第8章

Becausewewerealone,utterlyalone,“shesaidplaintivelyandstoppedshort,suddenly,recollectingitwasstillsomewhatdangeroustospeakofPyotrPetrovitch,although“wearequitehappyagain。“ “Yes,yes……Ofcourseit\'sveryannoying……“Raskolnikovmutteredinreply,butwithsuchapreoccupiedandinattentiveairthatDouniagazedathiminperplexity。 “WhatelsewasitIwantedtosay,“hewentontryingtorecollect。“Oh,yes;mother,andyoutoo,Dounia,pleasedon\'tthinkthatIdidn\'tmeantocomeandseeyouto-dayandwaswaitingforyoutocomefirst。“ “Whatareyousaying,Rodya？”criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。She,too,wassurprised。 “Isheansweringusasaduty？”Douniawondered。“Ishebeingreconciledandaskingforgivenessasthoughhewereperformingariteorrepeatingalesson？” “I\'veonlyjustwakedup,andwantedtogotoyou,butwasdelayedowingtomyclothes;Iforgotyesterdaytoaskher……Nastasya……towashouttheblood……I\'veonlyjustdressed。“ “Blood!Whatblood？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnaaskedinalarm。 “Oh,nothing-don\'tbeuneasy。ItwaswhenIwaswanderingaboutyesterday,ratherdelirious,Ichanceduponamanwhohadbeenrunover……aclerk……“ “Delirious?Butyouremembereverything！”Razumihininterrupted。 “That\'strue,“Raskolnikovansweredwithspecialcarefulness。“I remembereverythingeventotheslightestdetail,andyet-whyIdidthatandwentthereandsaidthat,Ican\'tclearlyexplainnow。“ “Afamiliarphenomenon,“interposedZossimov,“actionsaresometimesperformedinamasterlyandmostcunningway,whilethedirectionoftheactionsisderangedanddependentonvariousmorbidimpressions- it\'slikeadream。“ “Perhapsit\'sagoodthingreallythatheshouldthinkmealmostamadman,“thoughtRaskolnikov。 “Why,peopleinperfecthealthactinthesamewaytoo,“observedDounia,lookinguneasilyatZossimov。 “Thereissometruthinyourobservation,“thelatterreplied。“Inthatsensewearecertainlyallnotinfrequentlylikemadmen,butwiththeslightdifferencethatthederangedaresomewhatmadder,forwemustdrawaline。Anormalman,itistrue,hardlyexists。Amongdozens-perhapshundredsofthousands-hardlyoneistobemetwith。“ Attheword“madman,“carelesslydroppedbyZossimovinhischatteronhisfavouritesubject,everyonefrowned。 Raskolnikovsatseemingnottopayattention,plungedinthoughtwithastrangesmileonhispalelips。Hewasstillmeditatingonsomething。 “Well,whataboutthemanwhowasrunover?Iinterruptedyou！” Razumihincriedhastily。 “What？”Raskolnikovseemedtowakeup。“Oh……Igotspatteredwithbloodhelpingtocarryhimtohislodging。Bytheway,mamma,Ididanunpardonablethingyesterday。Iwasliterallyoutofmymind。Igaveawayallthemoneyyousentme……tohiswifeforthefuneral。She\'sawidownow,inconsumption,apoorcreature……threelittlechildren,starving……nothinginthehouse……there\'sadaughter,too……perhapsyou\'dhavegivenityourselfifyou\'dseenthem。ButIhadnorighttodoitIadmit,especiallyasIknewhowyouneededthemoneyyourself。 Tohelpothersonemusthavetherighttodoit,orelseCrevez,chiens,sivousn\'etespascontents。“Helaughed,“That\'sright,isn\'tit,Dounia？” “No,it\'snot,“answeredDouniafirmly。 “Bah!you,too,haveideals,“hemuttered,lookingatheralmostwithhatred,andsmilingsarcastically。“Ioughttohaveconsideredthat……Well,that\'spraiseworthy,andit\'sbetterforyou……andifyoureachalineyouwon\'toverstep,youwillbeunhappy……andifyouoverstepit,maybeyouwillbestillunhappier……Butallthat\'snonsense,“headdedirritably,vexedatbeingcarriedaway。 “IonlymeanttosaythatIbegyourforgiveness,mother,“heconcluded,shortlyandabruptly。 “That\'senough,Rodya,Iamsurethateverythingyoudoisverygood,“saidhismother,delighted。 “Don\'tbetoosure,“heanswered,twistinghismouthintoasmile。 Asilencefollowed。Therewasacertainconstraintinallthisconversation,andinthesilence,andinthereconciliation,andintheforgiveness,andallwerefeelingit。 “Itisasthoughtheywereafraidofme,“Raskolnikovwasthinkingtohimself,lookingaskanceathismotherandsister。PulcheriaAlexandrovnawasindeedgrowingmoretimidthelongershekeptsilent。 “YetintheirabsenceIseemedtolovethemsomuch,“flashedthroughhismind。 “Doyouknow,Rodya,MarfaPetrovnaisdead,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnasuddenlyblurtedout。 “WhatMarfaPetrovna？” “Oh,mercyonus-MarfaPetrovnaSvidrigailov。Iwroteyousomuchabouther。“ “A-a-h!Yes,Iremember……Soshe\'sdead!Oh,really？”herousedhimselfsuddenly,asifwakingup。“Whatdidshedieof？” “Onlyimagine,quitesuddenly,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnaansweredhurriedly,encouragedbyhiscuriosity。“OntheverydayIwassendingyouthatletter!Wouldyoubelieveit,thatawfulmanseemstohavebeenthecauseofherdeath。Theysayhebeatherdreadfully。“ “Why,weretheyonsuchbadterms？”heasked,addressinghissister。 “Notatall。Quitethecontraryindeed。Withher,hewasalwaysverypatient,considerateeven。Infact,allthosesevenyearsoftheirmarriedlifehegavewaytoher,toomuchsoindeed,inmanycases。 Allofasuddenheseemstohavelostpatience。“ “Thenhecouldnothavebeensoawfulifhecontrolledhimselfforsevenyears?Youseemtobedefendinghim,Dounia？” “No,no,he\'sanawfulman!Icanimaginenothingmoreawful！” Douniaanswered,almostwithashudder,knittingherbrows,andsinkingintothought。 “Thathadhappenedinthemorning,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnawentonhurriedly。“Anddirectlyafterwardssheorderedthehorsestobeharnessedtodrivetothetownimmediatelyafterdinner。Shealwaysusedtodrivetothetowninsuchcases。Sheateaverygooddinner,I amtold……“ “Afterthebeating？” “Thatwasalwaysher……habit;andimmediatelyafterdinner,soasnottobelateinstarting,shewenttothebathhouse……Yousee,shewasundergoingsometreatmentwithbaths。Theyhaveacoldspringthere,andsheusedtobatheinitregularlyeveryday,andnosoonerhadshegotintothewaterwhenshesuddenlyhadastroke！” “Ishouldthinkso,“saidZossimov。 “Anddidhebeatherbadly？” “Whatdoesthatmatter！”putinDounia。 “H\'m!ButIdon\'tknowwhyyouwanttotellussuchgossip,mother,“ saidRaskolnikovirritably,asitwereinspiteofhimself。 “Ah,mydear,Idon\'tknowwhattotalkabout,“brokefromPulcheriaAlexandrovna。 “Why,areyouallafraidofme？”heasked,withaconstrainedsmile。 “That\'scertainlytrue,“saidDounia,lookingdirectlyandsternlyatherbrother。“Motherwascrossingherselfwithterrorasshecameupthestairs。“ Hisfaceworked,asthoughinconvulsion。 “Ach,whatareyousaying,Dounia!Don\'tbeangry,please,Rodya…… Whydidyousaythat,Dounia？”PulcheriaAlexandrovnabegan,overwhelmed-“Yousee,cominghere,Iwasdreamingalltheway,inthetrain,howweshouldmeet,howweshouldtalkovereverythingtogether……AndIwassohappy,Ididnotnoticethejourney!ButwhatamIsaying?Iamhappynow……Youshouldnot,Dounia……Iamhappynow-simplyinseeingyou,Rodya……“ “Hush,mother,“hemutteredinconfusion,notlookingather,butpressingherhand。“Weshallhavetimetospeakfreelyofeverything！” Ashesaidthis,hewassuddenlyoverwhelmedwithconfusionandturnedpale。Againthatawfulsensationhehadknownoflatepassedwithdeadlychilloverhissoul。Againitbecamesuddenlyplainandperceptibletohimthathehadjusttoldafearfullie-thathewouldnevernowbeabletospeakfreelyofeverything-thathewouldneveragainbeabletospeakofanythingtoanyone。Theanguishofthisthoughtwassuchthatforamomenthealmostforgothimself。Hegotupfromhisseat,andnotlookingatanyonewalkedtowardsthedoor。 “Whatareyouabout？”criedRazumihin,clutchinghimbythearm。 Hesatdownagain,andbeganlookingabouthim,insilence。Theywerealllookingathiminperplexity。 “Butwhatareyouallsodullfor？”heshouted,suddenlyandquiteunexpectedly。“Dosaysomething!What\'stheuseofsittinglikethis?Come,dospeak。Letustalk……Wemeettogetherandsitinsilence……Come,anything！” “ThankGod;Iwasafraidthesamethingasyesterdaywasbeginningagain,“saidPulcheriaAlexandrovna,crossingherself。 “Whatisthematter,Rodya？”askedAvdotyaRomanovna,distrustfully。 “Oh,nothing!Irememberedsomething,“heanswered,andsuddenlylaughed。 “Well,ifyourememberedsomething;that\'sallright!……Iwasbeginningtothink……“mutteredZossimov,gettingupfromthesofa。 “Itistimeformetobeoff。Iwilllookinagainperhaps……ifI can……“Hemadehisbows,andwentout。 “Whatanexcellentman！”observedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。 “Yes,excellent,splendid,well-educated,intelligent,“ Raskolnikovbegan,suddenlyspeakingwithsurprisingrapidity,andalivelinesshehadnotshowntillthen。“Ican\'trememberwhereImethimbeforemyillness……IbelieveIhavemethimsomewhere……Andthisisagoodman,too,“henoddedatRazumihin。“Doyoulikehim,Dounia？”heaskedher;andsuddenly,forsomeunknownreason,laughed。 “Verymuch,“answeredDounia。 “Foo-whatapigyouare,“Razumihinprotested,blushinginterribleconfusion,andhegotupfromhischair。PulcheriaAlexandrovnasmiledfaintly,butRaskolnikovlaughedaloud。 “Whereareyouoffto？” “Imustgo。“ “Youneednotatall。Stay。Zossimovhasgone,soyoumust。Don\'tgo。What\'sthetime?Isittwelveo\'clock?Whataprettywatchyouhavegot,Dounia。Butwhyareyouallsilentagain?Idoallthetalking。“ “ItwasapresentfromMarfaPetrovna,“answeredDounia。 “Andaveryexpensiveone！”addedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。 “A-ah!Whatabigone!Hardlylikealady\'s。“ “Ilikethatsort,“saidDounia。 “Soitisnotapresentfromherfiance,“thoughtRazumihin,andwasunreasonablydelighted。 “IthoughtitwasLuzhin\'spresent,“observedRaskolnikov。 “No,hehasnotmadeDouniaanypresentsyet。“ “A-ah!Anddoyouremember,mother,Iwasinloveandwantedtogetmarried？”hesaidsuddenly,lookingathismother,whowasdisconcertedbythesuddenchangeofsubjectandthewayhespokeofit。 “Oh,yes,mydear。“ PulcheriaAlexandrovnaexchangedglanceswithDouniaandRazumihin。 “H\'m,yes。WhatshallItellyou?Idon\'tremembermuchindeed。 Shewassuchasicklygirl,“hewenton,growingdreamyandlookingdownagain。“Quiteaninvalid。Shewasfondofgivingalmstothepoor,andwasalwaysdreamingofanunnery,andoncesheburstintotearswhenshebegantalkingtomeaboutit。Yes,yes,Iremember。I rememberverywell。Shewasanuglylittlething。Ireallydon\'tknowwhatdrewmetoherthen-Ithinkitwasbecauseshewasalwaysill。Ifshehadbeenlameorhunchback,IbelieveIshouldhavelikedherbetterstill,“hesmileddreamily。“Yes,itwasasortofspringdelirium。“ “No,itwasnotonlyspringdelirium,“saidDounia,withwarmfeeling。 Hefixedastrainedintentlookonhissister,butdidnothearordidnotunderstandherwords。Then,completelylostinthought,hegotup,wentuptohismother,kissedher,wentbacktohisplaceandsatdown。 “Youloveherevennow？”saidPulcheriaAlexandrovna,touched。 “Her?Now?Oh,yes……Youaskabouther?No……that\'sallnowasitwere,inanotherworld……andsolongago。Andindeedeverythinghappeninghereseemssomehowfaraway。“Helookedattentivelyatthem。 “Younow……Iseemtobelookingatyoufromathousandmilesaway……but,goodnessknowswhywearetalkingofthat!Andwhat\'stheuseofaskingaboutit,“headdedwithannoyance,andbitinghisnails,hefellintodreamysilenceagain。 “Whatawretchedlodgingyouhave,Rodya!It\'slikeatomb,“saidPulcheriaAlexandrovna,suddenlybreakingtheoppressivesilence。“I amsureit\'squitehalfthroughyourlodgingyouhavebecomesomelancholy。“ “Mylodging,“heanswered,listlessly。“Yes,thelodginghadagreatdealtodowithit……Ithoughtthat,too……Ifonlyyouknew,though,whatastrangethingyousaidjustnow,mother,“hesaid,laughingstrangely。 Alittlemore,andtheircompanionship,thismotherandthissister,withhimafterthreeyears\'absence,thisintimatetoneofconversation,infaceoftheutterimpossibilityofreallyspeakingaboutanything,wouldhavebeenbeyondhispowerofendurance。Buttherewasoneurgentmatterwhichmustbesettledonewayortheotherthatday-sohehaddecidedwhenhewoke。Nowhewasgladtorememberit,asameansofescape。 “Listen,Dounia,“hebegan,gravelyanddrily,“ofcourseIbegyourpardonforyesterday,butIconsideritmydutytotellyouagainthatIdonotwithdrawfrommychiefpoint。ItismeorLuzhin。IfIamascoundrel,youmustnotbe。Oneisenough。IfyoumarryLuzhin,I ceaseatoncetolookonyouasasister。“ “Rodya,Rodya!Itisthesameasyesterdayagain,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnacried,mournfully。“Andwhydoyoucallyourselfascoundrel?Ican\'tbearit。Yousaidthesameyesterday。“ “Brother,“Douniaansweredfirmlyandwiththesamedryness。“Inallthisthereisamistakeonyourpart。Ithoughtitoveratnight,andfoundoutthemistake。ItisallbecauseyouseemtofancyIamsacrificingmyselftosomeoneandforsomeone。Thatisnotthecaseatall。Iamsimplymarryingformyownsake,becausethingsarehardforme。Though,ofcourse,IshallbegladifIsucceedinbeingusefultomyfamily。Butthatisnotthechiefmotiveformydecision……“ “Sheislying,“hethoughttohimself,bitinghisnailsvindictively。“Proudcreature!Shewon\'tadmitshewantstodoitoutofcharity!Toohaughty!Oh,basecharacters!Theyevenloveasthoughtheyhate……Oh,howI……hatethemall！” “Infact,“continuedDounia,“IammarryingPyotrPetrovitchbecauseoftwoevilsIchoosetheless。Iintendtodohonestlyallheexpectsofme,soIamnotdeceivinghim……Whydidyousmilejustnow？”She,too,flushed,andtherewasagleamofangerinhereyes。 “All？”heasked,withamalignantgrin。 “Withincertainlimits。BoththemannerandformofPyotrPetrovitch\'scourtshipshowedmeatoncewhathewanted。Hemay,ofcourse,thinktoowellofhimself,butIhopeheesteemsme,too…… Whyareyoulaughingagain？” “Andwhyareyoublushingagain?Youarelying,sister。Youareintentionallylying,simplyfromfeminineobstinacy,simplytoholdyourownagainstme……YoucannotrespectLuzhin。Ihaveseenhimandtalkedwithhim。Soyouaresellingyourselfformoney,andsoinanycaseyouareactingbasely,andIamgladatleastthatyoucanblushforit。“ “Itisnottrue。Iamnotlying,“criedDounia,losinghercomposure。“IwouldnotmarryhimifIwerenotconvincedthatheesteemsmeandthinkshighlyofme。IwouldnotmarryhimifIwerenotfirmlyconvincedthatIcanrespecthim。Fortunately,Icanhaveconvincingproofofitthisveryday……andsuchamarriageisnotavileness,asyousay!Andevenifyouwereright,ifIreallyhaddeterminedonavileaction,isitnotmercilessonyourparttospeaktomelikethat?Whydoyoudemandofmeaheroismthatperhapsyouhavenoteither?Itisdespotism;itistyranny。IfIruinanyone,itisonlymyself……Iamnotcommittingamurder。Whydoyoulookatmelikethat?Whyareyousopale?Rodya,darling,what\'sthematter？” “Goodheavens!Youhavemadehimfaint,“criedPulcheriaAlexandrovna。 “No,no,nonsense!It\'snothing。Alittlegiddiness-notfainting。 Youhavefaintingonthebrain。H\'m,yes,whatwasIsaying?Oh,yes。Inwhatwaywillyougetconvincingproofto-daythatyoucanrespecthim,andthathe……esteemsyou,asyousaid。Ithinkyousaidto-day？” “Mother,showRodyaPyotrPetrovitch\'sletter,“saidDounia。 Withtremblinghands,PulcheriaAlexandrovnagavehimtheletter。Hetookitwithgreatinterest,but,beforeopeningit,hesuddenlylookedwithasortofwonderatDounia。 “Itisstrange,“hesaid,slowly,asthoughstruckbyanewidea。 “WhatamImakingsuchafussfor?Whatisitallabout?Marrywhomyoulike！” Hesaidthisasthoughtohimself,butsaiditaloud,andlookedforsometimeathissister,asthoughpuzzled。Heopenedtheletteratlast,stillwiththesamelookofstrangewonderonhisface。Then,slowlyandattentively,hebeganreading,andreaditthroughtwice。 PulcheriaAlexandrovnashowedmarkedanxiety,andallindeedexpectedsomethingparticular。 “Whatsurprisesme,“hebegan,afterashortpause,handingthelettertohismother,butnotaddressinganyoneinparticular,“isthatheisabusinessman,alawyer,andhisconversationispretentiousindeed,andyethewritessuchanuneducatedletter。“ Theyallstarted。Theyhadexpectedsomethingquitedifferent。 “Buttheyallwritelikethat,youknow,“Razumihinobserved,abruptly。 “Haveyoureadit？” “Yes。“ “Weshowedhim,Rodya。We……consultedhimjustnow,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnabegan,embarrassed。 “That\'sjustthejargonofthecourts,“Razumihinputin。“Legaldocumentsarewrittenlikethattothisday。“ “Legal?Yes,it\'sjustlegal-businesslanguage-notsoveryuneducated,andnotquiteeducated-businesslanguage！” “PyotrPetrovitchmakesnosecretofthefactthathehadacheapeducation,heisproudindeedofhavingmadehisownway,“AvdotyaRomanovnaobserved,somewhatoffendedbyherbrother\'stone。 “Well,ifhe\'sproudofit,hehasreason,Idon\'tdenyit。Youseemtobeoffended,sister,atmymakingonlysuchafrivolouscriticismontheletter,andtothinkthatIspeakofsuchtriflingmattersonpurposetoannoyyou。Itisquitethecontrary,anobservationaproposofthestyleoccurredtomethatisbynomeansirrelevantasthingsstand。Thereisoneexpression,\'blameyourselves\'putinverysignificantlyandplainly,andthereisbesidesathreatthathewillgoawayatonceifIampresent。Thatthreattogoawayisequivalenttoathreattoabandonyoubothifyouaredisobedient,andtoabandonyounowaftersummoningyoutoPetersburg。Well,whatdoyouthink?CanoneresentsuchanexpressionfromLuzhin,asweshouldifhe(hepointedtoRazumihin)hadwrittenit,orZossimov,oroneofus？” “N-no,“answeredDounia,withmoreanimation。“Isawclearlythatitwastoonaivelyexpressed,andthatperhapshesimplyhasnoskillinwriting……thatisatruecriticism,brother。Ididnotexpect,indeed……“ “Itisexpressedinlegalstyle,andsoundscoarserthanperhapsheintended。ButImustdisillusionyoualittle。Thereisoneexpressionintheletter,oneslanderaboutme,andratheracontemptibleone。Igavethemoneylastnighttothewidow,awomaninconsumption,crushedwithtrouble,andnot\'onthepretextofthefuneral,\'butsimplytopayforthefuneral,andnottothedaughter-ayoungwoman,ashewrites,ofnotoriousbehaviour(whomIsawlastnightforthefirsttimeinmylife)-buttothewidow。 InallthisIseeatoohastydesiretoslandermeandtoraisedissensionbetweenus。Itisexpressedagaininlegaljargon,thatistosay,withatooobviousdisplayoftheaim,andwithaverynaiveeagerness。Heisamanofintelligence,buttoactsensibly,intelligenceisnotenough。Itallshowsthemanand……Idon\'tthinkhehasagreatesteemforyou。Itellyouthissimplytowarnyou,becauseIsincerelywishforyourgood……“ Douniadidnotreply。Herresolutionhadbeentaken。Shewasonlyawaitingtheevening。 “Thenwhatisyourdecision,Rodya？”askedPulcheriaAlexandrovna,whowasmoreuneasythaneveratthesudden,newbusinessliketoneofhistalk。 “Whatdecision？” “YouseePyotrPetrovitchwritesthatyouarenottobewithusthisevening,andthathewillgoawayifyoucome。Sowillyou……come？” “That,ofcourse,isnotformetodecide,butforyoufirst,ifyouarenotoffendedbysucharequest;andsecondly,byDounia,ifshe,too,isnotoffended。Iwilldowhatyouthinkbest,“headdeddrily。 “Douniahasalreadydecided,andIfullyagreewithher,“ PulcheriaAlexandrovnahastenedtodeclare。 “Idecidedtoaskyou,Rodya,tourgeyounottofailtobewithusatthisinterview,“saidDounia。“Willyoucome？” “Yes。“ “Iwillaskyou,too,tobewithusateighto\'clock,“shesaid,addressingRazumihin。“Mother,Iaminvitinghim,too。“ “Quiteright,Dounia。Well,sinceyouhavedecided,“addedPulcheriaAlexandrovna,“sobeit。Ishallfeeleasiermyself。Idonotlikeconcealmentanddeception。Betterletushavethewholetruth…… PyotrPetrovitchmaybeangryornot,now！” ChapterFourATTHATmomentthedoorwassoftlyopened,andayounggirlwalkedintotheroom,lookingtimidlyabouther。Everyoneturnedtowardsherwithsurpriseandcuriosity。Atfirstsight,Raskolnikovdidnotrecogniseher。ItwasSofyaSemyonovnaMarmeladov。Hehadseenheryesterdayforthefirsttime,butatsuchamoment,insuchsurroundingsandinsuchadress,thathismemoryretainedaverydifferentimageofher。Nowshewasamodestlyandpoorly-dressedyounggirl,veryyoung,indeedalmostlikeachild,withamodestandrefinedmanner,withacandidbutsomewhatfrightened-lookingface。Shewaswearingaveryplainindoordress,andhadonashabbyold-fashionedhat,butshestillcarriedaparasol。Unexpectedlyfindingtheroomfullofpeople,shewasnotsomuchembarrassedascompletelyoverwhelmedwithshyness,likealittlechild。Shewasevenabouttoretreat。“Oh……it\'syou！”saidRaskolnikov,extremelyastonished,andhe,too,wasconfused。HeatoncerecollectedthathismotherandsisterknewthroughLuzhin\'sletterof“someyoungwomanofnotoriousbehaviour。“HehadonlyjustbeenprotestingagainstLuzhin\'scalumnyanddeclaringthathehadseenthegirllastnightforthefirsttime,andsuddenlyshehadwalkedin。Heremembered,too,thathehadnotprotestedagainsttheexpression“ofnotoriousbehaviour。“Allthispassedvaguelyandfleetinglythroughhisbrain,butlookingathermoreintently,hesawthatthehumiliatedcreaturewassohumiliatedthathefeltsuddenlysorryforher。Whenshemadeamovementtoretreatinterror,itsentapangtohisheart。 “Ididnotexpectyou,“hesaid,hurriedly,withalookthatmadeherstop。“Pleasesitdown。Youcome,nodoubt,fromKaterinaIvanovna。Allowme-notthere。Sithere……“ AtSonia\'sentrance,Razumihin,whohadbeensittingononeofRaskolnikov\'sthreechairs,closetothedoor,gotuptoallowhertoenter。RaskolnikovhadatfirstshownhertheplaceonthesofawhereZossimovhadbeensitting,butfeelingthatthesofawhichservedhimasabed,wastoofamiliaraplace,hehurriedlymotionedhertoRazumihin\'schair。 “Yousithere,“hesaidtoRazumihin,puttinghimonthesofa。 Soniasatdown,almostshakingwithterror,andlookedtimidlyatthetwoladies。Itwasevidentlyalmostinconceivabletoherselfthatshecouldsitdownbesidethem。Atthethoughtofit,shewassofrightenedthatshehurriedlygotupagain,andinutterconfusionaddressedRaskolnikov。 “I……I……havecomeforoneminute。Forgivemefordisturbingyou,“ shebeganfalteringly。“IcomefromKaterinaIvanovna,andshehadnoonetosend。KaterinaIvanovnatoldmetobegyou……tobeattheservice……inthemorning……atMitrofanievsky……andthen……tous…… toher……todoherthehonour……shetoldmetobegyou……“Soniastammeredandceasedspeaking。 “Iwilltry,certainly,mostcertainly,“answeredRaskolnikov。He,too,stoodup,andhe,too,falteredandcouldnotfinishhissentence。“Pleasesitdown,“hesaid,suddenly。“Iwanttotalktoyou。Youareperhapsinahurry,butplease,besokind,sparemetwominutes,“andhedrewupachairforher。 Soniasatdownagain,andagaintimidlyshetookahurried,frightenedlookatthetwoladies,anddroppedhereyes。Raskolnikov\'spalefaceflushed,ashudderpassedoverhim,hiseyesglowed。 “Mother,“hesaid,firmlyandinsistently,“thisisSofyaSemyonovnaMarmeladov,thedaughterofthatunfortunateMr。Marmeladov,whowasrunoveryesterdaybeforemyeyes,andofwhomIwasjusttellingyou。“ PulcheriaAlexandrovnaglancedatSonia,andslightlyscreweduphereyes。InspiteofherembarrassmentbeforeRodya\'surgentandchallenginglook,shecouldnotdenyherselfthatsatisfaction。Douniagazedgravelyandintentlyintothepoorgirl\'sface,andscrutinisedherwithperplexity。Sonia,hearingherselfintroduced,triedtoraisehereyesagain,butwasmoreembarrassedthanever。 “Iwantedtoaskyou,“saidRaskolnikov,hastily,“howthingswerearrangedyesterday。Youwerenotworriedbythepolice,forinstance？” “No,thatwasallright……itwastooevident,thecauseofdeath…… theydidnotworryus……onlythelodgersareangry。“ “Why？” “Atthebody\'sremainingsolong。Youseeitishotnow。Sothat,to-day,theywillcarryittothecemetery,intothechapel,untilto-morrow。AtfirstKaterinaIvanovnawasunwilling,butnowsheseesherselfthatit\'snecessary……“ “To-day,then？” “Shebegsyoutodousthehonourtobeinthechurchto-morrowfortheservice,andthentobepresentatthefunerallunch。“ “Sheisgivingafunerallunch？” “Yes……justalittle……Shetoldmetothankyouverymuchforhelpingusyesterday。Butforyou,weshouldhavehadnothingforthefuneral。“ Allatonceherlipsandchinbegantrembling,but,withaneffort,shecontrolledherself,lookingdownagain。 Duringtheconversation,Raskolnikovwatchedhercarefully。Shehadathin,verythin,palelittleface,ratherirregularandangular,withasharplittlenoseandchin。Shecouldnothavebeencalledpretty,butherblueeyesweresoclear,andwhentheylightedup,therewassuchakindlinessandsimplicityinherexpressionthatonecouldnothelpbeingattracted。Herface,andherwholefigureindeed,hadanotherpeculiarcharacteristic。Inspiteofhereighteenyears,shelookedalmostalittlegirl-almostachild。Andinsomeofhergestures,thischildishnessseemedalmostabsurd。 “ButhasKaterinaIvanovnabeenabletomanagewithsuchsmallmeans?Doessheevenmeantohaveafunerallunch？”Raskolnikovasked,persistentlykeepinguptheconversation。 “Thecoffinwillbeplain,ofcourse……andeverythingwillbeplain,soitwon\'tcostmuch。KaterinaIvanovnaandIhavereckoneditallout,sothattherewillbeenoughleft……andKaterinaIvanovnawasveryanxiousitshouldbeso。Youknowonecan\'t……it\'sacomforttoher……sheislikethat,youknow……“ “Iunderstand,Iunderstand……ofcourse……whydoyoulookatmyroomlikethat?Mymotherhasjustsaiditislikeatomb。“ “Yougaveuseverythingyesterday,“Soniasaidsuddenly,inreply,inaloudrapidwhisper;andagainshelookeddowninconfusion。Herlipsandchinweretremblingoncemore。ShehadbeenstruckatoncebyRaskolnikov\'spoorsurroundings,andnowthesewordsbrokeoutspontaneously。Asilencefollowed。TherewasalightinDounia\'seyes,andevenPulcheriaAlexandrovnalookedkindlyatSonia。 “Rodya,“shesaid,gettingup,“weshallhavedinnertogether,ofcourse。Come,Dounia……Andyou,Rodya,hadbettergoforalittlewalk,andthenrestandliedownbeforeyoucometoseeus……Iamafraidwehaveexhaustedyou……“ “Yes,yes,I\'llcome,“heanswered,gettingupfussily。“ButI havesomethingtoseeto。“ “Butsurelyyouwillhavedinnertogether？”criedRazumihin,lookinginsurpriseatRaskolnikov。“Whatdoyoumean？” “Yes,yes,Iamcoming……ofcourse,ofcourse!Andyoustayaminute。Youdonotwanthimjustnow,doyou,mother?OrperhapsI amtakinghimfromyou？” “Oh,no,no。Andwillyou,DmitriProkofitch,dousthefavourofdiningwithus？” “Pleasedo,“addedDounia。 Razumihinbowed,positivelyradiant。Foronemoment,theywereallstrangelyembarrassed。 “Good-bye,Rodya,thatistillwemeet。Idonotlikesayinggood-bye。Good-bye,Nastasya。Ah,Ihavesaidgood-byeagain。“ PulcheriaAlexandrovnameanttogreetSonia,too;butitsomehowfailedtocomeoff,andshewentinaflutteroutoftheroom。 ButAvdotyaRomanovnaseemedtoawaitherturn,andfollowinghermotherout,gaveSoniaanattentive,courteousbow。Sonia,inconfusion,gaveahurried,frightenedcurtsy。Therewasalookofpoignantdiscomfortinherface,asthoughAvdotyaRomanovna\'scourtesyandattentionwereoppressiveandpainfultoher。 “Dounia,good-bye,“calledRaskolnikov,inthepassage。“Givemeyourhand。“ “Why,Ididgiveittoyou。Haveyouforgotten？”saidDounia,turningwarmlyandawkwardlytohim。 “Nevermind,giveittomeagain。“Andhesqueezedherfingerswarmly。 Douniasmiled,flushed,pulledherhandaway,andwentoffquitehappy。 “Come,that\'scapital,“hesaidtoSonia,goingbackandlookingbrightlyather。“Godgivepeacetothedead,thelivinghavestilltolive。Thatisright,isn\'tit？” Sonialookedsurprisedatthesuddenbrightnessofhisface。Helookedatherforsomemomentsinsilence。Thewholehistoryofthedeadfatherfloatedbeforehismemoryinthosemoments- “Heavens,Dounia,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnabegan,assoonastheywereinthestreet,“Ireallyfeelrelievedmyselfatcomingaway- moreatease。HowlittledidIthinkyesterdayinthetrainthatI couldeverbegladofthat。“ “Itellyouagain,mother,heisstillveryill。Don\'tyouseeit? Perhapsworryingaboutusupsethim。Wemustbepatient,andmuch,muchcanbeforgiven。“ “Well,youwerenotverypatient！”PulcheriaAlexandrovnacaughtherup,hotlyandjealously。“Doyouknow,Dounia,Iwaslookingatyoutwo。Youaretheveryportraitofhim,andnotsomuchinfaceasinsoul。Youarebothmelancholy,bothmoroseandhottempered,bothhaughtyandbothgenerous……Surelyhecan\'tbeanegoist,Dounia。 Eh?WhenIthinkofwhatisinstoreforusthisevening,myheartsinks！” “Don\'tbeuneasy,mother。Whatmustbe,willbe。“ “Dounia,onlythinkwhatapositionwearein!WhatifPyotrPetrovitchbreaksitoff？”poorPulcheriaAlexandrovnablurtedout,incautiously。 “Hewon\'tbeworthmuchifhedoes,“answeredDounia,sharplyandcontemptuously。 “Wedidwelltocomeaway,“PulcheriaAlexandrovnahurriedlybrokein。“Hewasinahurryaboutsomebusinessorother。Ifhegetsoutandhasabreathofair……itisfearfullycloseinhisroom……Butwhereisonetogetabreathofairhere。Theverystreetsherefeellikeshut-uprooms。Goodheavens!whatatown!……stay……thisside…… theywillcrushyou-carryingsomething。Why,itisapianotheyhavegot,Ideclare……howtheypush……Iamverymuchafraidofthatyoungwoman,too。“ “Whatyoungwoman,mother? “Why,thatSofyaSemyonovna,whowastherejustnow。“ “Why？” “Ihaveapresentiment,Dounia。Well,youmaybelieveitornot,butassoonasshecamein,thatveryminute,Ifeltthatshewasthechiefcauseofthetrouble……“ “Nothingofthesort！”criedDounia,invexation。“Whatnonsense,withyourpresentiments,mother!Heonlymadeheracquaintancetheeveningbefore,andhedidnotknowherwhenshecamein。“ “Well,youwillsee……Sheworriesme;butyouwillsee,youwillsee!Iwassofrightened。Shewasgazingatmewiththoseeyes。I couldscarcelysitstillinmychairwhenhebeganintroducingher,doyouremember?Itseemssostrange,butPyotrPetrovitchwriteslikethatabouther,andheintroduceshertous-toyou!Sohemustthinkagreatdealofher。“ “Peoplewillwriteanything。Weweretalkedaboutandwrittenabout,too。Haveyouforgotten?Iamsurethatsheisagoodgirl,andthatitisallnonsense。“ “Godgrantitmaybe！” “AndPyotrPetrovitchisacontemptibleslanderer,“Douniasnappedout,suddenly。 PulcheriaAlexandrovnawascrushed;theconversationwasnotresumed- “IwilltellyouwhatIwantwithyou,“saidRaskolnikov,drawingRazumihintothewindow。 “ThenIwilltellKaterinaIvanovnathatyouarecoming,“Soniasaidhurriedly,preparingtodepart。 “Oneminute,SofyaSemyonovna。Wehavenosecrets。Youarenotinourway。Iwanttohaveanotherwordortwowithyou。Listen！”heturnedsuddenlytoRazumihinagain。“Youknowthat……what\'shisname……PorfiryPetrovitch？” “Ishouldthinkso!Heisarelation。Why？”addedthelatter,withinterest。 “Isnothemanagingthatcase……youknowaboutthatmurder?…… Youwerespeakingaboutityesterday。“ “Yes……well？”Razumihin\'seyesopenedwide。 “Hewasinquiringforpeoplewhohadpawnedthings,andIhavesomepledgesthere,too-trifles-aringmysistergavemeasakeepsakewhenIlefthome,andmyfather\'ssilverwatch-theyareonlyworthfiveorsixroublesaltogether……butIvaluethem。SowhatamI todonow?Idonotwanttolosethethings,especiallythewatch。I wasquakingjustnow,forfearmotherwouldasktolookatit,whenwespokeofDounia\'swatch。Itistheonlythingoffather\'sleftus。Shewouldbeillifitwerelost。Youknowwhatwomenare。Sotellmewhattodo。IknowIoughttohavegivennoticeatthepolicestation,butwoulditnotbebettertogostraighttoPorfiry?Eh?Whatdoyouthink?Themattermightbesettledmorequickly。Youseemothermayaskforitbeforedinner。“ “Certainlynottothepolicestation。CertainlytoPorfiry,“ Razumihinshoutedinextraordinaryexcitement。“Well,howgladIam。 Letusgoatonce。Itisacoupleofsteps。Weshallbesuretofindhim。“ “Verywell,letusgo。“ “Andhewillbevery,verygladtomakeyouracquaintance。Ihaveoftentalkedtohimofyouatdifferenttimes。Iwasspeakingofyouyesterday。Letusgo。Soyouknewtheoldwoman?Sothat\'sit!Itisallturningoutsplendidly……Oh,yes,SofyaIvanovna……“ “SofyaSemyonovna,“correctedRaskolnikov。“SofyaSemyonovna,thisismyfriendRazumihin,andheisagoodman。“ “Ifyouhavetogonow,“Soniawasbeginning,notlookingatRazumihinatall,andstillmoreembarrassed。 “Letusgo,“decidedRaskolnikov。“Iwillcometoyouto-day,SofyaSemyonovna。Onlytellmewhereyoulive。“ Hewasnotexactlyillatease,butseemedhurried,andavoidedhereyes。Soniagaveheraddress,andflushedasshedidso。Theyallwentouttogether。 “Don\'tyoulockup？”askedRazumihin,followinghimontothestairs。 “Never,“answeredRaskolnikov。“Ihavebeenmeaningtobuyalockforthesetwoyears。Peoplearehappywhohavenoneedoflocks,“hesaid,laughing,toSonia。Theystoodstillinthegateway。 “Doyougototheright,SofyaSemyonovna?Howdidyoufindme,bytheway？”headded,asthoughhewantedtosaysomethingquitedifferent。Hewantedtolookathersoftcleareyes,butthiswasnoteasy。 “Why,yougaveyouraddresstoPolenkayesterday。“ “Polenka?Oh,yes;Polenka,thatisthelittlegirl。Sheisyoursister?DidIgivehertheaddress？” “Why,hadyouforgotten？” “No,Iremember。“ “Ihadheardmyfatherspeakofyou……onlyIdidnotknowyourname,andhedidnotknowit。AndnowIcame……andasIhadlearntyourname,Iaskedto-day,\'WheredoesMr。Raskolnikovlive?\'Ididnotknowyouhadonlyaroomtoo……Good-bye,IwilltellKaterinaIvanovna。“ Shewasextremelygladtoescapeatlast;shewentawaylookingdown,hurryingtogetoutofsightassoonaspossible,towalkthetwentystepstotheturningontherightandtobeatlastalone,andthenmovingrapidlyalong,lookingatnoone,noticingnothing,tothink,toremember,tomeditateoneveryword,everydetail。Never,neverhadshefeltanythinglikethis。Dimlyandunconsciouslyawholenewworldwasopeningbeforeher。SherememberedsuddenlythatRaskolnikovmeanttocometoherthatday,perhapsatonce! “Onlynotto-day,please,notto-day！”shekeptmutteringwithasinkingheart,asthoughentreatingsomeone,likeafrightenedchild。 “Mercy!tome……tothatroom……hewillsee……oh,dear！” Shewasnotcapableatthatinstantofnoticinganunknowngentlemanwhowaswatchingherandfollowingatherheels。Hehadaccompaniedherfromthegateway。AtthemomentwhenRazumihin,Raskolnikov,andshestoodstillatpartingonthepavement,thisgentleman,whowasjustpassing,startedonhearingSonia\'swords：“andIaskedwhereMr。 Raskolnikovlived？”Heturnedarapidbutattentivelookuponallthree,especiallyuponRaskolnikov,towhomSoniawasspeaking;thenlookedbackandnotedthehouse。Allthiswasdoneinaninstantashepassed,andtryingnottobetrayhisinterest,hewalkedonmoreslowlyasthoughwaitingforsomething。HewaswaitingforSonia;hesawthattheywereparting,andthatSoniawasgoinghome。 “Home?Where?I\'veseenthatfacesomewhere,“hethought。“Imustfindout。“ Attheturninghecrossedover,lookedround,andsawSoniacomingthesameway,noticingnothing。Sheturnedthecorner。Hefollowedherontheotherside。Afteraboutfiftypaceshecrossedoveragain,overtookherandkepttwoorthreeyardsbehindher。 Hewasamanaboutfifty,rathertallandthicklyset,withbroadhighshoulderswhichmadehimlookasthoughhestoopedalittle。Heworegoodandfashionableclothes,andlookedlikeagentlemanofposition。Hecarriedahandsomecane,whichhetappedonthepavementateachstep;hisgloveswerespotless。Hehadabroad,ratherpleasantfacewithhighcheek-bonesandafreshcolour,notoftenseeninPetersburg。Hisflaxenhairwasstillabundant,andonlytouchedhereandtherewithgrey,andhisthicksquarebeardwasevenlighterthanhishair。Hiseyeswereblueandhadacoldandthoughtfullook;hislipswerecrimson。Hewasaremarkedlywell-preservedmanandlookedmuchyoungerthanhisyears。 WhenSoniacameoutonthecanalbank,theyweretheonlytwopersonsonthepavement。Heobservedherdreaminessandpreoccupation。 Onreachingthehousewhereshelodged,Soniaturnedinatthegate; hefollowedher,seemingrathersurprised。Inthecourtyardsheturnedtotherightcorner。“Bah！”mutteredtheunknowngentleman,andmountedthestairsbehindher。OnlythenSonianoticedhim。Shereachedthethirdstorey,turneddownthepassage,andrangatNo。 9。Onthedoorwasinscribedinchalk,“Kapernaumov,Tailor。““Bah！” thestrangerrepeatedagain,wonderingatthestrangecoincidence,andherangnextdoor,atNo。8。Thedoorsweretwoorthreeyardsapart。 “YoulodgeatKapernaumov\'s,“hesaid,lookingatSoniaandlaughing。“Healteredawaistcoatformeyesterday。IamstayingclosehereatMadameResslich\'s。Howodd！”Sonialookedathimattentively。 “Weareneighbours,“hewentongaily。“Ionlycametotownthedaybeforeyesterday。Good-byeforthepresent。“ Soniamadenoreply;thedooropenedandsheslippedin。Shefeltforsomereasonashamedanduneasy。 OnthewaytoPorfiry\'s,Razumihinwasobviouslyexcited。 “That\'scapital,brother,“herepeatedseveraltimes,“andIamglad!Iamglad！” “Whatareyougladabout？”Raskolnikovthoughttohimself。 “Ididn\'tknowthatyoupledgedthingsattheoldwoman\'s,too。 And……wasitlongago?Imean,wasitlongsinceyouwerethere？” “Whatasimple-heartedfoolheis！” “Whenwasit？”Raskolnikovstoppedstilltorecollect。“Twoorthreedaysbeforeherdeathitmusthavebeen。ButIamnotgoingtoredeemthethingsnow,“heputinwithasortofhurriedandconspicuoussolicitudeaboutthethings。“I\'venotmorethanasilverroubleleft……afterlastnight\'saccurseddelirium！” Helaidspecialemphasisonthedelirium。 “Yes,yes,“Razumihinhastenedtoagree-withwhatwasnotclear。 “Thenthat\'swhyyou……werestruck……partly……youknowinyourdeliriumyouwerecontinuallymentioningsomeringsorchains!Yes,yes……that\'sclear,it\'sallclearnow。“ “Hullo!Howthatideamusthavegotaboutamongthem。Herethismanwillgotothestakeforme,andIfindhimdelightedathavingitclearedupwhyIspokeofringsinmydelirium!Whataholdtheideamusthaveonallofthem！” “Shallwefindhim？”heaskedsuddenly。 “Oh,yes,“Razumihinansweredquickly。“Heisanicefellowyouwillsee,brother。Ratherclumsy,thatistosay,heisamanofpolishedmanners,butImeanclumsyinadifferentsense。Heisanintelligentfellow,verymuchsoindeed,buthehashisownrangeofideas……Heisincredulous,sceptical,cynical……helikestoimposeonpeople,orrathertomakefunofthem。Hisistheold,circumstantialmethod……Butheunderstandshiswork…… thoroughly……Lastyearheclearedupacaseofmurderinwhichthepolicehadhardlyaclue。Heisvery,veryanxioustomakeyouracquaintance。“ “Onwhatgroundsishesoanxious？” “Oh,it\'snotexactly……yousee,sinceyou\'vebeenillIhappentohavementionedyouseveraltimes……So,whenheheardaboutyou…… aboutyourbeingalawstudentandnotabletofinishyourstudies,hesaid,\'Whatapity!\'AndsoIconcluded……fromeverythingtogether,notonlythat;yesterday,Zametov……youknow,Rodya,Italkedsomenonsenseonthewayhometoyouyesterday,whenIwasdrunk……Iamafraid,brother,ofyourexaggeratingit,yousee。“ “What?ThattheythinkIamamadman?Maybetheyareright,“hesaidwithaconstrainedsmile。 “Yes,yes……Thatis,pooh,no!……ButallthatIsaid(andtherewassomethingelsetoo)itwasallnonsense,drunkennonsense。“ “Butwhyareyouapologizing?Iamsosickofitall！”Raskolnikovcriedwithexaggeratedirritability。Itwaspartlyassumed,however。 “Iknow,Iknow,Iunderstand。Believeme,Iunderstand。One\'sashamedtospeakofit。“ “Ifyouareashamed,thendon\'tspeakofit。“ Bothweresilent。RazumihinwasmorethanecstaticandRaskolnikovperceiveditwithrepulsion。Hewasalarmed,too,bywhatRazumihinhadjustsaidaboutPorfiry。 “Ishallhavetopullalongfacewithhimtoo,“hethought,withabeatingheart,andheturnedwhite,“anddoitnaturally,too。Butthemostnaturalthingwouldbetodonothingatall。Carefullydonothingatall!No,carefullywouldnotbenaturalagain……Oh,well,weshallseehowitturnsout……Weshallsee……directly。Isitagoodthingtogoornot?Thebutterflyfliestothelight。Myheartisbeating,that\'swhat\'sbad！” “Inthisgreyhouse,“saidRazumihin。 “Themostimportantthing,doesPorfiryknowthatIwasattheoldhag\'sflatyesterday……andaskedabouttheblood?Imustfindthatoutinstantly,assoonasIgoin,findoutfromhisface; otherwise……I\'llfindout,ifit\'smyruin。“ “Isay,brother,“hesaidsuddenly,addressingRazumihin,withaslysmile,“Ihavebeennoticingalldaythatyouseemtobecuriouslyexcited。Isn\'titso？” “Excited?Notabitofit,“saidRazumihin,stungtothequick。 “Yes,brother,Iassureyouit\'snoticeable。Why,yousatonyourchairinawayyouneverdosit,ontheedgesomehow,andyouseemedtobewrithingallthetime。Youkeptjumpingupfornothing。Onemomentyouwereangry,andthenextyourfacelookedlikeasweetmeat。 Youevenblushed;especiallywhenyouwereinvitedtodinner,youblushedawfully。“ “Nothingofthesort,nonsense!Whatdoyoumean？” “Butwhyareyouwrigglingoutofit,likeaschoolboy?ByJove,therehe\'sblushingagain。“ “Whatapigyouare！” “Butwhyareyousoshamefacedaboutit?Romeo!Stay,I\'lltellofyouto-day。Ha-ha-ha!I\'llmakemotherlaugh,andsomeoneelse,too……“ “Listen,listen,listen,thisisserious……Whatnext,youfiend！”Razumihinwasutterlyoverwhelmed,turningcoldwithhorror。 “Whatwillyoutellthem?Come,brother……foo,whatapigyouare！” “Youarelikeasummerrose。Andifonlyyouknewhowitsuitsyou;aRomeooversixfoothigh!Andhowyou\'vewashedto-day-youcleanedyournails,Ideclare。Eh?That\'ssomethingunheardof!Why,I dobelieveyou\'vegotpomaturnonyourhair!Benddown。“ “Pig！” Raskolnikovlaughedasthoughhecouldnotrestrainhimself。Solaughing,theyenteredPorfiryPetrovitch\'sflat。ThisiswhatRaskolnikovwanted：fromwithintheycouldbeheardlaughingastheycamein,stillguffawinginthepassage。 “NotawordhereorI\'ll……brainyou！”Razumihinwhisperedfuriously,seizingRaskolnikovbytheshoulder。 ChapterFiveRASKOLNIKOVwasalreadyenteringtheroom。Hecameinlookingasthoughhehadtheutmostdifficultynottoburstoutlaughingagain。 BehindhimRazumihinstrodeingawkyandawkward,shamefacedandredasapeony,withanutterlycrestfallenandferociousexpression。 HisfaceandwholefigurereallywereridiculousatthatmomentandamplyjustifiedRaskolnikov\'slaughter。Raskolnikov,notwaitingforanintroduction,bowedtoPorfiryPetrovitch,whostoodinthemiddleoftheroomlookinginquiringlyatthem。Heheldouthishandandshookhands,stillapparentlymakingdesperateeffortstosubduehismirthandutterafewwordstointroducehimself。ButhehadnosoonersucceededinassumingaseriousairandmutteringsomethingwhenhesuddenlyglancedagainasthoughaccidentallyatRazumihin,andcouldnolongercontrolhimself：hisstifledlaughterbrokeoutthemoreirresistiblythemorehetriedtorestrainit。TheextraordinaryferocitywithwhichRazumihinreceivedthis“spontaneous“mirthgavethewholescenetheappearanceofmostgenuinefunandnaturalness。Razumihinstrengthenedthisimpressionasthoughonpurpose。 “Fool!Youfiend,“heroared,wavinghisarmwhichatoncestruckalittleroundtablewithanemptytea-glassonit。Everythingwassentflyingandcrashing。 “Butwhybreakchairs,gentlemen?Youknowit\'salosstotheCrown,“PorfiryPetrovitchquotedgaily。 Raskolnikovwasstilllaughing,withhishandinPorfiryPetrovitch\'s,butanxiousnottooverdoit,awaitedtherightmomenttoputanaturalendtoit。Razumihin,completelyputtoconfusionbyupsettingthetableandsmashingtheglass,gazedgloomilyatthefragments,cursedandturnedsharplytothewindowwherehestoodlookingoutwithhisbacktothecompanywithafiercelyscowlingcountenance,seeingnothing。PorfiryPetrovitchlaughedandwasreadytogoonlaughing,butobviouslylookedforexplanations。 Zametovhadbeensittinginthecorner,butheroseatthevisitors\' entranceandwasstandinginexpectationwithasmileonhislips,thoughhelookedwithsurpriseandevenitseemedincredulityatthewholesceneandatRaskolnikovwithacertainembarrassment。Zametov\'sunexpectedpresencestruckRaskolnikovunpleasantly。 “I\'vegottothinkofthat,“hethought。“Excuseme,please,“hebegan,affectingextremeembarrassment。“Raskolnikov。“ “Notatall,verypleasanttoseeyou……andhowpleasantlyyou\'vecomein……Why,won\'theevensaygood-morning？”PorfiryPetrovitchnoddedatRazumihin。 “UponmyhonourIdon\'tknowwhyheisinsucharagewithme。I onlytoldhimaswecamealongthathewaslikeRomeo……andprovedit。Andthatwasall,Ithink！” “Pig！”ejaculatedRazumihin,withoutturninground。 “Theremusthavebeenverygravegroundsforit,ifheissofuriousattheword,“Porfirylaughed。 “Oh,yousharplawyer!……Damnyouall！”snappedRazumihin,andsuddenlyburstingoutlaughinghimself,hewentuptoPorfirywithamorecheerfulfaceasthoughnothinghadhappened。“That\'lldo!Weareallfools。Tocometobusiness。ThisismyfriendRodionRomanovitchRaskolnikov;inthefirstplacehehasheardofyouandwantstomakeyouracquaintance,andsecondly,hehasalittlematterofbusinesswithyou。Bah!Zametov,whatbroughtyouhere?Haveyoumetbefore?Haveyouknowneachotherlong？” “Whatdoesthismean？”thoughtRaskolnikovuneasily。 Zametovseemedtakenaback,butnotverymuchso。 “Why,itwasatyourroomswemetyesterday,“hesaideasily。 “ThenIhavebeensparedthetrouble。Alllastweekhewasbeggingmetointroducehimtoyou。Porfiryandyouhavesniffedeachotheroutwithoutme。Whereisyourtobacco？” PorfiryPetrovitchwaswearingadressing-gown,verycleanlinen,andtrodden-downslippers。Hewasamanofaboutfiveandthirty,short,stouteventocorpulence,andcleanshaven。Heworehishaircutshortandhadalargeroundhead,particularlyprominentattheback。Hissoft,round,rathersnub-nosedfacewasofasicklyyellowishcolour,buthadavigorousandratherironicalexpression。 Itwouldhavebeengood-natured,exceptforalookintheeyes,whichshonewithawatery,mawkishlightunderalmostwhite,blinkingeyelashes。Theexpressionofthoseeyeswasstrangelyoutofkeepingwithhissomewhatwomanishfigure,andgaveitsomethingfarmoreseriousthancouldbeguessedatfirstsight。 AssoonasPorfiryPetrovitchheardthathisvisitorhadalittlematterofbusinesswithhim,hebeggedhimtositdownonthesofaandsatdownhimselfontheotherend,waitingforhimtoexplainhisbusiness,withthatcarefulandover-seriousattentionwhichisatonceoppressiveandembarrassing,especiallytoastranger,andespeciallyifwhatyouarediscussingisinyouropinionoffartoolittleimportanceforsuchexceptionalsolemnity。ButinbriefandcoherentphrasesRaskolnikovexplainedhisbusinessclearlyandexactly,andwassowellsatisfiedwithhimselfthatheevensucceededintakingagoodlookatPorfiry。PorfiryPetrovitchdidnotoncetakehiseyesoffhim。Razumihin,sittingoppositeatthesametable,listenedwarmlyandimpatiently,lookingfromonetotheothereverymomentwithratherexcessiveinterest。 “Fool,“Raskolnikovsworetohimself。 “Youhavetogiveinformationtothepolice,“Porfiryreplied,withamostbusinesslikeair,“thathavinglearntofthisincident,thatisofthemurder,youbegtoinformthelawyerinchargeofthecasethatsuchandsuchthingsbelongtoyou,andthatyoudesiretoredeemthem……or……buttheywillwritetoyou。“ “That\'sjustthepoint,thatatthepresentmoment,“Raskolnikovtriedhisutmosttofeignembarrassment,“Iamnotquiteinfunds…… andeventhistriflingsumisbeyondme……Ionlywanted,yousee,forthepresenttodeclarethatthethingsaremine,andthatwhenI havemoney……“ “That\'snomatter,“answeredPorfiryPetrovitch,receivinghisexplanationofhispecuniarypositioncoldly,“butyoucan,ifyouprefer,writestraighttome,tosay,thathavingbeeninformedofthematter,andclaimingsuchandsuchasyourproperty,youbeg……“ “Onanordinarysheetofpaper？”Raskolnikovinterruptedeagerly,againinterestedinthefinancialsideofthequestion。 “Oh,themostordinary,“andsuddenlyPorfiryPetrovitchlookedwithobviousironyathim,screwinguphiseyesandasitwerewinkingathim。ButperhapsitwasRaskolnikov\'sfancy,foritalllastedbutamoment。Therewascertainlysomethingofthesort,Raskolnikovcouldhaveswornhewinkedathim,goodnessknowswhy。 “Heknows,“flashedthroughhismindlikelightning。 “Forgivemytroublingyouaboutsuchtrifles,“hewenton,alittledisconcerted,“thethingsareonlyworthfiveroubles,butI prizethemparticularlyforthesakeofthosefromwhomtheycametome,andImustconfessthatIwasalarmedwhenIheard……“ “That\'swhyyouweresomuchstruckwhenImentionedtoZossimovthatPorfirywasinquiringforeveryonewhohadpledges！”Razumihinputinwithobviousintention。 Thiswasreallyunbearable。Raskolnikovcouldnothelpglancingathimwithaflashofvindictiveangerinhisblackeyes,butimmediatelyrecollectedhimself。 “Youseemtobejeeringatme,brother？”hesaidtohim,withawell-feignedirritability。“IdaresayIdoseemtoyouabsurdlyanxiousaboutsuchtrash;butyoumustn\'tthinkmeselfishorgraspingforthat,andthesetwothingsmaybeanythingbuttrashinmyeyes。I toldyoujustnowthatthesilverwatch,thoughit\'snotworthacent,istheonlythingleftusofmyfather\'s。Youmaylaughatme,butmymotherishere,“heturnedsuddenlytoPorfiry,“andifsheknew,“heturnedagainhurriedlytoRazumihin,carefullymakinghisvoicetremble,“thatthewatchwaslost,shewouldbeindespair! Youknowwhatwomenare！” “Notabitofit!Ididn\'tmeanthatatall!Quitethecontrary！” shoutedRazumihindistressed。 “Wasitright?Wasitnatural?DidIoverdoit？”Raskolnikovaskedhimselfinatremor。“WhydidIsaythataboutwomen？” “Oh,yourmotheriswithyou？”PorfiryPetrovitchinquired。 “Yes。“ “Whendidshecome？” “Lastnight。“ Porfirypausedasthoughreflecting。 “Yourthingswouldnotinanycasebelost,“hewentoncalmlyandcoldly。“Ihavebeenexpectingyouhereforsometime。“ Andasthoughthatwasamatterofnoimportance,hecarefullyofferedtheash-traytoRazumihin,whowasruthlesslyscatteringcigaretteashoverthecarpet。Raskolnikovshuddered,butPorfirydidnotseemtobelookingathim,andwasstillconcernedwithRazumihin\'scigarette。 “What?Expectinghim?Why,didyouknowthathehadpledgesthere？”criedRazumihin。 PorfiryPetrovitchaddressedhimselftoRaskolnikov。 “Yourthings,theringandthewatch,werewrappeduptogether,andonthepaperyournamewaslegiblywritteninpencil,togetherwiththedateonwhichyouleftthemwithher……“ “Howobservantyouare！”Raskolnikovsmiledawkwardly,doinghisveryutmosttolookhimstraightintheface,buthefailed,andsuddenlyadded： “IsaythatbecauseIsupposetherewereagreatmanypledges…… thatitmustbedifficulttorememberthemall……Butyourememberthemallsoclearly,and……and……“ “Stupid!Feeble！”hethought。“WhydidIaddthat？” “Butweknowallwhohadpledges,andyouaretheonlyonewhohasn\'tcomeforward,“Porfiryansweredwithhardlyperceptibleirony。 “Ihaven\'tbeenquitewell。“ “Iheardthattoo。Iheard,indeed,thatyouwereingreatdistressaboutsomething。Youlookpalestill。“ “Iamnotpaleatall……No,Iamquitewell,“Raskolnikovsnappedoutrudelyandangrily,completelychanginghistone。Hisangerwasmounting,hecouldnotrepressit。“AndinmyangerI shallbetraymyself,“flashedthroughhismindagain。“Whyaretheytorturingme？” “Notquitewell！”Razumihincaughthimup。“Whatnext!Hewasunconsciousanddeliriousallyesterday。Wouldyoubelieve,Porfiry,assoonasourbackswereturned,hedressed,thoughhecouldhardlystand,andgaveustheslipandwentoffonaspreesomewheretillmidnight,deliriousallthetime!Wouldyoubelieveit! Extraordinary！” “Reallydelirious?Youdon\'tsayso！”Porfiryshookhisheadinawomanishway。 “Nonsense!Don\'tyoubelieveit!Butyoudon\'tbelieveitanyway,“ Raskolnikovletslipinhisanger。ButPorfiryPetrovitchdidnotseemtocatchthosestrangewords。 “Buthowcouldyouhavegoneoutifyouhadn\'tbeendelirious？” Razumihingothotsuddenly。“Whatdidyougooutfor?Whatwastheobjectofit?Andwhyonthesly?Wereyouinyoursenseswhenyoudidit?NowthatalldangerisoverIcanspeakplainly。“ “Iwasawfullysickofthemyesterday。“RaskolnikovaddressedPorfirysuddenlywithasmileofinsolentdefiance,“Iranawayfromthemtotakelodgingswheretheywouldn\'tfindme,andtookalotofmoneywithme。Mr。Zametovtheresawit。Isay,Mr。Zametov,wasI sensibleordeliriousyesterday;settleourdispute。“ HecouldhavestrangledZametovatthatmoment,sohatedwerehisexpressionandhissilencetohim。 “Inmyopinionyoutalkedsensiblyandevenartfully,butyouwereextremelyirritable,“Zametovpronounceddryly。 “AndNikodimFomitchwastellingmeto-day,“putinPorfiryPetrovitch,“thathemetyouverylatelastnightinthelodgingofamanwhohadbeenrunover。“ “Andthere,“saidRazumihin,“weren\'tyoumadthen?Yougaveyourlastpennytothewidowforthefuneral。Ifyouwantedtohelp,givefifteenortwentyeven,butkeepthreeroublesforyourselfatleast,butheflungawayallthetwenty-fiveatonce！” “MaybeIfoundatreasuresomewhereandyouknownothingofit?Sothat\'swhyIwasliberalyesterday……Mr。ZametovknowsI\'vefoundatreasure!Excuseus,please,fordisturbingyouforhalfanhourwithsuchtrivialities,“hesaidturningtoPorfiryPetrovitch,withtremblinglips。“Weareboringyou,aren\'twe？” “Ohno,quitethecontrary,quitethecontrary!Ifonlyyouknewhowyouinterestme!It\'sinterestingtolookonandlisten……andIamreallygladyouhavecomeforwardatlast。“ “Butyoumightgiveussometea!Mythroat\'sdry,“criedRazumihin。 “Capitalidea!Perhapswewillallkeepyoucompany。Wouldn\'tyoulike……somethingmoreessentialbeforetea？” “Getalongwithyou！” PorfiryPetrovitchwentouttoordertea。