Sometimesshestealsalookatmethatpositivelyscorchesme。HerfaceislikeRaphael'sMadonna。Youknow,theSistineMadonna'sfacehassomethingfantasticinit,thefaceofmournfulreligiousecstasy。
　　Haven'tyounoticedit?Well,she'ssomethinginthatline。Thedayafterwe'dbeenbetrothed,Iboughtherpresentstothevalueoffifteenhundredroubles-asetofdiamondsandanotherofpearlsandasilverdressing-caseaslargeasthis,withallsortsofthingsinit,sothatevenmyMadonna'sfaceglowed。Isatheronmyknee,yesterday,andIsupposerathertoounceremoniously-sheflushedcrimsonandthetearsstarted,butshedidn'twanttoshowit。Wewereleftalone,shesuddenlyflungherselfonmyneckforthefirsttimeofherownaccord,putherlittlearmsroundme,kissedme,andvowedthatshewouldbeanobedient,faithful,andgoodwife,wouldmakemehappy,woulddevoteallherlife,everyminuteofherlife,wouldsacrificeeverything,everything,andthatallsheasksinreturnismyrespect,andthatshewants'nothing,nothingmorefromme,nopresents。'You'lladmitthattohearsuchaconfession,alone,fromanangelofsixteeninamuslinfrock,withlittlecurls,withaflushofmaidenshynessinhercheeksandtearsofenthusiasminhereyesisratherfascinating!Isn'titfascinating?
　　It'sworthpayingfor,isn'tit?Well……listen,we'llgotoseemybetrothed,onlynotjustnow！”
　　“Thefactisthismonstrousdifferenceinageanddevelopmentexcitesyoursensuality!Willyoureallymakesuchamarriage？”
　　“Why,ofcourse。Everyonethinksofhimself,andhelivesmostgailywhoknowsbesthowtodeceivehimself。Ha-ha!Butwhyareyousokeenaboutvirtue?Havemercyonme,mygoodfriend。Iamasinfulman。Ha-ha-ha！”
　　“ButyouhaveprovidedforthechildrenofKaterinaIvanovna。
　　Though……thoughyouhadyourownreasons……Iunderstanditallnow。“
　　“Iamalwaysfondofchildren,veryfondofthem,“laughedSvidrigailov。“Icantellyouonecuriousinstanceofit。ThefirstdayIcamehereIvisitedvarioushaunts,aftersevenyearsIsimplyrushedatthem。YouprobablynoticethatIamnotinahurrytorenewacquaintancewithmyoldfriends。IshalldowithoutthemaslongasIcan。Doyouknow,whenIwaswithMarfaPetrovnainthecountry,Iwashauntedbythethoughtoftheseplaceswhereanyonewhoknowshiswayaboutcanfindagreatdeal。Yes,uponmysoul!
　　Thepeasantshavevodka,theeducatedyoungpeople,shutoutfromactivity,wastethemselvesinimpossibledreamsandvisionsandarecrippledbytheories;Jewshavesprungupandareamassingmoney,andalltherestgivethemselvesuptodebauchery。Fromthefirsthourthetownreekedofitsfamiliarodours。Ichancedtobeinafrightfulden-Ilikemydensdirty-itwasadance,socalled,andtherewasacancansuchasIneversawinmyday。Yes,thereyouhaveprogress。AllofasuddenIsawalittlegirlofthirteen,nicelydressed,dancingwithaspecialistinthatline,withanotheronevis-a-vis。Hermotherwassittingonachairbythewall。Youcan'tfancywhatacancanthatwas!Thegirlwasashamed,blushed,atlastfeltinsulted,andbegantocry。Herpartnerseizedherandbeganwhirlingherroundandperformingbeforeher;everyonelaughedand-I
　　likeyourpublic,eventhecancanpublic-theylaughedandshouted,'Servesherright-servesherright!Shouldn'tbringchildren!'
　　Well,it'snotmybusinesswhetherthatconsolingreflectionwaslogicalornot。Iatoncefixedonmyplan,satdownbythemother,andbeganbysayingthatItoowasastrangerandthatpeopleherewereill-bredandthattheycouldn'tdistinguishdecentfolksandtreatthemwithrespect,gavehertounderstandthatIhadplentyofmoney,offeredtotakethemhomeinmycarriage。Itookthemhomeandgottoknowthem。Theywerelodginginamiserablelittleholeandhadonlyjustarrivedfromthecountry。Shetoldmethatsheandherdaughtercouldonlyregardmyacquaintanceasanhonour。Ifoundoutthattheyhadnothingoftheirownandhadcometotownuponsomelegalbusiness。Iprofferedmyservicesandmoney。Ilearntthattheyhadgonetothedancingsaloonbymistake,believingthatitwasagenuinedancingclass。Iofferedtoassistintheyounggirl'seducationinFrenchanddancing。Myofferwasacceptedwithenthusiasmasanhonour-andwearestillfriendly……Ifyoulike,we'llgoandseethem,onlynotjustnow。“
　　“Stop!Enoughofyourvile,nastyanecdotes,depravedvile,sensualman！”
　　“Schiller,youarearegularSchiller!Olavertuva-t-ellesenicher?ButyouknowIshalltellyouthesethingsonpurpose,forthepleasureofhearingyouroutcries！”
　　“Idaresay。IcanseeIamridiculousmyself,“mutteredRaskolnikovangrily。
　　Svidrigailovlaughedheartily;finallyhecalledPhilip,paidhisbill,andbegangettingup。
　　“Isay,butIamdrunk,assezcause,“hesaid。“It'sbeenapleasure。“
　　“Ishouldratherthinkitmustbeapleasure！”criedRaskolnikov,gettingup。“Nodoubtitisapleasureforaworn-outprofligatetodescribesuchadventureswithamonstrousprojectofthesamesortinhismind-especiallyundersuchcircumstancesandtosuchamanasme……It'sstimulating！”
　　“Well,ifyoucometothat,“Svidrigailovanswered,scrutinisingRaskolnikovwithsomesurprise,“ifyoucometothat,youareathoroughcynicyourself。You'veplentytomakeyouso,anyway。Youcanunderstandagreatdeal……andyoucandoagreatdealtoo。Butenough。Isincerelyregretnothavinghadmoretalkwithyou,butI
　　shan'tlosesightofyou……Onlywaitabit。“
　　Svidrigailovwalkedoutoftherestaurant。Raskolnikovwalkedoutafterhim。Svidrigailovwasnothoweververydrunk,thewinehadaffectedhimforamoment,butitwaspassingoffeveryminute。Hewaspreoccupiedwithsomethingofimportanceandwasfrowning。Hewasapparentlyexcitedanduneasyinanticipationofsomething。HismannertoRaskolnikovhadchangedduringthelastfewminutes,andhewasruderandmoresneeringeverymoment。Raskolnikovnoticedallthis,andhetoowasuneasy。HebecameverysuspiciousofSvidrigailovandresolvedtofollowhim。
　　Theycameoutontothepavement。
　　“Yougototheright,andItotheleft,orifyoulike,theotherway。Onlyadieu,monplaisir,maywemeetagain。“
　　AndhewalkedtotherighttowardstheHayMarket。
　　ChapterFiveRASKOLNIKOVwalkedafterhim。
　　“What'sthis？”criedSvidrigailovturninground,“IthoughtI
　　said……“
　　“ItmeansthatIamnotgoingtolosesightofyounow。“
　　“What？”
　　Bothstoodstillandgazedatoneanother,asthoughmeasuringtheirstrength。
　　“Fromallyourhalftipsystories,“Raskolnikovobservedharshly,“I
　　ampositivethatyouhavenotgivenupyourdesignsonmysister,butarepursuingthemmoreactivelythanever。Ihavelearntthatmysisterreceivedaletterthismorning。Youhavehardlybeenabletositstillallthistime……Youmayhaveunearthedawifeontheway,butthatmeansnothing。Ishouldliketomakecertainmyself。“
　　Raskolnikovcouldhardlyhavesaidhimselfwhathewantedandofwhathewishedtomakecertain。
　　“Uponmyword!I'llcallthepolice！”
　　“Callaway！”
　　Againtheystoodforaminutefacingeachother。AtlastSvidrigailov'sfacechanged。HavingsatisfiedhimselfthatRaskolnikovwasnotfrightenedathisthreat,heassumedamirthfulandfriendlyair。
　　“Whatafellow!Ipurposelyrefrainedfromreferringtoyouraffair,thoughIamdevouredbycuriosity。It'safantasticaffair。I'veputitofftillanothertime,butyou'reenoughtorousethedead……
　　Well,letusgo,onlyIwarnyoubeforehandIamonlygoinghomeforamoment,togetsomemoney;thenIshalllockuptheflat,takeacabandgotospendtheeveningattheIslands。Now,nowareyougoingtofollowme？”
　　“I'mcomingtoyourlodgings,nottoseeyoubutSofyaSemyonovna,tosayI'msorrynottohavebeenatthefuneral。“
　　“That'sasyoulike,butSofyaSemyonovnaisnotathome。Shehastakenthethreechildrentoanoldladyofhighrank,thepatronessofsomeorphanasylums,whomIusedtoknowyearsago。IcharmedtheoldladybydepositingasumofmoneywithhertoprovideforthethreechildrenofKaterinaIvanovnaandsubscribingtotheinstitutionaswell。ItoldhertoothestoryofSofyaSemyonovnainfulldetail,suppressingnothing。Itproducedanindescribableeffectonher。That'swhySofyaSemyonovnahasbeeninvitedtocallto-dayattheX。Hotelwheretheladyisstayingforthetime。“
　　“Nomatter,I'llcomeallthesame。“
　　“Asyoulike,it'snothingtome,butIwon'tcomewithyou;hereweareathome。Bytheway,IamconvincedthatyouregardmewithsuspicionjustbecauseIhaveshownsuchdelicacyandhavenotsofartroubledyouwithquestions……youunderstand?Itstruckyouasextraordinary;Idon'tmindbettingit'sthat。Well,itteachesonetoshowdelicacy！”
　　“Andtolistenatdoors！”
　　“Ah,that'sit,isit？”laughedSvidrigailov。“Yes,Ishouldhavebeensurprisedifyouhadletthatpassafterallthathashappened。
　　Ha-ha!ThoughIdidunderstandsomethingofthepranksyouhadbeenuptoandweretellingSofyaSemyonovnaabout,whatwasthemeaningofit?PerhapsIamquitebehindthetimesandcan'tunderstand。Forgoodness'sake,explainit,mydearboy。Expoundthelatesttheories！”
　　“Youcouldn'thaveheardanything。You'remakingitallup！”
　　“ButI'mnottalkingaboutthatthoughIdidhearsomething。No,I'mtalkingofthewayyoukeepsighingandgroaningnow。TheSchillerinyouisinrevolteverymoment,andnowyoutellmenottolistenatdoors。Ifthat'showyoufeel,goandinformthepolicethatyouhadthismischance;youmadealittlemistakeinyourtheory。Butifyouareconvincedthatonemustn'tlistenatdoors,butonemaymurderoldwomenatone'spleasure,you'dbetterbeofftoAmericaandmakehaste。Run,youngman!Theremaystillbetime。I'mspeakingsincerely。Haven'tyouthemoney?I'llgiveyouthefare。“
　　“I'mnotthinkingofthatatall,“Raskolnikovinterruptedwithdisgust。
　　“Iunderstandbutdon'tputyourselfout,don'tdiscussitifyoudon'twantto。Iunderstandthequestionsyouareworryingover-
　　moralones,aren'tthey?Dutiesofcitizenandman?Laythemallaside。Theyarenothingtoyounow,ha-ha!You'llsayyouarestillamanandacitizen。Ifsoyououghtnottohavegotintothiscoil。
　　It'snousetakingupajobyouarenotfitfor。Well,you'dbettershootyourself,ordon'tyouwantto？”
　　“Youseemtryingtoenrageme,tomakemeleaveyou。“
　　“Whataqueerfellow!Buthereweare。Welcometothestaircase。Yousee,that'sthewaytoSofyaSemyonovna。Look,thereisnooneathome。Don'tyoubelieveme?AskKapernaumov。Sheleavesthekeywithhim。HereisMadamedeKapernaumovherself。Hey,what?Sheisratherdeaf。Hasshegoneout?Where?Didyouhear?Sheisnotinandwon'tbetilllateintheeveningprobably。Well,cometomyroom;youwantedtocomeandseeme,didn'tyou?Hereweare。MadameResslich'snotathome。Sheisawomanwhoisalwaysbusy,anexcellentwomanIassureyou……Shemighthavebeenofusetoyouifyouhadbeenalittlemoresensible。Now,see!Itakethisfivepercent。bondoutofthebureau-seewhatalotI'vegotofthemstill-
　　thisonewillbeturnedintocashto-day。Imustn'twasteanymoretime。Thebureauislocked,theflatislocked,andhereweareagainonthestairs。Shallwetakeacab?I'mgoingtotheIslands。
　　Wouldyoulikealift?I'lltakethiscarriage。Ah,yourefuse?Youaretiredofit!Comeforadrive!Ibelieveitwillcomeontorain。Nevermind,we'llputdownthehood……“
　　Svidrigailovwasalreadyinthecarriage。Raskolnikovdecidedthathissuspicionswereatleastforthatmomentunjust。WithoutansweringawordheturnedandwalkedbacktowardstheHayMarket。IfhehadonlyturnedroundonhiswayhemighthaveseenSvidrigailovgetoutnotahundredpacesoff,dismissthecabandwalkalongthepavement。Buthehadturnedthecornerandcouldseenothing。
　　IntensedisgustdrewhimawayfromSvidrigailov。
　　“TothinkthatIcouldforoneinstanthavelookedforhelpfromthatcoarsebrute,thatdepravedsensualistandblackguard！”hecried。
　　Raskolnikov'sjudgmentwasutteredtoolightlyandhastily：therewassomethingaboutSvidrigailovwhichgavehimacertainoriginal,evenamysteriouscharacter。Asconcernedhissister,RaskolnikovwasconvincedthatSvidrigailovwouldnotleaveherinpeace。Butitwastootiresomeandunbearabletogoonthinkingandthinkingaboutthis。
　　Whenhewasalone,hehadnotgonetwentypacesbeforehesank,asusual,intodeepthought。Onthebridgehestoodbytherailingandbegangazingatthewater。Andhissisterwasstandingclosebyhim。
　　Hemetherattheentrancetothebridge,butpassedbywithoutseeingher。Douniahadnevermethimlikethisinthestreetbeforeandwasstruckwithdismay。Shestoodstillanddidnotknowwhethertocalltohimornot。SuddenlyshesawSvidrigailovcomingquicklyfromthedirectionoftheHayMarket。
　　Heseemedtobeapproachingcautiously。Hedidnotgoontothebridge,butstoodasideonthepavement,doingallhecouldtoavoidRaskolnikov'sseeinghim。HehadobservedDouniaforsometimeandhadbeenmakingsignstoher。Shefanciedhewassignallingtobeghernottospeaktoherbrother,buttocometohim。
　　ThatwaswhatDouniadid。ShestolebyherbrotherandwentuptoSvidrigailov。
　　“Letusmakehasteaway,“Svidrigailovwhisperedtoher,“Idon'twantRodionRomanovitchtoknowofourmeeting。ImusttellyouI'vebeensittingwithhimintherestaurantcloseby,wherehelookedmeupandIhadgreatdifficultyingettingridofhim。Hehassomehowheardofmylettertoyouandsuspectssomething。Itwasn'tyouwhotoldhim,ofcourse,butifnotyou,whothen？”
　　“Well,we'veturnedthecornernow,“Douniainterrupted,“andmybrotherwon'tseeus。IhavetotellyouthatIamgoingnofurtherwithyou。Speaktomehere。Youcantellitallinthestreet。“
　　“Inthefirstplace,Ican'tsayitinthestreet;secondly,youmusthearSofyaSemyonovnatoo;and,thirdly,Iwillshowyousomepapers……Ohwell,ifyouwon'tagreetocomewithme,Ishallrefusetogiveanyexplanationandgoawayatonce。ButIbegyounottoforgetthataverycurioussecretofyourbelovedbrother'sisentirelyinmykeeping。“
　　Douniastoodstill,hesitating,andlookedatSvidrigailovwithsearchingeyes。
　　“Whatareyouafraidof？”heobservedquietly。“Thetownisnotthecountry。AndeveninthecountryyoudidmemoreharmthanIdidyou。“
　　“HaveyoupreparedSofyaSemyonovna？”
　　“No,Ihavenotsaidawordtoherandamnotquitecertainwhethersheisathomenow。Butmostlikelysheis。Shehasburiedherstepmotherto-day：sheisnotlikelytogovisitingonsuchaday。ForthetimeIdon'twanttospeaktoanyoneaboutitandIhalfregrethavingspokentoyou。Theslightestindiscretionisasbadasbetrayalinathinglikethis。Ilivethereinthathouse,wearecomingtoit。
　　That'stheporterofourhouse-heknowsmeverywell;yousee,he'sbowing;heseesI'mcomingwithaladyandnodoubthehasnoticedyourfacealreadyandyouwillbegladofthatifyouareafraidofmeandsuspicious。Excusemyputtingthingssocoarsely。Ihaven'taflattomyself;SofyaSemyonovna'sroomisnexttomine-shelodgesinthenextflat。Thewholefloorisletoutinlodgings。Whyareyoufrightenedlikeachild?AmIreallysoterrible？”
　　Svidrigailov'slipsweretwistedinacondescendingsmile;buthewasinnosmilingmood。Hisheartwasthrobbingandhecouldscarcelybreathe。Hespokeratherloudtocoverhisgrowingexcitement。ButDouniadidnotnoticethispeculiarexcitement,shewassoirritatedbyhisremarkthatshewasfrightenedofhimlikeachildandthathewassoterribletoher。
　　“ThoughIknowthatyouarenotaman……ofhonour,Iamnotintheleastafraidofyou。Leadtheway,“shesaidwithapparentcomposure,butherfacewasverypale。
　　SvidrigailovstoppedatSonia'sroom。
　　“Allowmetoinquirewhethersheisathome……Sheisnot。Howunfortunate!ButIknowshemaycomequitesoon。Ifshe'sgoneout,itcanonlybetoseealadyabouttheorphans。Theirmotherisdead……I'vebeenmeddlingandmakingarrangementsforthem。IfSofyaSemyonovnadoesnotcomebackintenminutes,Iwillsendhertoyou,to-dayifyoulike。Thisismyflat。Thesearemytworooms。
　　MadameResslich,mylandlady,hasthenextroom。Now,lookthisway。I
　　willshowyoumychiefpieceofevidence：thisdoorfrommybedroomleadsintotwoperfectlyemptyrooms,whicharetolet。Heretheyare……Youmustlookintothemwithsomeattention。“
　　Svidrigailovoccupiedtwofairlylargefurnishedrooms。Douniawaslookingabouthermistrustfully,butsawnothingspecialinthefurnitureorpositionoftherooms。Yettherewassomethingtoobserve,forinstance,thatSvidrigailov'sflatwasexactlybetweentwosetsofalmostuninhabitedapartments。Hisroomswerenotentereddirectlyfromthepassage,butthroughthelandlady'stwoalmostemptyrooms。Unlockingadoorleadingoutofhisbedroom,SvidrigailovshowedDouniathetwoemptyroomsthatweretolet。
　　Douniastoppedinthedoorway,notknowingwhatshewascalledtolookupon,butSvidrigailovhastenedtoexplain。
　　“Lookhere,atthissecondlargeroom。Noticethatdoor,it'slocked。Bythedoorstandsachair,theonlyoneinthetworooms。I
　　broughtitfrommyroomssoastolistenmoreconveniently。JusttheothersideofthedoorisSofyaSemyonovna'stable;shesattheretalkingtoRodionRomanovitch。AndIsatherelisteningontwosuccessiveevenings,fortwohourseachtime-andofcourseIwasabletolearnsomething,whatdoyouthink？”
　　“Youlistened？”
　　“Yes,Idid。Nowcomebacktomyroom;wecan'tsitdownhere。“
　　HebroughtAvdotyaRomanovnabackintohissitting-roomandofferedherachair。Hesatdownattheoppositesideofthetable,atleastsevenfeetfromher,butprobablytherewasthesameglowinhiseyeswhichhadoncefrightenedDouniasomuch。Sheshudderedandoncemorelookedaboutherdistrustfully。Itwasaninvoluntarygesture;sheevidentlydidnotwishtobetrayheruneasiness。ButthesecludedpositionofSvidrigailov'slodginghadsuddenlystruckher。Shewantedtoaskwhetherhislandladyatleastwereathome,butpridekeptherfromasking。Moreover,shehadanothertroubleinherheartincomparablygreaterthanfearforherself。Shewasingreatdistress。
　　“Hereisyourletter,“shesaid,layingitonthetable。“Canitbetruewhatyouwrite?Youhintatacrimecommitted,yousay,bymybrother。Youhintatittooclearly;youdaren'tdenyitnow。I
　　musttellyouthatI'dheardofthisstupidstorybeforeyouwroteanddon'tbelieveawordofit。It'sadisgustingandridiculoussuspicion。Iknowthestoryandwhyandhowitwasinvented。Youcanhavenoproofs。Youpromisedtoproveit。Speak!ButletmewarnyouthatIdon'tbelieveyou!Idon'tbelieveyou！”
　　Douniasaidthis,speakinghurriedly,andforaninstantthecolourrushedtoherface。
　　“Ifyoudidn'tbelieveit,howcouldyouriskcomingalonetomyrooms?Whyhaveyoucome?Simplyfromcuriosity？”
　　“Don'ttormentme。Speak,speak！”
　　“There'snodenyingthatyouareabravegirl。Uponmyword,I
　　thoughtyouwouldhaveaskedMr。Razumihintoescortyouhere。Buthewasnotwithyounoranywherenear。Iwasonthelook-out。It'sspiritedofyou,itprovesyouwantedtospareRodionRomanovitch。Buteverythingisdivineinyou……Aboutyourbrother,whatamItosaytoyou?You'vejustseenhimyourself。Whatdidyouthinkofhim？”
　　“Surelythat'snottheonlythingyouarebuildingon？”
　　“No,notonthat,butonhisownwords。HecamehereontwosuccessiveeveningstoseeSofyaSemyonovna。I'veshownyouwheretheysat。Hemadeafullconfessiontoher。Heisamurderer。Hekilledanoldwoman,apawnbroker,withwhomhehadpawnedthingshimself。Hekilledhersistertoo,apedlarwomancalledLizaveta,whohappenedtocomeinwhilehewasmurderinghersister。Hekilledthemwithanaxehebroughtwithhim。Hemurderedthemtorobthemandhedidrobthem。Hetookmoneyandvariousthings……Hetoldallthis,wordforword,toSofyaSemyonovna,theonlypersonwhoknowshissecret。
　　Butshehashadnosharebywordordeedinthemurder;shewasashorrifiedatitasyouarenow。Don'tbeanxious,shewon'tbetrayhim。“
　　“Itcannotbe,“mutteredDounia,withwhitelips。Shegaspedforbreath。“Itcannotbe。Therewasnottheslightestcause,nosortofground……It'salie,alie！”
　　“Herobbedher,thatwasthecause,hetookmoneyandthings。It'struethatbyhisownadmissionhemadenouseofthemoneyorthings,buthidthemunderastone,wheretheyarenow。Butthatwasbecausehedarednotmakeuseofthem。“
　　“Buthowcouldhesteal,rob?Howcouldhedreamofit？”criedDounia,andshejumpedupfromthechair。“Why,youknowhim,andyou'veseenhim,canhebeathief？”
　　SheseemedtobeimploringSvidrigailov;shehadentirelyforgottenherfear。
　　“Therearethousandsandmillionsofcombinationsandpossibilities,AvdotyaRomanovna。Athiefstealsandknowsheisascoundrel,butI'veheardofagentlemanwhobrokeopenthemail。Whoknows,verylikelyhethoughthewasdoingagentlemanlything!OfcourseIshouldnothavebelieveditmyselfifI'dbeentoldofitasyouhave,butIbelievemyownears。HeexplainedallthecausesofittoSofyaSemyonovnatoo,butshedidnotbelieveherearsatfirst,yetshebelievedherowneyesatlast。“
　　“What……werethecauses？”
　　“It'salongstory,AvdotyaRomanovna。Here's……howshallItellyou?-Atheoryofasort,thesameonebywhichIforinstanceconsiderthatasinglemisdeedispermissibleiftheprincipalaimisright,asolitarywrongdoingandhundredsofgooddeeds!It'sgallingtoo,ofcourse,forayoungmanofgiftsandoverweeningpridetoknowthatifhehad,forinstance,apaltrythreethousand,hiswholecareer,hiswholefuturewouldbedifferentlyshapedandyetnottohavethatthreethousand。Addtothat,nervousirritabilityfromhunger,fromlodginginahole,fromrags,fromavividsenseofthecharmofhissocialpositionandhissister'sandmother'spositiontoo。Aboveall,vanity,prideandvanity,thoughgoodnessknowshemayhavegoodqualitiestoo……Iamnotblaminghim,pleasedon'tthinkit;besides,it'snotmybusiness。Aspeciallittletheorycameintoo-atheoryofasort-dividingmankind,yousee,intomaterialandsuperiorpersons,thatispersonstowhomthelawdoesnotapplyowingtotheirsuperiority,whomakelawsfortherestofmankind,thematerial,thatis。It'sallrightasatheory,unetheoriecommeuneautre。Napoleonattractedhimtremendously,thatis,whataffectedhimwasthatagreatmanymenofgeniushavenothesitatedatwrongdoing,buthaveoversteppedthelawwithoutthinkingaboutit。Heseemstohavefanciedthathewasageniustoo-thatis,hewasconvincedofitforatime。Hehassufferedagreatdealandisstillsufferingfromtheideathathecouldmakeatheory,butwasincapableofboldlyoversteppingthelaw,andsoheisnotamanofgenius。Andthat'shumiliatingforayoungmanofanypride,inourdayespecially……“
　　“Butremorse?Youdenyhimanymoralfeelingthen?Ishelikethat？”
　　“Ah,AvdotyaRomanovna,everythingisinamuddlenow;notthatitwaseverinverygoodorder。Russiansingeneralarebroadintheirideas,AvdotyaRomanovna,broadliketheirlandandexceedinglydisposedtothefantastic,thechaotic。Butit'samisfortunetobebroadwithoutaspecialgenius。Doyourememberwhatalotoftalkwehadtogetheronthissubject,sittingintheeveningsontheterraceaftersupper?Why,youusedtoreproachmewithbreadth!Whoknows,perhapsweweretalkingattheverytimewhenhewaslyingherethinkingoverhisplan。Therearenosacredtraditionsamongstus,especiallyintheeducatedclass,AvdotyaRomanovna。Atthebestsomeonewillmakethemupsomehowforhimselfoutofbooksorfromsomeoldchronicle。Butthoseareforthemostpartthelearnedandalloldfogeys,sothatitwouldbealmostill-bredinamanofsociety。Youknowmyopinionsingeneral,though。Ineverblameanyone。Idonothingatall,Ipersevereinthat。Butwe'vetalkedofthismorethanoncebefore。Iwassohappyindeedastointerestyouinmyopinions……Youareverypale,AvdotyaRomanovna。“
　　“Iknowhistheory。Ireadthatarticleofhisaboutmentowhomallispermitted。Razumihinbroughtittome。“
　　“Mr。Razumihin?Yourbrother'sarticle?Inamagazine?Istheresuchanarticle?Ididn'tknow。Itmustbeinteresting。Butwhereareyougoing,AvdotyaRomanovna？”
　　“IwanttoseeSofyaSemyonovna,“Douniaarticulatedfaintly。“HowdoIgotoher?Shehascomein,perhaps。Imustseeheratonce。
　　Perhapsshe……“
　　AvdotyaRomanovnacouldnotfinish。Herbreathliterallyfailedher。
　　“SofyaSemyonovnawillnotbebacktillnight,atleastIbelievenot。Shewastohavebeenbackatonce,butifnot,thenshewillnotbeintillquitelate。“
　　“Ah,thenyouarelying!Isee……youwerelying……lyingallthetime……Idon'tbelieveyou!Idon'tbelieveyou！”criedDounia,completelylosingherhead。
　　Almostfainting,shesankontoachairwhichSvidrigailovmadehastetogiveher。
　　“AvdotyaRomanovna,whatisit?Controlyourself!Hereissomewater。Drinkalittle……“
　　Hesprinkledsomewateroverher。Douniashudderedandcametoherself。
　　“Ithasactedviolently,“Svidrigailovmutteredtohimself,frowning。“AvdotyaRomanovna,calmyourself!Believeme,hehasfriends。Wewillsavehim。Wouldyoulikemetotakehimabroad?I
　　havemoney,Icangetaticketinthreedays。Andasforthemurder,hewilldoallsortsofgooddeedsyet,toatoneforit。Calmyourself。Hemaybecomeagreatmanyet。Well,howareyou?Howdoyoufeel？”
　　“Cruelman!Tobeabletojeeratit!Letmego……“
　　“Whereareyougoing？”
　　“Tohim。Whereishe?Doyouknow?Whyisthisdoorlocked?Wecameinatthatdoorandnowitislocked。Whendidyoumanagetolockit？”
　　“Wecouldn'tbeshoutingallovertheflatonsuchasubject。Iamfarfromjeering;it'ssimplythatI'msickoftalkinglikethis。
　　Buthowcanyougoinsuchastate?Doyouwanttobetrayhim?Youwilldrivehimtofury,andhewillgivehimselfup。Letmetellyou,heisalreadybeingwatched;theyarealreadyonhistrack。Youwillsimplybegivinghimaway。Waitalittle：Isawhimandwastalkingtohimjustnow。Hecanstillbesaved。Waitabit,sitdown;letusthinkitovertogether。Iaskedyoutocomeinordertodiscussitalonewithyouandtoconsideritthoroughly。Butdositdown！”
　　“Howcanyousavehim?Canhereallybesaved？”
　　Douniasatdown。Svidrigailovsatdownbesideher。
　　“Italldependsonyou,onyou,onyoualone,“hebeginwithglowingeyes,almostinawhisperandhardlyabletoutterthewordsforemotion。
　　Douniadrewbackfromhiminalarm。Hetoowastremblingallover。
　　“You……onewordfromyou,andheissaved。I……I'llsavehim。I
　　havemoneyandfriends。I'llsendhimawayatonce。I'llgetapassport,twopassports,oneforhimandoneforme。Ihavefriends……
　　capablepeople……Ifyoulike,I'lltakeapassportforyou……foryourmother……WhatdoyouwantwithRazumihin?Iloveyoutoo……
　　Iloveyoubeyondeverything……Letmekissthehemofyourdress,letme,letme……Theveryrustleofitistoomuchforme。Tellme,'dothat,'andI'lldoit。I'lldoeverything。Iwilldotheimpossible。Whatyoubelieve,Iwillbelieve。I'lldoanything-
　　anything!Don't,don'tlookatmelikethat。Doyouknowthatyouarekillingme?……“
　　Hewasalmostbeginningtorave……Somethingseemedsuddenlytogotohishead。Douniajumpedupandrushedtothedoor。
　　“Openit!Openit！”shecalled,shakingthedoor。“Openit!Istherenoonethere？”
　　Svidrigailovgotupandcametohimself。Hisstilltremblinglipsslowlybrokeintoanangrymockingsmile。
　　“Thereisnooneathome,“hesaidquietlyandemphatically。“Thelandladyhasgoneout,andit'swasteoftimetoshoutlikethat。
　　Youareonlyexcitingyourselfuselessly。“
　　“Whereisthekey?Openthedooratonce,atonce,baseman！”
　　“Ihavelostthekeyandcannotfindit。“
　　“Thisisanoutrage,“criedDounia,turningpaleasdeath。Sherushedtothefurthestcorner,whereshemadehastetobarricadeherselfwithalittletable。
　　Shedidnotscream,butshefixedhereyesonhertormentorandwatchedeverymovementhemade。
　　Svidrigailovremainedstandingattheotherendoftheroomfacingher。Hewaspositivelycomposed,atleastinappearance,buthisfacewaspaleasbefore。Themockingsmiledidnotleavehisface。
　　“Youspokeofoutragejustnow,AvdotyaRomanovna。InthatcaseyoumaybesureI'vetakenmeasures。SofyaSemyonovnaisnotathome。TheKapernaumovsarefaraway-therearefivelockedroomsbetween。IamatleasttwiceasstrongasyouareandIhavenothingtofear,besides。Foryoucouldnotcomplainafterwards。Yousurelywouldnotbewillingactuallytobetrayyourbrother?Besides,noonewouldbelieveyou。Howshouldagirlhavecomealonetovisitasolitarymaninhislodgings?Sothatevenifyoudosacrificeyourbrother,youcouldprovenothing。Itisverydifficulttoproveanassault,AvdotyaRomanovna。“
　　“Scoundrel！”whisperedDouniaindignantly。
　　“Asyoulike,butobserveIwasonlyspeakingbywayofageneralproposition。It'smypersonalconvictionthatyouareperfectlyright-
　　violenceishateful。Ionlyspoketoshowyouthatyouneedhavenoremorseevenif……youwerewillingtosaveyourbrotherofyourownaccord,asIsuggesttoyou。Youwouldbesimplysubmittingtocircumstances,toviolence,infact,ifwemustusethatword。Thinkaboutit。Yourbrother'sandyourmother'sfateareinyourhands。I
　　willbeyourslave……allmylife……Iwillwaithere。“
　　SvidrigailovsatdownonthesofaabouteightstepsfromDounia。Shehadnottheslightestdoubtnowofhisunbendingdetermination。
　　Besides,sheknewhim。Suddenlyshepulledoutofherpocketarevolver,cockeditandlaiditinherhandonthetable。Svidrigailovjumpedup。
　　“Aha!Sothat'sit,isit？”hecried,surprisedbutsmilingmaliciously。“Well,thatcompletelyalterstheaspectofaffairs。
　　You'vemadethingswonderfullyeasierforme,AvdotyaRomanovna。Butwheredidyougettherevolver?WasitMr。Razumihin?Why,it'smyrevolver,anoldfriend!AndhowI'vehuntedforit!TheshootinglessonsI'vegivenyouinthecountryhavenotbeenthrownaway。“
　　“It'snotyourrevolver,itbelongedtoMarfaPetrovna,whomyoukilled,wretch!Therewasnothingofyoursinherhouse。ItookitwhenIbegantosuspectwhatyouwerecapableof。Ifyoudaretoadvanceonestep,IswearI'llkillyou。“Shewasfrantic。
　　“Butyourbrother?Iaskfromcuriosity,“saidSvidrigailov,stillstandingwherehewas。
　　“Inform,ifyouwantto!Don'tstir!Don'tcomenearer!I'llshoot!Youpoisonedyourwife,Iknow;youareamurdereryourself！”
　　Sheheldtherevolverready。
　　“AreyousopositiveIpoisonedMarfaPetrovna？”
　　“Youdid!Youhintedityourself!youtalkedtomeofpoison……I
　　knowyouwenttogetit……youhaditinreadiness……Itwasyourdoing……Itmusthavebeenyourdoing……Scoundrel！”
　　“Evenifthatweretrue,itwouldhavebeenforyoursake……youwouldhavebeenthecause。“
　　“Youarelying!Ihatedyoualways,always……“
　　“Oho,AvdotyaRomanovna!Youseemtohaveforgottenhowyousoftenedtomeintheheatofpropaganda。Isawitinyoureyes。Doyourememberthatmoonlightnight,whenthenightingalewassinging？”
　　“That'salie,“therewasaflashoffuryinDounia'seyes,“that'salieandalibel！”
　　“Alie?Well,ifyoulike,it'salie。Imadeitup。Womenoughtnottoberemindedofsuchthings,“hesmiled。“Iknowyouwillshoot,youprettywildcreature。Well,shootaway！”
　　Douniaraisedtherevolver,anddeadlypale,gazedathim,measuringthedistanceandawaitingthefirstmovementonhispart。Herlowerlipwaswhiteandquiveringandherbigblackeyesflashedlikefire。Hehadneverseenhersohandsome。Thefireglowinginhereyesatthemomentsheraisedtherevolverseemedtokindlehimandtherewasapangofanguishinhisheart。Hetookastepforwardandashotrangout。Thebulletgrazedhishairandflewintothewallbehind。Hestoodstillandlaughedsoftly。
　　“Thewasphasstungme。Sheaimedstraightatmyhead。What'sthis?Blood？”hepulledouthishandkerchieftowipetheblood,whichflowedinathinstreamdownhisrighttemple。Thebulletseemedtohavejustgrazedtheskin。
　　DounialoweredtherevolverandlookedatSvidrigailovnotsomuchinterrorasinasortofwildamazement。Sheseemednottounderstandwhatshewasdoingandwhatwasgoingon。
　　“Well,youmissed!Fireagain,I'llwait,“saidSvidrigailovsoftly,stillsmiling,butgloomily。“Ifyougoonlikethat,Ishallhavetimetoseizeyoubeforeyoucockagain。“
　　Douniastarted,quicklycockedthepistolandagainraisedit。
　　“Letmebe,“shecriedindespair。“IswearI'llshootagain。I……
　　I'llkillyou。“
　　“Well……atthreepacesyoucanhardlyhelpit。Butifyoudon't……then。“Hiseyesflashedandhetooktwostepsforward。Douniashotagain：itmissedfire。
　　“Youhaven'tloadeditproperly。Nevermind,youhaveanotherchargethere。Getitready,I'llwait。“
　　Hestoodfacingher,twopacesaway,waitingandgazingatherwithwilddetermination,withfeverishlypassionate,stubborn,seteyes。Douniasawthathewouldsoonerdiethanlethergo。“And……
　　now,ofcourseshewouldkillhim,attwopaces！”Suddenlysheflungawaytherevolver。
　　“She'sdroppedit！”saidSvidrigailovwithsurprise,andhedrewadeepbreath。Aweightseemedtohaverolledfromhisheart-perhapsnotonlythefearofdeath;indeedhemayscarcelyhavefeltitatthatmoment。Itwasthedeliverancefromanotherfeeling,darkerandmorebitter,whichhecouldnothimselfhavedefined。
　　HewenttoDouniaandgentlyputhisarmroundherwaist。Shedidnotresist,but,tremblinglikealeaf,lookedathimwithsupplianteyes。Hetriedtosaysomething,buthislipsmovedwithoutbeingabletoutterasound。
　　“Letmego,“Douniaimplored。Svidrigailovshuddered。Hervoicenowwasquitedifferent。
　　“Thenyoudon'tloveme？”heaskedsoftly。Douniashookherhead。
　　“And……andyoucan't?Never？”hewhisperedindespair。
　　“Never！”
　　Therefollowedamomentofterrible,dumbstruggleintheheartofSvidrigailov。Helookedatherwithanindescribablegaze。Suddenlyhewithdrewhisarm,turnedquicklytothewindowandstoodfacingit。
　　Anothermomentpassed。
　　“Here'sthekey。“
　　Hetookitoutoftheleftpocketofhiscoatandlaiditonthetablebehindhim,withoutturningorlookingatDounia。
　　“Takeit!Makehaste！”
　　Helookedstubbornlyoutofthewindow。Douniawentuptothetabletotakethekey。
　　“Makehaste!Makehaste！”repeatedSvidrigailov,stillwithoutturningormoving。Butthereseemedaterriblesignificanceinthetoneofthat“makehaste。“
　　Douniaunderstoodit,snatchedupthekey,flewtothedoor,unlockeditquicklyandrushedoutoftheroom。Aminutelater,besideherself,sheranoutontothecanalbankinthedirectionofX。
　　Bridge。
　　Svidrigailovremainedthreeminutesstandingatthewindow。Atlastheslowlyturned,lookedabouthimandpassedhishandoverhisforehead。Astrangesmilecontortedhisface,apitiful,sad,weaksmile,asmileofdespair。Theblood,whichwasalreadygettingdry,smearedhishand。Helookedangrilyatit,thenwettedatowelandwashedhistemple。TherevolverwhichDouniahadflungawaylaynearthedoorandsuddenlycaughthiseye。Hepickeditupandexaminedit。
　　Itwasalittlepocketthree-barrelrevolverofold-fashionedconstruction。Therewerestilltwochargesandonecapsuleleftinit。
　　Itcouldbefiredagain。Hethoughtalittle,puttherevolverinhispocket,tookhishatandwentout。
　　ChapterSixHESPENTthateveningtillteno'clock,goingfromonelowhaunttoanother。Katiatooturnedupandsanganotherguttersong,howacertain“villainandtyrant“-
　　“begankissingKatia。“-
　　SvidrigailovtreatedKatiaandtheorgan-grinderandsomesingersandthewaitersandtwolittleclerks。Hewasparticularlydrawntotheseclerksbythefactthattheybothhadcrookednoses,onebenttotheleftandtheothertotheright。Theytookhimfinallytoapleasuregarden,wherehepaidfortheirentrance。Therewasonelankythree-year-oldpinetreeandthreebushesinthegarden,besidesa“Vauxhall,“whichwasinrealityadrinking-barwhereteatoowasserved,andtherewereafewgreentablesandchairsstandingroundit。Achorusofwretchedsingersandadrunken,butexceedinglydepressedGermanclownfromMunichwitharednoseentertainedthepublic。Theclerksquarreledwithsomeotherclerksandafightseemedimminent。Svidrigailovwaschosentodecidethedispute。Helistenedtothemforaquarterofanhour,buttheyshoutedsoloudthattherewasnopossibilityofunderstandingthem。TheonlyfactthatseemedcertainwasthatoneofthemhadstolensomethingandhadevensucceededinsellingitonthespottoaJew,butwouldnotsharethespoilwithhiscompanion。FinallyitappearedthatthestolenobjectwasateaspoonbelongingtotheVauxhall。Itwasmissedandtheaffairbegantoseemtroublesome。Svidrigailovpaidforthespoon,gotup,andwalkedoutofthegarden。Itwasaboutsixo'clock。Hehadnotdrunkadropofwineallthistimeandhadorderedteamoreforthesakeofappearancesthananything。
　　Itwasadarkandstiflingevening。Threateningstorm-cloudscameovertheskyaboutteno'clock。Therewasaclapofthunder,andtheraincamedownlikeawaterfall。Thewaterfellnotindrops,butbeatontheearthinstreams。Therewereflashesoflightningeveryminuteandeachflashlastedwhileonecouldcountfive。
　　Drenchedtotheskin,hewenthome,lockedhimselfin,openedthebureau,tookoutallhismoneyandtoreuptwoorthreepapers。
　　Then,puttingthemoneyinhispocket,hewasabouttochangehisclothes,but,lookingoutofthewindowandlisteningtothethunderandtherain,hegaveuptheidea,tookuphishatandwentoutoftheroomwithoutlockingthedoor。HewentstraighttoSonia。Shewasathome。
　　Shewasnotalone：thefourKapernaumovchildrenwerewithher。
　　Shewasgivingthemtea。ShereceivedSvidrigailovinrespectfulsilence,lookingwonderinglyathissoakingclothes。Thechildrenallranawayatonceinindescribableterror。
　　SvidrigailovsatdownatthetableandaskedSoniatositbesidehim。Shetimidlypreparedtolisten。
　　“ImaybegoingtoAmerica,SofyaSemyonovna,“saidSvidrigailov,“andasIamprobablyseeingyouforthelasttime,Ihavecometomakesomearrangements。Well,didyouseetheladyto-day?Iknowwhatshesaidtoyou,youneednottellme。“Soniamadeamovementandblushed。“Thosepeoplehavetheirownwayofdoingthings。Astoyoursistersandyourbrother,theyarereallyprovidedforandthemoneyassignedtothemI'veputintosafekeepingandhavereceivedacknowledgments。Youhadbettertakechargeofthereceipts,incaseanythinghappens。Here,takethem!Well,nowthat'ssettled。Herearethree5percent。bondstothevalueofthreethousandroubles。
　　Takethoseforyourself,entirelyforyourself,andletthatbestrictlybetweenourselves,sothatnooneknowsofit,whateveryouhear。Youwillneedthemoney,fortogoonlivingintheoldway,SofyaSemyonovna,isbad,andbesidesthereisnoneedforitnow。“
　　“Iamsomuchindebtedtoyou,andsoarethechildrenandmystepmother,“saidSoniahurriedly,“andifI'vesaidsolittle……
　　pleasedon'tconsider……“
　　“That'senough!that'senough！”
　　“Butasforthemoney,ArkadyIvanovitch,Iamverygratefultoyou,butIdon'tneeditnow。Icanalwaysearnmyownliving。Don'tthinkmeungrateful。Ifyouaresocharitable,thatmoney……“
　　“It'sforyou,foryou,SofyaSemyonovna,andpleasedon'twastewordsoverit。Ihaven'ttimeforit。Youwillwantit。RodionRomanovitchhastwoalternatives：abulletinthebrainorSiberia。“
　　Sonialookedwildlyathim,andstarted。“Don'tbeuneasy,IknowallaboutitfromhimselfandIamnotagossip;Iwon'ttellanyone。
　　Itwasgoodadvicewhenyoutoldhimtogivehimselfupandconfess。
　　Itwouldbemuchbetterforhim。Well,ifitturnsouttobeSiberia,hewillgoandyouwillfollowhim。That'sso,isn'tit?
　　Andifso,you'llneedmoney。You'llneeditforhim,doyouunderstand?Givingittoyouisthesameasmygivingittohim。
　　Besides,youpromisedAmaliaIvanovnatopaywhat'sowing。Iheardyou。Howcanyouundertakesuchobligationssoheedlessly,SofyaSemyonovna?ItwasKaterinaIvanovna'sdebtandnotyours,soyououghtnottohavetakenanynoticeoftheGermanwoman。Youcan'tgetthroughtheworldlikethat。Ifyouareeverquestionedaboutme-to-morroworthedayafteryouwillbeasked-don'tsayanythingaboutmycomingtoseeyounowanddon'tshowthemoneytoanyoneorsayawordaboutit。Well,nowgood-bye。“Hegotup。“MygreetingstoRodionRomanovitch。Bytheway,you'dbetterputthemoneyforthepresentinMr。Razumihin'skeeping。YouknowMr。
　　Razumihin?Ofcourseyoudo。He'snotabadfellow。Takeittohimto-morrowor……whenthetimecomes。Andtillthen,hideitcarefully。“
　　SoniatoojumpedupfromherchairandlookedindismayatSvidrigailov。Shelongedtospeak,toaskaquestion,butforthefirstmomentsshedidnotdareanddidnotknowhowtobegin。
　　“Howcanyou……howcanyoubegoingnow,insuchrain？”
　　“Why,bestartingforAmerica,andbestoppedbyrain!Ha,ha!
　　Good-bye,SofyaSemyonovna,mydear!Liveandlivelong,youwillbeofusetoothers。Bytheway……tellMr。RazumihinIsendmygreetingstohim。TellhimArkadyIvanovitchSvidrigailovsendshisgreetings。
　　Besureto。“
　　Hewentout,leavingSoniainastateofwonderinganxietyandvagueapprehension。
　　Itappearedafterwardsthatonthesameevening,attwentypasteleven,hemadeanotherveryeccentricandunexpectedvisit。Therainstillpersisted。Drenchedtotheskin,hewalkedintothelittleflatwheretheparentsofhisbetrothedlived,inThirdStreetinVassilyevskyIsland。Heknockedsometimebeforehewasadmitted,andhisvisitatfirstcausedgreatperturbation;butSvidrigailovcouldbeveryfascinatingwhenheliked,sothatthefirst,andindeedveryintelligentsurmiseofthesensibleparentsthatSvidrigailovhadprobablyhadsomuchtodrinkthathedidnotknowwhathewasdoingvanishedimmediately。ThedecrepitfatherwaswheeledintoseeSvidrigailovbythetenderandsensiblemother,whoasusualbegantheconversationwithvariousirrelevantquestions。
　　Sheneveraskedadirectquestion,butbeganbysmilingandrubbingherhandsandthen,ifshewereobligedtoascertainsomething-forinstance,whenSvidrigailovwouldliketohavethewedding-shewouldbeginbyinterestedandalmosteagerquestionsaboutParisandthecourtlifethere,andonlybydegreesbroughttheconversationroundtoThirdStreet。Onotheroccasionsthishadofcoursebeenveryimpressive,butthistimeArkadyIvanovitchseemedparticularlyimpatient,andinsistedonseeinghisbetrothedatonce,thoughhehadbeeninformedtobeginwiththatshehadalreadygonetobed。Thegirlofcourseappeared。
　　SvidrigailovinformedheratoncethathewasobligedbyveryimportantaffairstoleavePetersburgforatime,andthereforebroughtherfifteenthousandroublesandbeggedheracceptthemasapresentfromhim,ashehadlongbeenintendingtomakeherthistriflingpresentbeforetheirwedding。Thelogicalconnectionofthepresentwithhisimmediatedepartureandtheabsolutenecessityofvisitingthemforthatpurposeinpouringrainatmidnightwasnotmadeclear。Butitallwentoffverywell;eventheinevitableejaculationsofwonderandregret,theinevitablequestionswereextraordinarilyfewandrestrained。Ontheotherhand,thegratitudeexpressedwasmostglowingandwasreinforcedbytearsfromthemostsensibleofmothers。Svidrigailovgotup,laughed,kissedhisbetrothed,pattedhercheek,declaredhewouldsooncomeback,andnoticinginhereyes,togetherwithchildishcuriosity,asortofearnestdumbinquiry,reflectedandkissedheragain,thoughhefeltsincereangerinwardlyatthethoughtthathispresentwouldbeimmediatelylockedupinthekeepingofthemostsensibleofmothers。Hewentaway,leavingthemallinastateofextraordinaryexcitement,butthetendermamma,speakingquietlyinahalfwhisper,settledsomeofthemostimportantoftheirdoubts,concludingthatSvidrigailovwasagreatman,amanofgreataffairsandconnectionsandofgreatwealth-therewasnoknowingwhathehadinhismind。Hewouldstartoffonajourneyandgiveawaymoneyjustasthefancytookhim,sothattherewasnothingsurprisingaboutit。Ofcourseitwasstrangethathewaswetthrough,butEnglishmen,forinstance,areevenmoreeccentric,andallthesepeopleofhighsocietydidn'tthinkofwhatwassaidofthemanddidn'tstandonceremony。Possibly,indeed,hecamelikethatonpurposetoshowthathewasnotafraidofanyone。Aboveall,notawordshouldbesaidaboutit,forGodknowswhatmightcomeofit,andthemoneymustbelockedup,anditwasmostfortunatethatFedosya,thecook,hadnotleftthekitchen。Andaboveallnotawordmustbesaidtothatoldcat,MadameResslich,andsoonandsoon。Theysatupwhisperingtilltwoo'clock,butthegirlwenttobedmuchearlier,amazedandrathersorrowful。
　　Svidrigailovmeanwhile,exactlyatmidnight,crossedthebridgeonthewaybacktothemainland。Therainhadceasedandtherewasaroaringwind。Hebeganshivering,andforonemomenthegazedattheblackwatersoftheLittleNevawithalookofspecialinterest,eveninquiry。Buthesoonfeltitverycold,standingbythewater;heturnedandwenttowardsY。Prospect。Hewalkedalongthatendlessstreetforalongtime,almosthalfanhour,morethanoncestumblinginthedarkonthewoodenpavement,butcontinuallylookingforsomethingontherightsideofthestreet。Hehadnoticedpassingthroughthisstreetlatelythattherewasahotelsomewheretowardstheend,builtofwood,butfairlylarge。anditsnameherememberedwassomethinglikeAdrianople。Hewasnotmistaken：
　　thehotelwassoconspicuousinthatGod-forsakenplacethathecouldnotfailtoseeiteveninthedark。Itwasalong,blackenedwoodenbuilding,andinspiteofthelatehourtherewerelightsinthewindowsandsignsoflifewithin。Hewentinandaskedaraggedfellowwhomethiminthecorridorforaroom。Thelatter,scanningSvidrigailov,pulledhimselftogetherandledhimatoncetoacloseandtinyroominthedistance,attheendofthecorridor,underthestairs。Therewasnoother,allwereoccupied。Theraggedfellowlookedinquiringly。
　　“Istheretea？”askedSvidrigailov。
　　“Yes,sir。“
　　“Whatelseisthere？”
　　“Veal,vodka,savouries。“
　　“Bringmeteaandveal。“
　　“Andyouwantnothingelse？”heaskedwithapparentsurprise。
　　“Nothing,nothing。“
　　Theraggedmanwentaway,completelydisillusioned。
　　“Itmustbeaniceplace,“thoughtSvidrigailov。“HowwasitI
　　didn'tknowit?IexpectIlookasifIcamefromacafechantantandhavehadsomeadventureontheway。Itwouldbeinterestingtoknowwhostayedhere。“
　　Helightedthecandleandlookedattheroommorecarefully。Itwasaroomsolow-pitchedthatSvidrigailovcouldnotonlyjuststandupinit;ithadonewindow;thebed,whichwasverydirty,andtheplainstainedchairandtablealmostfilleditup。Thewallslookedasthoughtheyweremadeofplanks,coveredwithshabbypaper,sotornanddustythatthepatternwasindistinguishable,thoughthegeneralcolour-yellow-couldstillbemadeout。Oneofthewallswascutshortbytheslopingceiling,thoughtheroomwasnotanattic,butjustunderthestairs。
　　Svidrigailovsetdownthecandle,satdownonthebedandsankintothought。Butastrangepersistentmurmurwhichsometimesrosetoashoutinthenextroomattractedhisattention。Themurmurhadnotceasedfromthemomentheenteredtheroom。Helistened：someonewasupbraidingandalmosttearfullyscolding,butheheardonlyonevoice。
　　Svidrigailovgotup,shadedthelightwithhishandandatoncehesawlightthroughacrackinthewall;hewentupandpeepedthrough。Theroom,whichwassomewhatlargerthanhis,hadtwooccupants。Oneofthem,averycurly-headedmanwitharedinflamedface,wasstandingintheposeofanorator,withouthiscoat,withhislegswideaparttopreservehisbalance,andsmitinghimselfonthebreast。Hereproachedtheotherwithbeingabeggar,withhavingnostandingwhatever。Hedeclaredthathehadtakentheotheroutofthegutterandhecouldturnhimoutwhenheliked,andthatonlythefingerofProvidenceseesitall。Theobjectofhisreproacheswassittinginachair,andhadtheairofamanwhowantsdreadfullytosneeze,butcan't。Hesometimesturnedsheepishandbefoggedeyesonthespeaker,butobviouslyhadnottheslightestideawhathewastalkingaboutandscarcelyheardit。Acandlewasburningdownonthetable;therewerewineglasses,anearlyemptybottleofvodka,breadandcucumber,andglasseswiththedregsofstaletea。Aftergazingattentivelyatthis,Svidrigailovturnedawayindifferentlyandsatdownonthebed。
　　Theraggedattendant,returningwiththetea,couldnotresistaskinghimagainwhetherhedidn'twantanythingmore,andagainreceivinganegativereply,finallywithdrew。Svidrigailovmadehastetodrinkaglassofteatowarmhimself,butcouldnoteatanything。Hebegantofeelfeverish。Hetookoffhiscoatand,wrappinghimselfintheblanket,laydownonthebed。Hewasannoyed。“Itwouldhavebeenbettertobewellfortheoccasion,“hethoughtwithasmile。Theroomwasclose,thecandleburntdimly,thewindwasroaringoutside,heheardamousescratchinginthecornerandtheroomsmeltofmiceandofleather。Helayinasortofreverie：onethoughtfollowedanother。Hefeltalongingtofixhisimaginationonsomething。“Itmustbeagardenunderthewindow,“hethought。“There'sasoundoftrees。HowIdislikethesoundoftreesonastormynight,inthedark!Theygiveoneahorridfeeling。“HerememberedhowhehaddislikeditwhenhepassedPetrovskyParkjustnow。ThisremindedhimofthebridgeovertheLittleNevaandhefeltcoldagainashehadwhenstandingthere。“Ineverhavelikedwater,“hethought,“eveninalandscape,“andhesuddenlysmiledagainatastrangeidea：“Surelynowallthesequestionsoftasteandcomfortoughtnottomatter,butI'vebecomemoreparticular,likeananimalthatpicksoutaspecialplace……forsuchanoccasion。I
　　oughttohavegoneintothePetrovskyPark!Isupposeitseemeddark,cold,ha-ha!AsthoughIwereseekingpleasantsensations!……Bytheway,whyhaven'tIputoutthecandle？”heblewitout。“They'vegonetobednextdoor,“hethought,notseeingthelightatthecrack。
　　“Well,now,MarfaPetrovna,nowisthetimeforyoutoturnup;it'sdark,andtheverytimeandplaceforyou。Butnowyouwon'tcome！”
　　Hesuddenlyrecalledhow,anhourbeforecarryingouthisdesignonDounia,hehadrecommendedRaskolnikovtotrusthertoRazumihin'skeeping。“IsupposeIreallydidsayit,asRaskolnikovguessed,toteasemyself。ButwhataroguethatRaskolnikovis!He'sgonethroughagooddeal。Hemaybeasuccessfulrogueintimewhenhe'sgotoverhisnonsense。Butnowhe'stooeagerforlife。Theseyoungmenarecontemptibleonthatpoint。But,hangthefellow!Lethimpleasehimself,it'snothingtodowithme。“
　　Hecouldnotgettosleep。BydegreesDounia'simagerosebeforehim,andashudderranoverhim。“No,Imustgiveupallthatnow,“hethought,rousinghimself。“Imustthinkofsomethingelse。It'squeerandfunny。Ineverhadagreathatredforanyone,Ineverparticularlydesiredtorevengemyselfeven,andthat'sabadsign,abadsign,abadsign。Ineverlikedquarrellingeither,andneverlostmytemper-that'sabadsigntoo。AndthepromisesImadeherjustnow,too-Damnation!But-whoknows?-perhapsshewouldhavemadeanewmanofmesomehow……“
　　Hegroundhisteethandsankintosilenceagain。AgainDounia'simagerosebeforehim,justasshewaswhen,aftershootingthefirsttime,shehadloweredtherevolverinterrorandgazedblanklyathim,sothathemighthaveseizedhertwiceoverandshewouldnothaveliftedahandtodefendherselfifhehadnotremindedher。
　　Herecalledhowatthatinstanthefeltalmostsorryforher,howhehadfeltapangathisheart……
　　“Aie!Damnation,thesethoughtsagain!Imustputitaway！”
　　Hewasdozingoff;thefeverishshiverhadceased,whensuddenlysomethingseemedtorunoverhisarmandlegunderthebedclothes。
　　Hestarted。“Ugh!hangit!Ibelieveit'samouse,“hethought,“that'sthevealIleftonthetable。“Hefeltfearfullydisinclinedtopullofftheblanket,getup,getcold,butallatoncesomethingunpleasantranoverhislegagain。Hepulledofftheblanketandlightedthecandle。Shakingwithfeverishchillhebentdowntoexaminethebed：therewasnothing。Heshooktheblanketandsuddenlyamousejumpedoutonthesheet。Hetriedtocatchit,butthemouserantoandfroinzigzagswithoutleavingthebed,slippedbetweenhisfingers,ranoverhishandandsuddenlydartedunderthepillow。Hethrewdownthepillow,butinoneinstantfeltsomethingleaponhischestanddartoverhisbodyanddownhisbackunderhisshirt。Hetremblednervouslyandwokeup。
　　Theroomwasdark。Hewaslyingonthebedandwrappedupintheblanketasbefore。Thewindwashowlingunderthewindow。“Howdisgusting,“hethoughtwithannoyance。
　　Hegotupandsatontheedgeofthebedsteadwithhisbacktothewindow。“It'sbetternottosleepatall,“hedecided。Therewasacolddampdraughtfromthewindow,however;withoutgettinguphedrewtheblanketoverhimandwrappedhimselfinit。Hewasnotthinkingofanythinganddidnotwanttothink。Butoneimageroseafteranother,incoherentscrapsofthoughtwithoutbeginningorendpassedthroughhismind。Hesankintodrowsiness。Perhapsthecold,orthedampness,orthedark,orthewindthathowledunderthewindowandtossedthetreesrousedasortofpersistentcravingforthefantastic。Hekeptdwellingonimagesofflowers,hefanciedacharmingflowergarden,abright,warm,almosthotday,aholiday-
　　Trinityday。Afine,sumptuouscountrycottageintheEnglishtasteovergrownwithfragrantflowers,withflowerbedsgoingroundthehouse;theporch,wreathedinclimbers,wassurroundedwithbedsofroses。Alight,coolstaircase,carpetedwithrichrugs,wasdecoratedwithrareplantsinchinapots。Henoticedparticularlyinthewindowsnosegaysoftender,white,heavilyfragrantnarcissusbendingovertheirbright,green,thicklongstalks。Hewasreluctanttomoveawayfromthem,buthewentupthestairsandcameintoalarge,highdrawing-roomandagaineverywhere-atthewindows,thedoorsontothebalcony,andonthebalconyitself-wereflowers。Thefloorswerestrewnwithfreshly-cutfragranthay,thewindowswereopen,afresh,cool,lightaircameintotheroom。Thebirdswerechirrupingunderthewindow,andinthemiddleoftheroom,onatablecoveredwithawhitesatinshroud,stoodacoffin。Thecoffinwascoveredwithwhitesilkandedgedwithathickwhitefrill;wreathsofflowerssurroundeditonallsides。Amongtheflowerslayagirlinawhitemuslindress,withherarmscrossedandpressedonherbosom,asthoughcarvedoutofmarble。Butherloosefairhairwaswet;therewasawreathofrosesonherhead。Thesternandalreadyrigidprofileofherfacelookedasthoughchiselledofmarbletoo,andthesmileonherpalelipswasfullofanimmenseunchildishmiseryandsorrowfulappeal。Svidrigailovknewthatgirl;therewasnoholyimage,noburningcandlebesidethecoffin;nosoundofprayers：thegirlhaddrownedherself。Shewasonlyfourteen,butherheartwasbroken。
　　Andshehaddestroyedherself,crushedbyaninsultthathadappalledandamazedthatchildishsoul,hadsmirchedthatangelpuritywithunmeriteddisgraceandtornfromheralastscreamofdespair,unheededandbrutallydisregarded,onadarknightinthecoldandwetwhilethewindhowled……
　　Svidrigailovcametohimself,gotupfromthebedandwenttothewindow。Hefeltforthelatchandopenedit。Thewindlashedfuriouslyintothelittleroomandstunghisfaceandhischest,onlycoveredwithhisshirt,asthoughwithfrost。Underthewindowtheremusthavebeensomethinglikeagarden,andapparentlyapleasuregarden。There,too,probablytherewereteatablesandsinginginthedaytime。Nowdropsofrainflewinatthewindowfromthetreesandbushes;itwasdarkasinacellar,sothathecouldonlyjustmakeoutsomedarkblursofobjects。Svidrigailov,bendingdownwithelbowsonthewindow-sill,gazedforfiveminutesintothedarkness;theboomofacannon,followedbyasecondone,resoundedinthedarknessofthenight。“Ah,thesignal!Theriverisoverflowing,“hethought。“Bymorningitwillbeswirlingdownthestreetinthelowerparts,floodingthebasementsandcellars。Thecellarratswillswimout,andmenwillcurseintherainandwindastheydragtheirrubbishtotheirupperstoreys。Whattimeisitnow？”Andhehadhardlythoughtitwhen,somewherenear,aclockonthewall,tickingawayhurriedly,struckthree。
　　“Aha!Itwillbelightinanhour!Whywait?I'llgooutatoncestraighttothepark。I'llchooseagreatbushtheredrenchedwithrain,sothatassoonasone'sshouldertouchesit,millionsofdropsdriponone'shead。“
　　Hemovedawayfromthewindow,shutit,lightedthecandle,putonhiswaistcoat,hisovercoatandhishatandwentout,carryingthecandle,intothepassagetolookfortheraggedattendantwhowouldbeasleepsomewhereinthemidstofcandleendsandallsortsofrubbish,topayhimfortheroomandleavethehotel。“It'sthebestminute;
　　Icouldn'tchooseabetter。“
　　Hewalkedforsometimethroughalongnarrowcorridorwithoutfindinganyoneandwasjustgoingtocallout,whensuddenlyinadarkcornerbetweenanoldcupboardandthedoorhecaughtsightofastrangeobjectwhichseemedtobealive。Hebentdownwiththecandleandsawalittlegirl,notmorethanfiveyearsold,shiveringandcrying,withherclothesaswetasasoakinghouse-flannel。ShedidnotseemafraidofSvidrigailov,butlookedathimwithblankamazementoutofherbigblackeyes。Nowandthenshesobbedaschildrendowhentheyhavebeencryingalongtime,butarebeginningtobecomforted。Thechild'sfacewaspaleandtired,shewasnumbwithcold。“Howcanshehavecomehere?Shemusthavehiddenhereandnotsleptallnight。“Hebeganquestioningher。
　　Thechildsuddenlybecominganimated,chatteredawayinherbabylanguage,somethingabout“mammy“andthat“mammywouldbeather,“andaboutsomecupthatshehad“bwoken。“Thechildchatteredonwithoutstopping。Hecouldonlyguessfromwhatshesaidthatshewasaneglectedchild,whosemother,probablyadrunkencook,intheserviceofthehotel,whippedandfrightenedher;thatthechildhadbrokenacupofhermother'sandwassofrightenedthatshehadrunawaytheeveningbefore,hadhiddenforalongwhilesomewhereoutsideintherain,atlasthadmadeherwayinhere,hiddenbehindthecupboardandspentthenightthere,cryingandtremblingfromthedamp,thedarknessandthefearthatshewouldbebadlybeatenforit。Hetookherinhisarms,wentbacktohisroom,satheronthebed,andbeganundressingher。Thetornshoeswhichshehadonherstockinglessfeetwereaswetasiftheyhadbeenstandinginapuddleallnight。
　　Whenhehadundressedher,heputheronthebed,coveredherupandwrappedherintheblanketfromherheaddownwards。Shefellasleepatonce。Thenhesankintodrearymusingagain。
　　“Whatfollytotroublemyself,“hedecidedsuddenlywithanoppressivefeelingofannoyance。“Whatidiocy！”Invexationhetookupthecandletogoandlookfortheraggedattendantagainandmakehastetogoaway。“Damnthechild！”hethoughtasheopenedthedoor,butheturnedagaintoseewhetherthechildwasasleep。Heraisedtheblanketcarefully。Thechildwassleepingsoundly,shehadgotwarmundertheblanket,andherpalecheekswereflushed。
　　Butstrangetosaythatflushseemedbrighterandcoarserthantherosycheeksofchildhood。“It'saflushoffever,“thoughtSvidrigailov。Itwasliketheflushfromdrinking,asthoughshehadbeengivenafullglasstodrink。Hercrimsonlipswerehotandglowing;butwhatwasthis?Hesuddenlyfanciedthatherlongblackeyelasheswerequivering,asthoughthelidswereopeningandaslycraftyeyepeepedoutwithanunchildlikewink,asthoughthelittlegirlwerenotasleep,butpretending。Yes,itwasso。Herlipspartedinasmile。Thecornersofhermouthquivered,asthoughsheweretryingtocontrolthem。Butnowshequitegaveupalleffort,nowitwasagrin,abroadgrin;therewassomethingshameless,provocativeinthatquiteunchildishface;itwasdepravity,itwasthefaceofaharlot,theshamelessfaceofaFrenchharlot。Nowbotheyesopenedwide;theyturnedaglowing,shamelessglanceuponhim;theylaughed,invitedhim……Therewassomethinginfinitelyhideousandshockinginthatlaugh,inthoseeyes,insuchnastinessinthefaceofachild。“What,atfiveyearsold？”Svidrigailovmutteredingenuinehorror。“Whatdoesitmean？”Andnowsheturnedtohim,herlittlefaceallaglow,holdingoutherarms……“Accursedchild！”Svidrigailovcried,raisinghishandtostrikeher,butatthatmomenthewokeup。
　　Hewasinthesamebed,stillwrappedintheblanket。Thecandlehadnotbeenlighted,anddaylightwasstreaminginatthewindows。
　　“I'vehadnightmareallnight！”Hegotupangrily,feelingutterlyshattered;hisbonesached。Therewasathickmistoutsideandhecouldseenothing。Itwasnearlyfive。Hehadoverslepthimself!Hegotup,putonhisstilldampjacketandovercoat。Feelingtherevolverinhispocket,hetookitoutandthenhesatdown,tookanotebookoutofhispocketandinthemostconspicuousplaceonthetitlepagewroteafewlinesinlargeletters。Readingthemover,hesankintothoughtwithhiselbowsonthetable。Therevolverandthenotebooklaybesidehim。Someflieswokeupandsettledontheuntouchedveal,whichwasstillonthetable。Hestaredatthemandatlastwithhisfreerighthandbegantryingtocatchone。Hetriedtillhewastired,butcouldnotcatchit。Atlast,realisingthathewasengagedinthisinterestingpursuit,hestarted,gotupandwalkedresolutelyoutoftheroom。Aminutelaterhewasinthestreet。