvoluptuousdreamsofmarriage,buthehadgoneonwaitingandamassingmoney。Hebroodedwithrelish,inprofoundsecret,overtheimageofagirl-virtuous,poorshemustbepoor,veryyoung,verypretty,ofgoodbirthandeducation,verytimid,onewhohadsufferedmuch,andwascompletelyhumbledbeforehim,onewhowouldallherlifelookonhimashersaviour,worshiphim,admirehimandonlyhim。Howmanyscenes,howmanyamorousepisodeshehadimaginedonthisseductiveandplayfultheme,whenhisworkwasover!And,behold,thedreamofsomanyyearswasallbutrealised;thebeautyandeducationofAvdotyaRomanovnahadimpressedhim;herhelplesspositionhadbeenagreatallurement;inherhehadfoundevenmorethanhedreamedof。Herewasagirlofpride,character,virtue,ofeducationandbreedingsuperiortohisownhefeltthat,andthiscreaturewouldbeslavishlygratefulallherlifeforhisheroiccondescension,andwouldhumbleherselfinthedustbeforehim,andhewouldhaveabsolute,unboundedpoweroverher!……Notlongbefore,hehad,too,afterlongreflectionandhesitation,madeanimportantchangeinhiscareerandwasnowenteringonawidercircleofbusiness。Withthischangehischerisheddreamsofrisingintoahigherclassofsocietyseemedlikelytoberealised……Hewas,infact,determinedtotryhisfortuneinPetersburg。Heknewthatwomencoulddoaverygreatdeal。Thefascinationofacharming,virtuous,highlyeducatedwomanmightmakehiswayeasier,mightdowondersinattractingpeopletohim,throwinganaureoleroundhim,andnoweverythingwasinruins!Thissuddenhorribleruptureaffectedhimlikeaclapofthunder;itwaslikeahideousjoke,anabsurdity。Hehadonlybeenatinybitmasterful,hadnoteventimetospeakout,hadsimplymadeajoke,beencarriedaway-andithadendedsoseriously。And,ofcourse,too,hedidloveDouniainhisownway;healreadypossessedherinhisdreams-andallatonce!No!Thenextday,theverynextday,itmustallbesetright,smoothedover,settled。Aboveallhemustcrushthatconceitedmilksopwhowasthecauseofitall。WithasickfeelinghecouldnothelprecallingRazumihintoo,but,hesoonreassuredhimselfonthatscore;asthoughafellowlikethatcouldbeputonalevelwithhim!ThemanhereallydreadedinearnestwasSvidrigailov……Hehad,inshort,agreatdealtoattendto-
　　“No,I,Iammoretoblamethananyone！”saidDounia,kissingandembracinghermother。“Iwastemptedbyhismoney,butonmyhonour,brother,Ihadnoideahewassuchabaseman。IfIhadseenthroughhimbefore,nothingwouldhavetemptedme!Don'tblameme,brother！”
　　“Godhasdeliveredus!Godhasdeliveredus！”PulcheriaAlexandrovnamuttered,buthalfconsciously,asthoughscarcelyabletorealisewhathadhappened。
　　Theywereallrelieved,andinfiveminutestheywerelaughing。OnlynowandthenDouniaturnedwhiteandfrowned,rememberingwhathadpassed。PulcheriaAlexandrovnawassurprisedtofindthatshe,too,wasglad：shehadonlythatmorningthoughtrupturewithLuzhinaterriblemisfortune。Razumihinwasdelighted。Hedidnotyetdaretoexpresshisjoyfully,buthewasinafeverofexcitementasthoughaton-weighthadfallenoffhisheart。Nowhehadtherighttodevotehislifetothem,toservethem……Anythingmighthappennow!Buthefeltafraidtothinkoffurtherpossibilitiesanddarednotlethisimaginationrange。ButRaskolnikovsatstillinthesameplace,almostsullenandindifferent。ThoughhehadbeenthemostinsistentongettingridofLuzhin,heseemednowtheleastconcernedatwhathadhappened。Douniacouldnothelpthinkingthathewasstillangrywithher,andPulcheriaAlexandrovnawatchedhimtimidly。
　　“WhatdidSvidrigailovsaytoyou？”saidDounia,approachinghim。
　　“Yes,yes！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。
　　Raskolnikovraisedhishead。
　　“Hewantstomakeyouapresentoftenthousandroublesandhedesirestoseeyouonceinmypresence。“
　　“Seeher!Onnoaccount！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“Andhowdareheofferhermoney！”
　　ThenRaskolnikovrepeatedratherdrilyhisconversationwithSvidrigailov,omittinghisaccountoftheghostlyvisitationsofMarfaPetrovna,wishingtoavoidallunnecessarytalk。
　　“Whatanswerdidyougivehim？”askedDounia。
　　“AtfirstIsaidIwouldnottakeanymessagetoyou。Thenhesaidthathewoulddohisutmosttoobtainaninterviewwithyouwithoutmyhelp。Heassuredmethathispassionforyouwasapassinginfatuation,nowhehasnofeelingforyou。Hedoesn'twantyoutomarryLuzhin……Histalkwasaltogetherrathermuddled。“
　　“Howdoyouexplainhimtoyourself,Rodya?Howdidhestrikeyou？”
　　“ImustconfessIdon'tquiteunderstandhim。Heoffersyoutenthousand,andyetsaysheisnotwelloff。Hesaysheisgoingaway,andintenminutesheforgetshehassaidit。Thenhesaysishegoingtobemarriedandhasalreadyfixedonthegirl……Nodoubthehasamotive,andprobablyabadone。Butit'soddthatheshouldbesoclumsyaboutitifhehadanydesignsagainstyou……Ofcourse,I
　　refusedthismoneyonyouraccount,onceforall。Altogether,I
　　thoughthimverystrange……Onemightalmostthinkhewasmad。ButImaybemistaken;thatmayonlybethepartheassumes。ThedeathofMarfaPetrovnaseemstohavemadeagreatimpressiononhim。“
　　“Godresthersoul,“exclaimedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。“Ishallalways,alwaysprayforher!Whereshouldwebenow,Dounia,withoutthisthreethousand!It'sasthoughithadfallenfromheaven!Why,Rodya,thismorningwehadonlythreeroublesinourpocketandDouniaandIwerejustplanningtopawnherwatch,soastoavoidborrowingfromthatmanuntilheofferedhelp。“
　　DouniaseemedstrangelyimpressedbySvidrigailov'soffer。Shestillstoodmeditating。
　　“Hehasgotsometerribleplan,“shesaidinahalfwhispertoherself,almostshuddering。
　　Raskolnikovnoticedthisdisproportionateterror。
　　“IfancyIshallhavetoseehimmorethanonceagain,“hesaidtoDounia。
　　“Wewillwatchhim!Iwilltrackhimout！”criedRazumihin,vigorously。“Iwon'tlosesightofhim。Rodyahasgivenmeleave。Hesaidtomehimselfjustnow。'Takecareofmysister。'Willyougivemeleave,too,AvdotyaRomanovna？”
　　Douniasmiledandheldoutherhand,butthelookofanxietydidnotleaveherface。PulcheriaAlexandrovnagazedathertimidly,butthethreethousandroubleshadobviouslyasoothingeffectonher。
　　Aquarterofanhourlater,theywereallengagedinalivelyconversation。EvenRaskolnikovlistenedattentivelyforsometime,thoughhedidnottalk。Razumihinwasthespeaker。
　　“Andwhy,whyshouldyougoaway？”heflowedonecstatically。“Andwhatareyoutodoinalittletown?Thegreatthingis,youareallheretogetherandyouneedoneanother-youdoneedoneanother,believeme。Foratime,anyway……TakemeintopartnershipandI
　　assureyouwe'llplanacapitalenterprise。Listen!I'llexplainitallindetailtoyou,thewholeproject!Itallflashedintomyheadthismorning,beforeanythinghadhappened……Itellyouwhat;I
　　haveanuncle,Imustintroducehimtoyouamostaccommodatingandrespectableoldman。Thisunclehasgotacapitalofathousandroubles,andhelivesonhispensionandhasnoneedofthatmoney。
　　Forthelasttwoyearshehasbeenbotheringmetoborrowitfromhimandpayhimsixpercent。interest。Iknowwhatthatmeans;hesimplywantstohelpme。LastyearIhadnoneedofit,butthisyearIresolvedtoborrowitassoonashearrived。Thenyoulendmeanotherthousandofyourthreeandwehaveenoughforastart,sowe'llgointopartnership,andwhatarewegoingtodo？”
　　ThenRazumihinbegantounfoldhisproject,andheexplainedatlengththatalmostallourpublishersandbooksellersknownothingatallofwhattheyareselling,andforthatreasontheyareusuallybadpublishers,andthatanydecentpublicationspayasaruleandgiveaprofit,sometimesaconsiderableone。Razumihinhad,indeed,beendreamingofsettingupasapublisher。Forthelasttwoyearshehadbeenworkinginpublishers'offices,andknewthreeEuropeanlanguageswell,thoughhehadtoldRaskolnikovsixdaysbeforethathewas“schwach“inGermanwithanobjectofpersuadinghimtotakehalfhistranslationandhalfthepaymentforit。Hehadtoldalie,then,andRaskolnikovknewhewaslying。
　　“Why,whyshouldweletourchanceslipwhenwehaveoneofthechiefmeansofsuccess-moneyofourown！”criedRazumihinwarmly。“Ofcoursetherewillbealotofwork,butwewillwork,you,AvdotyaRomanovna,I,Rodion……Yougetasplendidprofitonsomebooksnowadays!Andthegreatpointofthebusinessisthatweshallknowjustwhatwantstranslating,andweshallbetranslating,publishing,learningallatonce。IcanbeofusebecauseIhaveexperience。FornearlytwoyearsI'vebeenscuttlingaboutamongthepublishers,andnowIknoweverydetailoftheirbusiness。Youneednotbeasainttomakepots,believeme!Andwhy,whyshouldweletourchanceslip!Why,Iknow-andIkeptthesecret-twoorthreebookswhichonemightgetahundredroublessimplyforthinkingoftranslatingandpublishing。Indeed,andIwouldnottakefivehundredfortheveryideaofoneofthem。Andwhatdoyouthink?IfIweretotellapublisher,Idaresayhe'dhesitate-theyaresuchblockheads!Andasforthebusinessside,printing,paper,selling,youtrusttome,Iknowmywayabout。We'llbegininasmallwayandgoontoalarge。Inanycaseitwillgetusourlivingandweshallgetbackourcapital。“
　　Dounia'seyesshone。
　　“Ilikewhatyouaresaying,DmitriProkofitch！”shesaid。
　　“Iknownothingaboutit,ofcourse,“putinPulcheriaAlexandrovna,“itmaybeagoodidea,butagainGodknows。It'snewanduntried。
　　Ofcourse,wemustremainhereatleastforatime。“ShelookedatRodya。
　　“Whatdoyouthink,brother？”saidDounia。
　　“Ithinkhe'sgotaverygoodidea,“heanswered。“Ofcourse,it'stoosoontodreamofapublishingfirm,butwecertainlymightbringoutfiveorsixbooksandbesureofsuccess。Iknowofonebookmyselfwhichwouldbesuretogowell。Andasforhisbeingabletomanageit,there'snodoubtaboutthateither。Heknowsthebusiness……Butwecantalkitoverlater……“
　　“Hurrah！”criedRazumihin。“Now,stay,there'saflathereinthishouse,belongingtothesameowner。It'saspecialflatapart,notcommunicatingwiththeselodgings。It'sfurnished,rentmoderate,threerooms。Supposeyoutakethemtobeginwith。I'llpawnyourwatchto-morrowandbringyouthemoney,andeverythingcanbearrangedthen。Youcanallthreelivetogether,andRodyawillbewithyou。Butwhereareyouoffto,Rodya？”
　　“What,Rodya,youaregoingalready？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaaskedindismay。
　　“Atsuchaminute？”criedRazumihin。
　　Dounialookedatherbrotherwithincredulouswonder。Heheldhiscapinhishand,hewaspreparingtoleavethem。
　　“Onewouldthinkyouwereburyingmeorsayinggood-byeforever,“
　　hesaidsomewhatoddly。Heattemptedtosmile,butitdidnotturnoutasmile。“Butwhoknows,perhapsitisthelasttimeweshallseeeachother……“heletslipaccidentally。Itwaswhathewasthinking,anditsomehowwasutteredaloud。
　　“Whatisthematterwithyou？”criedhismother。
　　“Whereareyougoing,Rodya？”askedDouniaratherstrangely。
　　“Oh,I'mquiteobligedto……“heansweredvaguely,asthoughhesitatingwhathewouldsay。Buttherewasalookofsharpdeterminationinhiswhiteface。
　　“Imeanttosay……asIwascominghere……Imeanttotellyou,mother,andyou,Dounia,thatitwouldbebetterforustopartforatime。Ifeelill,Iamnotatpeace……Iwillcomeafterwards,I
　　willcomeofmyself……whenit'spossible,Irememberyouandloveyou……Leaveme,leavemealone。Idecidedthisevenbefore……I'mabsolutelyresolvedonit。Whatevermaycometome,whetherIcometoruinornot,Iwanttobealone。Forgetmealtogether,it'sbetter。
　　Don'tinquireaboutme。WhenIcan,I'llcomeofmyselfor……I'llsendforyou。Perhapsitwillallcomeback,butnowifyouloveme,givemeup……elseIshallbegintohateyou,Ifeelit……Good-bye！”
　　“GoodGod！”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。Bothhismotherandhissisterwereterriblyalarmed。Razumihinwasalso。
　　“Rodya,Rodya,bereconciledwithus!Letusbeasbefore！”criedhispoormother。
　　Heturnedslowlytothedoorandslowlywentoutoftheroom。Douniaovertookhim。
　　“Brother,whatareyoudoingtomother？”shewhispered,hereyesflashingwithindignation。
　　Helookeddullyather。
　　“Nomatter,Ishallcome……I'mcoming,“hemutteredinanundertone,asthoughnotfullyconsciousofwhathewassaying,andhewentoutoftheroom。
　　“Wicked,heartlessegoist！”criedDounia。
　　“Heisinsane,butnotheartless。Heismad!Don'tyouseeit?
　　You'reheartlessafterthat！”Razumihinwhisperedinherear,squeezingherhandtightly。“Ishallbebackdirectly,“heshoutedtothehorror-strickenmother,andheranoutoftheroom。
　　Raskolnikovwaswaitingforhimattheendofthepassage。
　　“Iknewyouwouldrunafterme,“hesaid。“Gobacktothem-bewiththem……bewiththemto-morrowandalways……I……perhapsI
　　shallcome……ifIcan。Good-bye。“
　　Andwithoutholdingouthishandhewalkedaway。
　　“Butwhereareyougoing?Whatareyoudoing?What'sthematterwithyou?Howcanyougoonlikethis？”Razumihinmuttered,athiswits'
　　end。
　　Raskolnikovstoppedoncemore。
　　“Onceforall,neveraskmeaboutanything。Ihavenothingtotellyou。Don'tcometoseeme。MaybeI'llcomehere……Leaveme,butdon'tleavethem。Doyouunderstandme？”
　　Itwasdarkinthecorridor,theywerestandingnearthelamp。Foraminutetheywerelookingatoneanotherinsilence。Razumihinrememberedthatminuteallhislife。Raskolnikov'sburningandintenteyesgrewmorepenetratingeverymoment,piercingintohissoul,intohisconsciousness。SuddenlyRazumihinstarted。Somethingstrange,asitwere,passedbetweenthem……Someidea,somehintasitwere,slipped,somethingawful,hideous,andsuddenlyunderstoodonbothsides……Razumihinturnedpale。
　　“Doyouunderstandnow？”saidRaskolnikov,hisfacetwitchingnervously。“Goback,gotothem,“hesaidsuddenly,andturningquickly,hewentoutofthehouse。
　　IwillnotattempttodescribehowRazumihinwentbacktotheladies,howhesoothedthem,howheprotestedthatRodyaneededrestinhisillness,protestedthatRodyawassuretocome,thathewouldcomeeveryday,thathewasvery,verymuchupset,thathemustnotbeirritated,thathe,Razumihin,wouldwatchoverhim,wouldgethimadoctor,thebestdoctor,aconsultation……InfactfromthateveningRazumihintookhisplacewiththemasasonandabrother。
　　ChapterFourRASKOLNIKOVWENTstraighttothehouseonthecanalbankwhereSonialived。Itwasanoldgreenhouseofthreestoreys。HefoundtheporterandobtainedfromhimvaguedirectionsastothewhereaboutsofKapernaumov,thetailor。Havingfoundinthecornerofthecourtyardtheentrancetothedarkandnarrowstaircase,hemountedtothesecondfloorandcameoutintoagallerythatranroundthewholesecondstoreyovertheyard。Whilehewaswanderinginthedarkness,uncertainwheretoturnforKapernaumov'sdoor,adooropenedthreepacesfromhim;hemechanicallytookholdofit。
　　“Whoisthere？”awoman'svoiceaskeduneasily。
　　“It'sI……cometoseeyou,“answeredRaskolnikovandhewalkedintothetinyentry。
　　Onabrokenchairstoodacandleinabatteredcoppercandlestick。
　　“It'syou!Goodheavens！”criedSoniaweaklyandshestoodrootedtothespot。
　　“Whichisyourroom?Thisway？”andRaskolnikov,tryingnottolookather,hastenedin。
　　AminutelaterSonia,too,cameinwiththecandle,setdownthecandlestickand,completelydisconcerted,stoodbeforehiminexpressiblyagitatedandapparentlyfrightenedbyhisunexpectedvisit。Thecolourrushedsuddenlytoherpalefaceandtearscameintohereyes……Shefeltsickandashamedandhappy,too……Raskolnikovturnedawayquicklyandsatonachairbythetable。Hescannedtheroominarapidglance。
　　Itwasalargebutexceedinglow-pitchedroom,theonlyoneletbytheKapernaumovs,towhoseroomsacloseddoorledinthewallontheleft。Intheoppositesideontherighthandwallwasanotherdoor,alwayskeptlocked。Thatledtothenextflat,whichformedaseparatelodging。Sonia'sroomlookedlikeabarn;itwasaveryirregularquadrangleandthisgaveitagrotesqueappearance。Awallwiththreewindowslookingoutontothecanalranaslantsothatonecornerformedaveryacuteangle,anditwasdifficulttoseeinitwithoutverystronglight。Theothercornerwasdisproportionatelyobtuse。Therewasscarcelyanyfurnitureinthebigroom：inthecornerontherightwasabedstead,besideit,nearestthedoor,achair。Aplain,dealtablecoveredbyablueclothstoodagainstthesamewall,closetothedoorintotheotherflat。Tworush-bottomchairsstoodbythetable。Ontheoppositewallneartheacuteanglestoodasmallplainwoodenchestofdrawerslooking,asitwere,lostinadesert。Thatwasalltherewasintheroom。Theyellow,scratchedandshabbywall-paperwasblackinthecorners。Itmusthavebeendampandfulloffumesinthewinter。Therewaseverysignofpoverty;eventhebedsteadhadnocurtain。
　　Sonialookedinsilenceathervisitor,whowassoattentivelyandunceremoniouslyscrutinisingherroom,andevenbeganatlasttotremblewithterror,asthoughshewasstandingbeforeherjudgeandthearbiterofherdestinies。
　　“Iamlate……eleven,isn'tit？”heasked,stillnotliftinghiseyes。
　　“Yes,“mutteredSonia,“oh,yes,itis,“sheadded,hastily,asthoughinthatlayhermeansofescape。“Mylandlady'sclockhasjuststruck……Ihearditmyself……“
　　“I'vecometoyouforthelasttime,“Raskolnikovwentongloomily,althoughthiswasthefirsttime。“Imayperhapsnotseeyouagain……“
　　“Areyou……goingaway？”
　　“Idon'tknow……to-morrow……“
　　“ThenyouarenotcomingtoKaterinaIvanovnato-morrow？”Sonia'svoiceshook。
　　“Idon'tknow。Ishallknowto-morrowmorning……Nevermindthat：
　　I'vecometosayoneword……“
　　Heraisedhisbroodingeyestoherandsuddenlynoticedthathewassittingdownwhileshewasallthewhilestandingbeforehim。
　　“Whyareyoustanding?Sitdown,“hesaidinachangedvoice,gentleandfriendly。
　　Shesatdown。Helookedkindlyandalmostcompassionatelyather。
　　“Howthinyouare!Whatahand!Quitetransparent,likeadeadhand。“
　　Hetookherhand。Soniasmiledfaintly。
　　“Ihavealwaysbeenlikethat,“shesaid。
　　“Evenwhenyoulivedathome？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Ofcourse,youwere,“headdedabruptlyandtheexpressionofhisfaceandthesoundofhisvoicechangedagainsuddenly。
　　Helookedroundhimoncemore。
　　“YourentthisroomfromtheKapernaumovs？”
　　“Yes……“
　　“Theylivethere,throughthatdoor？”
　　“Yes……Theyhaveanotherroomlikethis。“
　　“Allinoneroom？”
　　“Yes。“
　　“Ishouldbeafraidinyourroomatnight,“heobservedgloomily。
　　“Theyareverygoodpeople,verykind,“answeredSonia,whostillseemedbewildered,“andallthefurniture,everything……everythingistheirs。Andtheyareverykindandthechildren,too,oftencometoseeme。“
　　“Theyallstammer,don'tthey？”
　　“Yes……Hestammersandhe'slame。Andhiswife,too……It'snotexactlythatshestammers,butshecan'tspeakplainly。Sheisaverykindwoman。Andheusedtobeahouseserf。Andtherearesevenchildren……andit'sonlytheeldestonethatstammersandtheothersaresimplyill……buttheydon'tstammer……Butwheredidyouhearaboutthem？”sheaddedwithsomesurprise。
　　“Yourfathertoldme,then。Hetoldmeallaboutyou……Andhowyouwentoutatsixo'clockandcamebackatnineandhowKaterinaIvanovnakneltdownbyyourbed。“
　　Soniawasconfused。
　　“IfanciedIsawhimto-day,“shewhisperedhesitatingly。
　　“Whom？”
　　“Father。Iwaswalkinginthestreet,outthereatthecorner,aboutteno'clockandheseemedtobewalkinginfront。Itlookedjustlikehim。IwantedtogotoKaterinaIvanovna……“
　　“Youwerewalkinginthestreets？”
　　“Yes,“Soniawhisperedabruptly,againovercomewithconfusionandlookingdown。
　　“KaterinaIvanovnausedtobeatyou,Idaresay？”
　　“Ohno,whatareyousaying?No！”Sonialookedathimalmostwithdismay。
　　“Youloveher,then？”
　　“Loveher?Ofcourse！”saidSoniawithplaintiveemphasis,andsheclaspedherhandsindistress。“Ah,youdon't……Ifyouonlyknew!
　　Yousee,sheisquitelikeachild……Hermindisquiteunhinged,yousee……fromsorrow。Andhowcleversheusedtobe……howgenerous……
　　howkind!Ah,youdon'tunderstand,youdon'tunderstand！”
　　Soniasaidthisasthoughindespair,wringingherhandsinexcitementanddistress。Herpalecheeksflushed,therewasalookofanguishinhereyes。Itwasclearthatshewasstirredtotheverydepths,thatshewaslongingtospeak,tochampion,toexpresssomething。Asortofinsatiablecompassion,ifonemaysoexpressit,wasreflectedineveryfeatureofherface。
　　“Beatme!howcanyou?Goodheavens,beatme!Andifshedidbeatme,whatthen?Whatofit?Youknownothing,nothingaboutit……
　　Sheissounhappy……ah,howunhappy!Andill……Sheisseekingrighteousness,sheispure。Shehassuchfaiththattheremustberighteousnesseverywhereandsheexpectsit……Andifyouweretotortureher,shewouldn'tdowrong。Shedoesn'tseethatit'simpossibleforpeopletoberighteousandsheisangryatit。Likeachild,likeachild。Sheisgood！”
　　“Andwhatwillhappentoyou？”
　　Sonialookedathiminquiringly。
　　“Theyareleftonyourhands,yousee。Theywereallonyourhandsbefore,though……Andyourfathercametoyoutobegfordrink。Well,howwillitbenow？”
　　“Idon'tknow,“Soniaarticulatedmournfully。
　　“Willtheystaythere？”
　　“Idon'tknow……Theyareindebtforthelodging,butthelandlady,Ihear,saidto-daythatshewantedtogetridofthem,andKaterinaIvanovnasaysthatshewon'tstayanotherminute。“
　　“Howisitsheissobold?Shereliesuponyou？”
　　“Oh,no,don'ttalklikethat……Weareone,welivelikeone。“
　　Soniawasagitatedagainandevenangry,asthoughacanaryorsomeotherlittlebirdweretobeangry。“Andwhatcouldshedo?What,whatcouldshedo？”shepersisted,gettinghotandexcited。“Andhowshecriedto-day!Hermindisunhinged,haven'tyounoticedit?Atoneminutesheisworryinglikeachildthateverythingshouldberightto-morrow,thelunchandallthat……Thensheiswringingherhands,spittingblood,weeping,andallatonceshewillbeginknockingherheadagainstthewall,indespair。Thenshewillbecomfortedagain。Shebuildsallherhopesonyou;shesaysthatyouwillhelphernowandthatshewillborrowalittlemoneysomewhereandgotohernativetownwithmeandsetupaboardingschoolforthedaughtersofgentlemenandtakemetosuperintendit,andwewillbeginanewsplendidlife。Andshekissesandhugsme,comfortsme,andyouknowshehassuchfaith,suchfaithinherfancies!Onecan'tcontradicther。Andallthedaylongshehasbeenwashing,cleaning,mending。Shedraggedthewashtubintotheroomwithherfeeblehandsandsankonthebed,gaspingforbreath。WewentthismorningtotheshopstobuyshoesforPolenkaandLidafortheirsarequitewornout。Onlythemoneywe'dreckonedwasn'tenough,notnearlyenough。Andshepickedoutsuchdearlittleboots,forshehastaste,youdon'tknow。Andthereintheshopsheburstoutcryingbeforetheshopmenbecauseshehadn'tenough……Ah,itwassadtoseeher……“
　　“Well,afterthatIcanunderstandyourlivinglikethis,“
　　Raskolnikovsaidwithabittersmile。
　　“Andaren'tyousorryforthem?Aren'tyousorry？”Soniaflewathimagain。“Why,Iknow,yougaveyourlastpennyyourself,thoughyou'dseennothingofit,andifyou'dseeneverything,ohdear!Andhowoften,howoftenI'vebroughthertotears!Onlylastweek!Yes,I!
　　Onlyaweekbeforehisdeath。Iwascruel!AndhowoftenI'vedoneit!
　　Ah,I'vebeenwretchedatthethoughtofitallday！”
　　Soniawrungherhandsasshespokeatthepainofrememberingit。
　　“Youwerecruel？”
　　“Yes,I-I。Iwenttoseethem,“shewenton,weeping,“andfathersaid,'readmesomething,Sonia,myheadaches,readtome,here'sabook。'HehadabookhehadgotfromAndreySemyonovitchLebeziatnikov,helivesthere,healwaysusedtogetholdofsuchfunnybooks。AndIsaid,'Ican'tstay,'asIdidn'twanttoread,andI'dgoneinchieflytoshowKaterinaIvanovnasomecollars。