Lizaveta,thepedlar,soldmesomecollarsandcuffscheap,pretty,new,embroideredones。KaterinaIvanovnalikedthemverymuch;sheputthemonandlookedatherselfintheglassandwasdelightedwiththem。'Makemeapresentofthem,Sonia,'shesaid,'pleasedo。'
　　'Pleasedo,'shesaid,shewantedthemsomuch。Andwhencouldshewearthem?Theyjustremindedherofheroldhappydays。Shelookedatherselfintheglass,admiredherself,andshehasnoclothesatall,nothingsofherown,hasn'thadalltheseyears!Andsheneverasksanyoneforanything;sheisproud,she'dsoonergiveawayeverything。Andthesesheaskedfor,shelikedthemsomuch。AndIwassorrytogivethem。'Whatusearetheytoyou,KaterinaIvanovna?'I
　　said。Ispokelikethattoher,Ioughtnottohavesaidthat!Shegavemesuchalook。Andshewassogrieved,sogrievedatmyrefusingher。Anditwassosadtosee……Andshewasnotgrievedforthecollars,butformyrefusing,Isawthat。Ah,ifonlyIcouldbringitallback,changeit,takebackthosewords!Ah,ifI……butit'snothingtoyou！”
　　“DidyouknowLizaveta,thepedlar？”
　　“Yes……Didyouknowher？”Soniaaskedwithsomesurprise。
　　“KaterinaIvanovnaisinconsumption,rapidconsumption;shewillsoondie,“saidRaskolnikovafterapause,withoutansweringherquestion。
　　“Oh,no,no,no！”
　　AndSoniaunconsciouslyclutchedbothhishands,asthoughimploringthatsheshouldnot。
　　“Butitwillbebetterifshedoesdie。“
　　“No,notbetter,notatallbetter！”Soniaunconsciouslyrepeatedindismay。
　　“Andthechildren?Whatcanyoudoexcepttakethemtolivewithyou？”
　　“Oh,Idon'tknow,“criedSonia,almostindespair,andsheputherhandstoherhead。
　　Itwasevidentthatthatideahadveryoftenoccurredtoherbeforeandhehadonlyrouseditagain。
　　“And,what,ifevennow,whileKaterinaIvanovnaisalive,yougetillandaretakentothehospital,whatwillhappenthen？”hepersistedpitilessly。
　　“Howcanyou?Thatcannotbe！”
　　AndSonia'sfaceworkedwithawfulterror。
　　“Cannotbe？”Raskolnikovwentonwithaharshsmile。“Youarenotinsuredagainstit,areyou?Whatwillhappentothemthen?Theywillbeinthestreet,allofthem,shewillcoughandbegandknockherheadagainstsomewall,asshedidto-day,andthechildrenwillcry……Thenshewillfalldown,betakentothepolicestationandtothehospital,shewilldie,andthechildren……“
　　“Oh,no……Godwillnotletitbe！”brokeatlastfromSonia'soverburdenedbosom。
　　Shelistened,lookingimploringlyathim,claspingherhandsindumbentreaty,asthoughitalldependeduponhim。
　　Raskolnikovgotupandbegantowalkabouttheroom。Aminutepassed。Soniawasstandingwithherhandsandherheadhanginginterribledejection。
　　“Andcan'tyousave?Putbyforarainyday？”heasked,stoppingsuddenlybeforeher。
　　“No,“whisperedSonia。
　　“Ofcoursenot。Haveyoutried？”headdedalmostironically。
　　“Yes。“
　　“Anditdidn'tcomeoff!Ofcoursenot!Noneedtoask。“
　　Andagainhepacedtheroom。Anotherminutepassed。
　　“Youdon'tgetmoneyeveryday？”
　　Soniawasmoreconfusedthaneverandcolourrushedintoherfaceagain。
　　“No,“shewhisperedwithapainfuleffort。
　　“ItwillbethesamewithPolenka,nodoubt,“hesaidsuddenly。
　　“No,no!Itcan'tbe,no！”Soniacriedaloudindesperation,asthoughshehadbeenstabbed。“Godwouldnotallowanythingsoawful！”
　　“Heletsotherscometoit。“
　　“No,no!Godwillprotecther,God！”sherepeatedbesideherself。
　　“But,perhaps,thereisnoGodatall,“Raskolnikovansweredwithasortofmalignance,laughedandlookedather。
　　Sonia'sfacesuddenlychanged;atremorpassedoverit。Shelookedathimwithunutterablereproach,triedtosaysomething,butcouldnotspeakandbrokeintobitter,bittersobs,hidingherfaceinherhands。
　　“YousayKaterinaIvanovna'smindisunhinged;yourownmindisunhinged,“hesaidafterabriefsilence。
　　Fiveminutespassed。Hestillpacedupanddowntheroominsilence,notlookingather。Atlasthewentuptoher;hiseyesglittered。
　　Heputhistwohandsonhershouldersandlookedstraightintohertearfulface。Hiseyeswerehard,feverishandpiercing,hislipsweretwitching。Allatoncehebentdownquicklyanddroppingtotheground,kissedherfoot。Soniadrewbackfromhimasfromamadman。
　　Andcertainlyhelookedlikeamadman。
　　“Whatareyoudoingtome？”shemuttered,turningpale,andasuddenanguishclutchedatherheart。
　　Hestoodupatonce。
　　“Ididnotbowdowntoyou,Iboweddowntoallthesufferingofhumanity,“hesaidwildlyandwalkedawaytothewindow。“Listen,“
　　headded,turningtoheraminutelater。“Isaidjustnowtoaninsolentmanthathewasnotworthyourlittlefinger……andthatI
　　didmysisterhonourmakinghersitbesideyou。“
　　“Ach,yousaidthattothem!Andinherpresence？”criedSonia,frightened。“Sitdownwithme!Anhonour!Why,I'm……
　　dishonourable……Ah,whydidyousaythat？”
　　“ItwasnotbecauseofyourdishonourandyoursinIsaidthatofyou,butbecauseofyourgreatsuffering。Butyouareagreatsinner,that'strue,“headdedalmostsolemnly,“andyourworstsinisthatyouhavedestroyedandbetrayedyourselffornothing。Isn'tthatfearful?Isn'titfearfulthatyouarelivinginthisfilthwhichyouloatheso,andatthesametimeyouknowyourselfyou'veonlytoopenyoureyesthatyouarenothelpinganyonebyit,notsavinganyonefromanything!Tellme,“hewentonalmostinafrenzy,“howthisshameanddegradationcanexistinyousidebysidewithother,opposite,holyfeelings?Itwouldbebetter,athousandtimesbetterandwisertoleapintothewaterandenditall！”
　　“Butwhatwouldbecomeofthem？”Soniaaskedfaintly,gazingathimwitheyesofanguish,butnotseemingsurprisedathissuggestion。
　　Raskolnikovlookedstrangelyather。Hereaditallinherface;
　　soshemusthavehadthatthoughtalready,perhapsmanytimes,andearnestlyshehadthoughtoutinherdespairhowtoenditandsoearnestly,thatnowshescarcelywonderedathissuggestion。Shehadnotevennoticedthecrueltyofhiswords。Thesignificanceofhisreproachesandhispeculiarattitudetohershameshehad,ofcourse,notnoticedeither,andthat,too,wascleartohim。Buthesawhowmonstrouslythethoughtofherdisgraceful,shamefulpositionwastorturingherandhadlongtorturedher。“What,what,“hethought,“couldhithertohavehinderedherfromputtinganendtoit？”
　　Onlythenherealisedwhatthosepoorlittleorphanchildrenandthatpitifulhalf-crazyKaterinaIvanovna,knockingherheadagainstthewallinherconsumption,meantforSonia。
　　But,nevertheless,itwascleartohimagainthatwithhercharacterandtheamountofeducationshehadafterallreceived,shecouldnotinanycaseremainso。Hewasstillconfrontedbythequestionhowcouldshehaveremainedsolonginthatpositionwithoutgoingoutofhermind,sinceshecouldnotbringherselftojumpintothewater?
　　OfcourseheknewthatSonia'spositionwasanexceptionalcase,thoughunhappilynotuniqueandnotinfrequent,indeed;butthatveryexceptionalness,hertingeofeducation,herpreviouslifemight,onewouldhavethought,havekilledheratthefirststeponthatrevoltingpath。Whatheldherup-surelynotdepravity?Allthatinfamyhadobviouslyonlytouchedhermechanically,notonedropofrealdepravityhadpenetratedtoherheart;hesawthat。Hesawthroughherasshestoodbeforehim……
　　“Therearethreewaysbeforeher,“hethought,“thecanal,themadhouse,or……atlasttosinkintodepravitywhichobscuresthemindandturnsthehearttostone。“
　　Thelastideawasthemostrevolting,buthewasasceptic,hewasyoung,abstract,andthereforecruel,andsohecouldnothelpbelievingthatthelastendwasthemostlikely。
　　“Butcanthatbetrue？”hecriedtohimself。“Canthatcreaturewhohasstillpreservedthepurityofherspiritbeconsciouslydrawnatlastintothatsinkoffilthandiniquity?Cantheprocessalreadyhavebegun?Canitbethatshehasonlybeenabletobearittillnow,becausevicehasbeguntobelessloathsometoher?No,no,thatcannotbe！”hecried,asSoniahadjustbefore。“No,whathaskeptherfromthecanaltillnowistheideaofsinandthey,thechildren……Andifshehasnotgoneoutofhermind……butwhosaysshehasnotgoneoutofhermind?Issheinhersenses?Canonetalk,canonereasonasshedoes?Howcanshesitontheedgeoftheabyssofloathsomenessintowhichsheisslippingandrefusetolistenwhensheistoldofdanger?Doessheexpectamiracle?Nodoubtshedoes。Doesn'tthatallmeanmadness？”
　　Hestayedobstinatelyatthatthought。Helikedthatexplanationindeedbetterthananyother。Hebeganlookingmoreintentlyather。
　　“SoyoupraytoGodagreatdeal,Sonia？”heaskedher。
　　Soniadidnotspeak;hestoodbesideherwaitingforananswer。
　　“WhatshouldIbewithoutGod？”shewhisperedrapidly,forcibly,glancingathimwithsuddenlyflashingeyes,andsqueezinghishand。
　　“Ah,sothatisit！”hethought。
　　“AndwhatdoesGoddoforyou？”heasked,probingherfurther。
　　Soniawassilentalongwhile,asthoughshecouldnotanswer。Herweakchestkeptheavingwithemotion。
　　“Besilent!Don'task!Youdon'tdeserve！”shecriedsuddenly,lookingsternlyandwrathfullyathim。
　　“That'sit,that'sit,“herepeatedtohimself。
　　“Hedoeseverything,“shewhisperedquickly,lookingdownagain。
　　“That'sthewayout!That'stheexplanation,“hedecided,scrutinisingherwitheagercuriosity,withanew,strange,almostmorbidfeeling。Hegazedatthatpale,thin,irregular,angularlittleface,thosesoftblueeyes,whichcouldflashwithsuchfire,suchsternenergy,thatlittlebodystillshakingwithindignationandanger-anditallseemedtohimmoreandmorestrange,almostimpossible。“Sheisareligiousmaniac！”herepeatedtohimself。
　　Therewasabooklyingonthechestofdrawers。Hehadnoticediteverytimehepacedupanddowntheroom。Nowhetookitupandlookedatit。ItwastheNewTestamentintheRussiantranslation。Itwasboundinleather,oldandworn。
　　“Wheredidyougetthat？”hecalledtoheracrosstheroom。
　　Shewasstillstandinginthesameplace,threestepsfromthetable。
　　“Itwasbroughtme,“sheanswered,asitwereunwillingly,notlookingathim。
　　“Whobroughtit？”
　　“Lizaveta,Iaskedherforit。“
　　“Lizaveta!strange！”hethought。
　　EverythingaboutSoniaseemedtohimstrangerandmorewonderfuleverymoment。Hecarriedthebooktothecandleandbegantoturnoverthepages。
　　“WhereisthestoryofLazarus？”heaskedsuddenly。
　　Sonialookedobstinatelyatthegroundandwouldnotanswer。Shewasstandingsidewaystothetable。
　　“WhereistheraisingofLazarus?Finditforme,Sonia。“
　　Shestoleaglanceathim。
　　“Youarenotlookingintherightplace……It'sinthefourthgospel,“shewhisperedsternly,withoutlookingathim。
　　“Finditandreadittome,“hesaid。Hesatdownwithhiselbowonthetable,leanedhisheadonhishandandlookedawaysullenly,preparedtolisten。
　　“Inthreeweeks'timethey'llwelcomemeinthemadhouse!IshallbethereifIamnotinaworseplace,“hemutteredtohimself。
　　SoniaheardRaskolnikov'srequestdistrustfullyandmovedhesitatinglytothetable。Shetookthebookhowever。
　　“Haven'tyoureadit？”sheasked,lookingupathimacrossthetable。
　　Hervoicebecamesternerandsterner。
　　“Longago……WhenIwasatschool。Read！”
　　“Andhaven'tyouhearditinchurch？”
　　“I……haven'tbeen。Doyouoftengo？”
　　“N-no,“whisperedSonia。
　　Raskolnikovsmiled。
　　“Iunderstand……Andyouwon'tgotoyourfather'sfuneralto-morrow？”
　　“Yes,Ishall。Iwasatchurchlastweek,too……Ihadarequiemservice。“
　　“Forwhom？”
　　“ForLizaveta。Shewaskilledwithanaxe。“
　　Hisnervesweremoreandmorestrained。Hisheadbegantogoround。
　　“WereyoufriendswithLizaveta？”
　　“Yes……Shewasgood……sheusedtocome……notoften……shecouldn't……Weusedtoreadtogetherand……talk。ShewillseeGod。“
　　Thelastphrasesoundedstrangeinhisears。Andherewassomethingnewagain：themysteriousmeetingswithLizavetaandbothofthem-religiousmaniacs。
　　“Ishallbeareligiousmaniacmyselfsoon!It'sinfectious！”
　　“Read！”hecriedirritablyandinsistently。
　　Soniastillhesitated。Herheartwasthrobbing。Shehardlydaredtoreadtohim。Helookedalmostwithexasperationatthe“unhappylunatic。“
　　“Whatfor?Youdon'tbelieve?……“shewhisperedsoftlyandasitwerebreathlessly。
　　“Read!Iwantyouto,“hepersisted。“YouusedtoreadtoLizaveta。“
　　Soniaopenedthebookandfoundtheplace。Herhandswereshaking,hervoicefailedher。Twiceshetriedtobeginandcouldnotbringoutthefirstsyllable。
　　“NowacertainmanwassicknamedLazarusofBethany……“sheforcedherselfatlasttoread,butatthethirdwordhervoicebrokelikeanoverstrainedstring。Therewasacatchinherbreath。
　　RaskolnikovsawinpartwhySoniacouldnotbringherselftoreadtohimandthemorehesawthis,themoreroughlyandirritablyheinsistedonherdoingso。Heunderstoodonlytoowellhowpainfulitwasforhertobetrayandunveilallthatwasherown。Heunderstoodthatthesefeelingsreallywerehersecrettreasure,whichshehadkeptperhapsforyears,perhapsfromchildhood,whileshelivedwithanunhappyfatherandadistractedstepmothercrazedbygrief,inthemidstofstarvingchildrenandunseemlyabuseandreproaches。
　　Butatthesametimeheknewnowandknewforcertainthat,althoughitfilledherwithdreadandsuffering,yetshehadatormentingdesiretoreadandtoreadtohimthathemighthearit,andtoreadnowwhatevermightcomeofit!……Hereadthisinhereyes,hecouldseeitinherintenseemotion。Shemasteredherself,controlledthespasminherthroatandwentonreadingtheeleventhchapterofSt。
　　John。Shewentontothenineteenthverse：
　　“AndmanyoftheJewscametoMarthaandMarytocomfortthemconcerningtheirbrother。
　　ThenMarthaassoonassheheardthatJesuswascomingwentandmetHim：butMarysatstillinthehouse。
　　ThensaidMarthauntoJesus,Lord,ifThouhadstbeenhere,mybrotherhadnotdied。
　　ButIknowthatevennowwhatsoeverThouwiltaskofGod,GodwillgiveitThee……“
　　Thenshestoppedagainwithashamefacedfeelingthathervoicewouldquiverandbreakagain。
　　“Jesussaiduntoher,thybrothershallriseagain。
　　MarthasaithuntoHim,Iknowthatheshallriseagainintheresurrection,atthelastday。
　　Jesussaiduntoher,Iamtheresurrectionandthelife：hethatbelievethinMethoughheweredead,yetshallhelive。
　　AndwhosoeverlivethandbelievethinMeshallneverdie。
　　Believestthouthis?
　　ShesaithuntoHim,“
　　Anddrawingapainfulbreath,Soniareaddistinctlyandforciblyasthoughsheweremakingapublicconfessionoffaith。
　　“Yea,Lord：IbelievethatThouarttheChrist,theSonofGodWhichshouldcomeintotheworld。“
　　Shestoppedandlookedupquicklyathim,butcontrollingherselfwentonreading。Raskolnikovsatwithoutmoving,hiselbowsonthetableandhiseyesturnedaway。Shereadtothethirty-secondverse。
　　“ThenwhenMarywascomewhereJesuswasandsawHim,shefelldownatHisfeet,sayinguntoHim,LordifThouhadstbeenhere,mybrotherhadnotdied。
　　WhenJesusthereforesawherweeping,andtheJewsalsoweepingwhichcamewithher,Hegroanedinthespiritandwastroubled,Andsaid,Wherehaveyelaidhim?TheysaiduntoHim,Lord,comeandsee。
　　Jesuswept。
　　ThensaidtheJews,beholdhowHelovedhim!
　　Andsomeofthemsaid,couldnotthisManwhichopenedtheeyesoftheblind,havecausedthateventhismanshouldnothavedied？”
　　Raskolnikovturnedandlookedatherwithemotion。Yes,hehadknownit!Shewastremblinginarealphysicalfever。Hehadexpectedit。
　　Shewasgettingnearthestoryofthegreatestmiracleandafeelingofimmensetriumphcameoverher。Hervoicerangoutlikeabell;
　　triumphandjoygaveitpower。Thelinesdancedbeforehereyes,butsheknewwhatshewasreadingbyheart。Atthelastverse“CouldnotthisManwhichopenedtheeyesoftheblind……“droppinghervoiceshepassionatelyreproducedthedoubt,thereproachandcensureoftheblinddisbelievingJews,whoinanothermomentwouldfallatHisfeetasthoughstruckbythunder,sobbingandbelieving……“Andhe,he-too,isblindedandunbelieving,he,too,willhear,he,too,willbelieve,yes,yes!Atonce,now,“waswhatshewasdreaming,andshewasquiveringwithhappyanticipation。
　　“JesusthereforeagaingroaninginHimselfcomethtothegrave。Itwasacave,andastonelayuponit。
　　Jesussaid,Takeyeawaythestone。Martha,thesisterofhimthatwasdead,saithuntoHim,Lordbythistimehestinketh：forhehathbeendeadfourdays。“
　　Shelaidemphasisonthewordfour。
　　“Jesussaithuntoher,SaidInotuntotheethatifthouwouldestbelieve,thoushouldestseethegloryofGod?
　　Thentheytookawaythestonefromtheplacewherethedeadwaslaid。AndJesusliftedupHiseyesandsaid,Father,IthankTheethatThouhastheardMe。
　　AndIknewthatThouhearestMealways;butbecauseofthepeoplewhichstandbyIsaidit,thattheymaybelievethatThouhastsentMe。
　　AndwhenHethushadspoken,Hecriedwithaloudvoice,Lazarus,comeforth。
　　Andhethatwasdeadcameforth。“
　　Shereadloudly,coldandtremblingwithecstasy,asthoughshewereseeingitbeforehereyes。
　　“Boundhandandfootwithgraveclothes;andhisfacewasboundaboutwithanapkin。Jesussaithuntothem,Loosehimandlethimgo。
　　ThenmanyoftheJewswhichcametoMaryandhadseenthethingswhichJesusdidbelievedonHim。“
　　Shecouldreadnomore,closedthebookandgotupfromherchairquickly。
　　“ThatisallabouttheraisingofLazarus,“shewhisperedseverelyandabruptly,andturningawayshestoodmotionless,notdaringtoraisehereyestohim。Shestilltrembledfeverishly。Thecandle-endwasflickeringoutinthebatteredcandlestick,dimlylightingupinthepoverty-strickenroomthemurdererandtheharlotwhohadsostrangelybeenreadingtogethertheeternalbook。Fiveminutesormorepassed。
　　“Icametospeakofsomething,“Raskolnikovsaidaloud,frowning。HegotupandwenttoSonia。Sheliftedhereyestohiminsilence。Hisfacewasparticularlysternandtherewasasortofsavagedeterminationinit。
　　“Ihaveabandonedmyfamilyto-day,“hesaid,“mymotherandsister。
　　Iamnotgoingtoseethem。I'vebrokenwiththemcompletely。“
　　“Whatfor？”askedSoniaamazed。Herrecentmeetingwithhismotherandsisterhadleftagreatimpressionwhichshecouldnotanalyse。
　　Sheheardhisnewsalmostwithhorror。
　　“Ihaveonlyyounow,“headded。“Letusgotogether……I'vecometoyou,wearebothaccursed,letusgoourwaytogether！”
　　Hiseyesglittered“asthoughheweremad,“Soniathought,inherturn。
　　“Gowhere？”sheaskedinalarmandsheinvoluntarilysteppedback。
　　“HowdoIknow?Ionlyknowit'sthesameroad,Iknowthatandnothingmore。It'sthesamegoal！”
　　Shelookedathimandunderstoodnothing。Sheknewonlythathewasterribly,infinitelyunhappy。
　　“Nooneofthemwillunderstand,ifyoutellthem,butIhaveunderstood。Ineedyou,thatiswhyIhavecometoyou。“
　　“Idon'tunderstand,“whisperedSonia。
　　“You'llunderstandlater。Haven'tyoudonethesame?You,too,havetransgressed……havehadthestrengthtotransgress。Youhavelaidhandsonyourself,youhavedestroyedalife……yourownit'sallthesame!。Youmighthavelivedinspiritandunderstanding,butyou'llendintheHayMarket……Butyouwon'tbeabletostandit,andifyouremainaloneyou'llgooutofyourmindlikeme。Youarelikeamadcreaturealready。Sowemustgotogetheronthesameroad!Letusgo！”
　　“Whatfor?What'sallthisfor？”saidSonia,strangelyandviolentlyagitatedbyhiswords。
　　“Whatfor?Becauseyoucan'tremainlikethis,that'swhy!Youmustlookthingsstraightinthefaceatlast,andnotweeplikeachildandcrythatGodwon'tallowit。Whatwillhappen,ifyoushouldreallybetakentothehospitalto-morrow?Sheismadandinconsumption,she'llsoondie,andthechildren?DoyoumeantotellmePolenkawon'tcometogrief?Haven'tyouseenchildrenhereatthestreetcornerssentoutbytheirmotherstobeg?I'vefoundoutwherethosemothersliveandinwhatsurroundings。Childrencan'tremainchildrenthere!Atseventhechildisviciousandathief。
　　Yetchildren,youknow,aretheimageofChrist：'theirsisthekingdomofHeaven。'Hebadeushonourandlovethem,theyarethehumanityofthefuture……“
　　“What'stobedone,what'stobedone？”repeatedSonia,weepinghystericallyandwringingherhands。
　　“What'stobedone?Breakwhatmustbebroken,onceforall,that'sall,andtakethesufferingononeself。What,youdon'tunderstand?You'llunderstandlater……Freedomandpower,andaboveall,power!Overalltremblingcreationandalltheantheap!……That'sthegoal,rememberthat!That'smyfarewellmessage。Perhapsit'sthelasttimeIshallspeaktoyou。IfIdon'tcometo-morrow,you'llhearofitall,andthenrememberthesewords。Andsomedaylateron,inyearstocome,you'llunderstandperhapswhattheymeant。
　　IfIcometo-morrow,I'lltellyouwhokilledLizaveta……Good-bye。“
　　Soniastartedwithterror。
　　“Why,doyouknowwhokilledher？”sheasked,chilledwithhorror,lookingwildlyathim。
　　“Iknowandwilltell……you,onlyyou。Ihavechosenyouout。I'mnotcomingtoyoutoaskforgiveness,butsimplytotellyou。I
　　choseyououtlongagotohearthis,whenyourfathertalkedofyouandwhenLizavetawasalive,Ithoughtofit。Good-bye,don'tshakehands。To-morrow！”
　　Hewentout。Soniagazedathimasatamadman。Butsheherselfwaslikeoneinsaneandfeltit。Herheadwasgoinground。
　　“Goodheavens,howdoesheknowwhokilledLizaveta?Whatdidthosewordsmean?It'sawful！”Butatthesametimetheideadidnotenterherhead,notforamoment!“Oh,hemustbeterriblyunhappy!……
　　Hehasabandonedhismotherandsister……Whatfor?Whathashappened?Andwhathadheinhismind?Whatdidhesaytoher?Hehadkissedherfootandsaid……saidyes,hehadsaiditclearly
　　thathecouldnotlivewithouther……Oh,mercifulheavens！”
　　Soniaspentthewholenightfeverishanddelirious。Shejumpedupfromtimetotime,weptandwrungherhands,thensankagainintofeverishsleepanddreamtofPolenka,KaterinaIvanovnaandLizaveta,ofreadingthegospelandhim……himwithpaleface,withburningeyes……kissingherfeet,weeping。
　　Ontheothersideofthedoorontheright,whichdividedSonia'sroomfromMadameResslich'sflat,wasaroomwhichlongstoodempty。A
　　cardwasfixedonthegateandanoticestuckinthewindowsoverthecanaladvertisingittolet。Soniahadlongbeenaccustomedtotheroom'sbeinguninhabited。ButallthattimeMr。Svidrigailovhadbeenstanding,listeningatthedooroftheemptyroom。WhenRaskolnikovwentouthestoodstill,thoughtamoment,wentontiptoetohisownroomwhichadjoinedtheemptyone,broughtachairandnoiselesslycarriedittothedoorthatledtoSonia'sroom。Theconversationhadstruckhimasinterestingandremarkable,andhehadgreatlyenjoyedit-somuchsothathebroughtachairthathemightnotinthefuture,to-morrow,forinstance,havetoenduretheinconvenienceofstandingawholehour,butmightlistenincomfort。
　　ChapterFiveWHENNEXTmorningateleveno'clockpunctuallyRaskolnikovwentintothedepartmentoftheinvestigationofcriminalcausesandsenthisnameintoPorfiryPetrovitch,hewassurprisedatbeingkeptwaitingsolong：itwasatleasttenminutesbeforehewassummoned。
　　Hehadexpectedthattheywouldpounceuponhim。Buthestoodinthewaiting-room,andpeople,whoapparentlyhadnothingtodowithhim,werecontinuallypassingtoandfrobeforehim。Inthenextroomwhichlookedlikeanoffice,severalclerksweresittingwritingandobviouslytheyhadnonotionwhoorwhatRaskolnikovmightbe。Helookeduneasilyandsuspiciouslyabouthimtoseewhethertherewasnotsomeguard,somemysteriouswatchbeingkeptonhimtopreventhisescape。Buttherewasnothingofthesort：hesawonlythefacesofclerksabsorbedinpettydetails,thenotherpeople,nooneseemedtohaveanyconcernwithhim。Hemightgowherehelikedforthem。Theconvictiongrewstrongerinhimthatifthatenigmaticmanofyesterday,thatphantomsprungoutoftheearth,hadseeneverything,theywouldnothavelethimstandandwaitlikethat。
　　Andwouldtheyhavewaitedtillheelectedtoappearateleven?Eitherthemanhadnotyetgiveninformation,or……orsimplyheknewnothing,hadseennothingandhowcouldhehaveseenanything?andsoallthathadhappenedtohimthedaybeforewasagainaphantomexaggeratedbyhissickandoverstrainedimagination。Thisconjecturehadbeguntogrowstrongthedaybefore,inthemidstofallhisalarmanddespair。Thinkingitallovernowandpreparingforafreshconflict,hewassuddenlyawarethathewastrembling-andhefeltarushofindignationatthethoughtthathewastremblingwithfearatfacingthathatefulPorfiryPetrovitch。Whathedreadedaboveallwasmeetingthatmanagain;hehatedhimwithanintense,unmitigatedhatredandwasafraidhishatredmightbetrayhim。Hisindignationwassuchthatheceasedtremblingatonce;hemadereadytogoinwithacoldandarrogantbearingandvowedtohimselftokeepassilentaspossible,towatchandlistenandforonceatleasttocontrolhisoverstrainednerves。AtthatmomenthewassummonedtoPorfiryPetrovitch。
　　HefoundPorfiryPetrovitchaloneinhisstudy。Hisstudywasaroomneitherlargenorsmall,furnishedwithalargewriting-table,thatstoodbeforeasofa,upholsteredincheckedmaterial,abureau,abookcaseinthecornerandseveralchairs-allgovernmentfurniture,ofpolishedyellowwood。Inthefurtherwalltherewasacloseddoor,beyondittherewere,nodoubt,otherrooms。OnRaskolnikov'sentrancePorfiryPetrovitchhadatonceclosedthedoorbywhichhehadcomeinandtheyremainedalone。Hemethisvisitorwithanapparentlygenialandgood-temperedair,anditwasonlyafterafewminutesthatRaskolnikovsawsignsofacertainawkwardnessinhim,asthoughhehadbeenthrownoutofhisreckoningorcaughtinsomethingverysecret。
　　“Ah,mydearfellow!Hereyouare……inourdomain“……beganPorfiry,holdingoutbothhandstohim。“Come,sitdown,oldman……orperhapsyoudon'tliketobecalled'mydearfellow'and'oldman!'-toutcourt?Pleasedon'tthinkittoofamiliar……Here,onthesofa。“
　　Raskolnikovsatdown,keepinghiseyesfixedonhim。“Inourdomain,“theapologiesforfamiliarity,theFrenchphrasetoutcourt,wereallcharacteristicsigns。
　　“Heheldoutbothhandstome,buthedidnotgivemeone-hedrewitbackintime,“struckhimsuspiciously。Bothwerewatchingeachother,butwhentheireyesmet,quickaslightningtheylookedaway。
　　“Ibroughtyouthispaper……aboutthewatch。Hereitis。IsitallrightorshallIcopyitagain？”
　　“What?Apaper?Yes,yes,don'tbeuneasy,it'sallright,“
　　PorfiryPetrovitchsaidasthoughinhaste,andafterhehadsaidithetookthepaperandlookedatit。“Yes,it'sallright。Nothingmoreisneeded,“hedeclaredwiththesamerapidityandhelaidthepaperonthetable。
　　Aminutelaterwhenhewastalkingofsomethingelsehetookitfromthetableandputitonhisbureau。
　　“Ibelieveyousaidyesterdayyouwouldliketoquestionme……
　　formally……aboutmyacquaintancewiththemurderedwoman？”
　　Raskolnikovwasbeginningagain。“WhydidIputin'Ibelieve'“passedthroughhismindinaflash。“WhyamIsouneasyathavingputinthat'Ibelieve'？”cameinasecondflash。AndhesuddenlyfeltthathisuneasinessatthemerecontactwithPorfiry,atthefirstwords,atthefirstlooks,hadgrowninaninstanttomonstrousproportions,andthatthiswasfearfullydangerous。Hisnerveswerequivering,hisemotionwasincreasing。“It'sbad,it'sbad!Ishallsaytoomuchagain。“
　　“Yes,yes,yes!There'snohurry,there'snohurry,“mutteredPorfiryPetrovitch,movingtoandfroaboutthetablewithoutanyapparentaim,asitweremakingdashestowardsthewindow,thebureauandthetable,atonemomentavoidingRaskolnikov'ssuspiciousglance,thenagainstandingstillandlookinghimstraightintheface。
　　Hisfatroundlittlefigurelookedverystrange,likeaballrollingfromonesidetotheotherandreboundingback。
　　“We'veplentyoftime。Doyousmoke?haveyouyourown?Here,acigarette！”hewenton,offeringhisvisitoracigarette。“YouknowIamreceivingyouhere,butmyownquartersarethroughthere,youknow,mygovernmentquarters。ButIamlivingoutsideforthetime,Ihadtohavesomerepairsdonehere。It'salmostfinishednow……
　　Governmentquarters,youknow,areacapitalthing。Eh,whatdoyouthink？”
　　“Yes,acapitalthing,“answeredRaskolnikov,lookingathimalmostironically。
　　“Acapitalthing,acapitalthing,“repeatedPorfiryPetrovitch,asthoughhehadjustthoughtofsomethingquitedifferent。“Yes,acapitalthing,“healmostshoutedatlast,suddenlystaringatRaskolnikovandstoppingshorttwostepsfromhim。
　　Thisstupidrepetitionwastooincongruousinitsineptitudewiththeserious,broodingandenigmaticglanceheturneduponhisvisitor。
　　ButthisstirredRaskolnikov'sspleenmorethaneverandhecouldnotresistanironicalandratherincautiouschallenge。
　　“Tellme,please,“heaskedsuddenly,lookingalmostinsolentlyathimandtakingakindofpleasureinhisowninsolence。“Ibelieveit'sasortoflegalrule,asortoflegaltradition-forallinvestigatinglawyers-tobegintheirattackfromafar,withatrivial,oratleastanirrelevantsubject,soastoencourage,orrather,todivertthemantheyarecross-examining,todisarmhiscautionandthenallatoncetogivehimanunexpectedknockdownblowwithsomefatalquestion。Isn'tthatso?It'sasacredtradition,mentioned,Ifancy,inallthemanualsoftheart？”
　　“Yes,yes……Why,doyouimaginethatwaswhyIspokeaboutgovernmentquarters……eh？”
　　AndashesaidthisPorfiryPetrovitchscreweduphiseyesandwinked;agood-humoured,craftylookpassedoverhisface。Thewrinklesonhisforeheadweresmoothedout,hiseyescontracted,hisfeaturesbroadenedandhesuddenlywentoffintoanervousprolongedlaugh,shakingalloverandlookingRaskolnikovstraightintheface。Thelatterforcedhimselftolaugh,too,butwhenPorfiry,seeingthathewaslaughing,brokeintosuchaguffawthatheturnedalmostcrimson,Raskolnikov'srepulsionovercameallprecaution;heleftofflaughing,scowledandstaredwithhatredatPorfiry,keepinghiseyesfixedonhimwhilehisintentionallyprolongedlaughterlasted。Therewaslackofprecautiononbothsides,however,forPorfiryPetrovitchseemedtobelaughinginhisvisitor'sfaceandtobeverylittledisturbedattheannoyancewithwhichthevisitorreceivedit。ThelatterfactwasverysignificantinRaskolnikov'seyes：hesawthatPorfiryPetrovitchhadnotbeenembarrassedjustbeforeeither,butthathe,Raskolnikov,hadperhapsfallenintoatrap;thattheremustbesomething,somemotivehereunknowntohim;that,perhaps,everythingwasinreadinessandinanothermomentwouldbreakuponhim……
　　Hewentstraighttothepointatonce,rosefromhisseatandtookhiscap。
　　“PorfiryPetrovitch,“hebeganresolutely,thoughwithconsiderableirritation,“yesterdayyouexpressedadesirethatI
　　shouldcometoyouforsomeinquirieshelaidspecialstressontheword'inquiries'。Ihavecomeand,ifyouhaveanythingtoaskme,askit,andifnot,allowmetowithdraw。Ihavenotimetospare……Ihavetobeatthefuneralofthatmanwhowasrunover,ofwhomyou……knowalso,“headded,feelingangryatonceathavingmadethisadditionandmoreirritatedathisanger,“Iamsickofitall,doyouhear,andhavelongbeen。It'spartlywhatmademeill。Inshort,“heshouted,feelingthatthephraseabouthisillnesswasstillmoreoutofplace,“inshort,kindlyexaminemeorletmego,atonce。Andifyoumustexamineme,dosointheproperform!Iwillnotallowyoutodosootherwise,andsomeanwhile,good-bye,aswehaveevidentlynothingtokeepusnow。“
　　“Goodheavens!Whatdoyoumean?WhatshallIquestionyouabout？”
　　cackledPorfiryPetrovitchwithachangeoftone,instantlyleavingofflaughing。“Pleasedon'tdisturbyourself,“hebeganfidgetingfromplacetoplaceandfussilymakingRaskolnikovsitdown。“There'snohurry,there'snohurry,it'sallnonsense。Oh,no,I'mverygladyou'vecometoseemeatlast……Ilookuponyousimplyasavisitor。Andasformyconfoundedlaughter,pleaseexcuseit,RodionRomanovitch。RodionRomanovitch?Thatisyourname?……It'smynerves,youtickledmesowithyourwittyobservation;Iassureyou,sometimesIshakewithlaughterlikeanIndia-rubberballforhalfanhouratatime……I'moftenafraidofanattackofparalysis。Dositdown。
　　Pleasedo,orIshallthinkyouareangry……“
　　Raskolnikovdidnotspeak;helistened,watchinghim,stillfrowningangrily。Hedidsitdown,butstillheldhiscap。
　　“Imusttellyouonethingaboutmyself,mydearRodionRomanovitch,“PorfiryPetrovitchcontinued,movingabouttheroomandagainavoidinghisvisitor'seyes。“Yousee,I'mabachelor,amanofnoconsequenceandnotusedtosociety;besides,Ihavenothingbeforeme,I'mset,I'mrunningtoseedand……andhaveyounoticed,RodionRomanovitch,thatinourPetersburgcircles,iftwoclevermenmeetwhoarenotintimate,butrespecteachother,likeyouandme,ittakesthemhalfanhourbeforetheycanfindasubjectforconversation-theyaredumb,theysitoppositeeachotherandfeelawkward。Everyonehassubjectsofconversation,ladiesforinstance……peopleinhighsocietyalwayshavetheirsubjectsofconversation,c'estderigueur,butpeopleofthemiddlesortlikeus,thinkingpeoplethatis,arealwaystongue-tiedandawkward。Whatisthereasonofit?Whetheritisthelackofpublicinterest,orwhetheritiswearesohonestwedon'twanttodeceiveoneanother,I
　　don'tknow。Whatdoyouthink?Doputdownyourcap,itlooksasifyouwerejustgoing,itmakesmeuncomfortable……Iamsodelighted……“
　　RaskolnikovputdownhiscapandcontinuedlisteninginsilencewithaseriousfrowningfacetothevagueandemptychatterofPorfiryPetrovitch。“Doeshereallywanttodistractmyattentionwithhissillybabble？”
　　“Ican'tofferyoucoffeehere;butwhynotspendfiveminuteswithafriend,“Porfirypatteredon,“andyouknowalltheseofficialduties……pleasedon'tmindmyrunningupanddown,excuseit,mydearfellow,Iamverymuchafraidofoffendingyou,butexerciseisabsolutelyindispensableforme。I'malwayssittingandsogladtobemovingaboutforfiveminutes……Isufferfrommysedentarylife……Ialwaysintendtojoinagymnasium;theysaythatofficialsofallranks,evenPrivyCouncillorsmaybeseenskippinggailythere;
　　thereyouhaveit,modernscience……yes,yes……Butasformydutieshere,inquiriesandallsuchformalities……youmentionedinquiriesyourselfjustnow……Iassureyoutheseinterrogationsaresometimesmoreembarrassingfortheinterrogatorthanfortheinterrogated……
　　Youmadetheobservationyourselfjustnowveryaptlyandwittily。
　　Raskolnikovhadmadenoobservationofthekind。Onegetsintoamuddle!Aregularmuddle!Onekeepsharpingonthesamenote,likeadrum!Thereistobeareformandweshallbecalledbyadifferentname,atleast,he-he-he!Andasforourlegaltradition,asyousowittilycalledit,Ithoroughlyagreewithyou。Everyprisonerontrial,eventherudestpeasantknows,thattheybeginbydisarminghimwithirrelevantquestionsasyousohappilyputitandthendealhimaknock-downblow,he-he-he!-yourfelicitouscompactsson,he-he!
　　SoyoureallyimaginedthatImeantbygovernmentquarters……he-he!
　　Youareanironicalperson。Come。Iwon'tgoon!Ah,bytheway,yes!Onewordleadstoanother。Youspokeofformalityjustnow,aproposoftheinquiry,youknow。Butwhat'stheuseofformality?
　　Inmanycasesit'snonsense。Sometimesonehasafriendlychatandgetsagooddealmoreoutofit。Onecanalwaysfallbackonformality,allowmetoassureyou。Andafterall,whatdoesitamountto?Anexamininglawyercannotbeboundedbyformalityateverystep。Theworkofinvestigationis,sotospeak,afreeartinitsownway,he-he-he！”
　　PorfiryPetrovitchtookbreathamoment。Hehadsimplybabbledonutteringemptyphrases,lettingslipafewenigmaticwordsandagainrevertingtoincoherence。Hewasalmostrunningabouttheroom,movinghisfatlittlelegsquickerandquicker,lookingattheground,withhisrighthandbehindhisback,whilewithhisleftmakinggesticulationsthatwereextraordinarilyincongruouswithhiswords。
　　Raskolnikovsuddenlynoticedthatasheranabouttheroomheseemedtwicetostopforamomentnearthedoor,asthoughhewerelistening。
　　“Isheexpectinganything？”
　　“Youarecertainlyquiterightaboutit,“Porfirybegangaily,lookingwithextraordinarysimplicityatRaskolnikovwhichstartledhimandinstantlyputhimonhisguard,“certainlyquiterightinlaughingsowittilyatourlegalforms,he-he!Someoftheseelaboratepsychologicalmethodsareexceedinglyridiculousandperhapsuseless,ifoneadherestoocloselytotheforms。Yes……Iamtalkingofformsagain。Well,ifIrecognise,ormorestrictlyspeaking,ifIsuspectsomeoneorothertobeacriminalinanycaseentrustedtome……you'rereadingforthelaw,ofcourse,RodionRomanovitch？”
　　“Yes,Iwas……“
　　“Well,thenitisaprecedentforyouforthefuture-thoughdon'tsupposeIshouldventuretoinstructyouafterthearticlesyoupublishaboutcrime!No,Isimplymakeboldtostateitbywayoffact,ifItookthismanorthatforacriminal,why,Iask,shouldIworryhimprematurely,eventhoughIhadevidenceagainsthim?InonecaseImaybebound,forinstance,toarrestamanatonce,butanothermaybeinquiteadifferentposition,youknow,sowhyshouldn'tIlethimwalkaboutthetownabit,he-he-he!ButIseeyoudon'tquiteunderstand,soI'llgiveyouaclearerexample。IfIputhiminprisontoosoon,Imayverylikelygivehim,sotospeak,moralsupport,he-he!You'relaughing？”
　　Raskolnikovhadnoideaoflaughing。Hewassittingwithcompressedlips,hisfeverisheyesfixedonPorfiryPetrovitch's。
　　“Yesthatisthecase,withsometypesespecially,formenaresodifferent。Yousayevidence。Well,theremaybeevidence。Butevidence,youknow,cangenerallybetakentwoways。Iamanexamininglawyerandaweakman,Iconfessit。Ishouldliketomakeaproof,sotosay,mathematicallyclear,Ishouldliketomakeachainofevidencesuchastwicetwoarefour,itoughttobeadirect,irrefutableproof!AndifIshuthimuptoosoon-eventhoughI
　　mightbeconvincedhewastheman,Ishouldverylikelybedeprivingmyselfofthemeansofgettingfurtherevidenceagainsthim。Andhow?Bygivinghim,sotospeak,adefiniteposition,Ishallputhimoutofsuspenseandsethismindatrest,sothathewillretreatintohisshell。TheysaythatatSevastopol,soonafterAlma,thecleverpeoplewereinaterriblefrightthattheenemywouldattackopenlyandtakeSevastopolatonce。Butwhentheysawthattheenemypreferredaregularsiege,theyweredelighted,Iamtoldandreassured,forthethingwoulddragonfortwomonthsatleast。
　　You'relaughing,youdon'tbelievemeagain?Ofcourse,you'reright,too。You'reright,you'reright。Theseareanspecialcases,Iadmit。Butyoumustobservethis,mydearRodionRomanovitch,thegeneralcase,thecaseforwhichalllegalformsandrulesareintended,forwhichtheyarecalculatedandlaiddowninbooks,doesnotexistatall,forthereasonthateverycase,everycrimeforinstance,sosoonasitactuallyoccurs,atoncebecomesathoroughlyspecialcaseandsometimesacaseunlikeanythat'sgonebefore。Verycomiccasesofthatsortsometimesoccur。IfIleaveonemanquitealone,ifIdon'ttouchhimanddon'tworryhim,butlethimknoworatleastsuspecteverymomentthatIknowallaboutitandamwatchinghimdayandnight,andifheisincontinualsuspicionandterror,he'llbeboundtolosehishead。He'llcomeofhimself,ormaybedosomethingwhichwillmakeitasplainastwicetwoarefour-it'sdelightful。Itmaybesowithasimplepeasant,butwithoneofoursort,anintelligentmancultivatedonacertainside,it'sadeadcertainty。For,mydearfellow,it'saveryimportantmattertoknowonwhatsideamaniscultivated。Andthentherearenerves,therearenerves,youhaveoverlookedthem!Why,theyareallsick,nervousandirritable!……Andthenhowtheyallsufferfromspleen!
　　ThatIassureyouisaregulargoldmineforus。Andit'snoanxietytome,hisrunningaboutthetownfree!Lethim,lethimwalkaboutforabit!IknowwellenoughthatI'vecaughthimandthathewon'tescapeme。Wherecouldheescapeto,he-he?Abroad,perhaps?APolewillescapeabroad,butnothere,especiallyasIamwatchingandhavetakenmeasures。Willheescapeintothedepthsofthecountryperhaps?
　　Butyouknow,peasantslivethere,realrudeRussianpeasants。A
　　moderncultivatedmanwouldpreferprisontolivingwithsuchstrangersasourpeasants。He-he!Butthat'sallnonsense,andonthesurface。It'snotmerelythathehasnowheretorunto,heispsychologicallyunabletoescapeme,he-he!Whatanexpression!
　　Throughalawofnaturehecan'tescapemeifhehadanywheretogo。
　　Haveyouseenabutterflyroundacandle?That'showhewillkeepcirclingandcirclingroundme。Freedomwillloseitsattractions。
　　He'llbegintobrood,hellweaveatangleroundhimself,he'llworryhimselftodeath!What'smorehewillprovidemewithamathematicalproof-ifIonlygivehimlongenoughinterval……Andhe'llkeepcirclingroundme,gettingnearerandnearerandthen-flop!He'llflystraightintomymouthandI'llswallowhim,andthatwillbeveryamusing,he-he-he!Youdon'tbelieveme？”
　　Raskolnikovmadenoreply;hesatpaleandmotionless,stillgazingwiththesameintensityintoPorfiry'sface。
　　“It'salesson,“hethought,turningcold。“Thisisbeyondthecatplayingwithamouse,likeyesterday。Hecan'tbeshowingoffhispowerwithnomotive……promptingme;heisfartoocleverforthat……
　　hemusthaveanotherobject。Whatisit?It'sallnonsense,myfriend,youarepretending,toscareme!You'venoproofsandthemanIsawhadnorealexistence。Yousimplywanttomakemelosemyhead,toworkmeupbeforehandandsotocrushme。Butyouarewrong,youwon'tdoit!Butwhygivemesuchahint?Ishereckoningonmyshatterednerves?No,myfriend,youarewrong,youwon'tdoiteventhoughyouhavesometrapforme……letusseewhatyouhaveinstoreforme。“
　　Andhebracedhimselftofaceaterribleandunknownordeal。AttimeshelongedtofallonPorfiryandstranglehim。Thisangerwaswhathedreadedfromthebeginning。Hefeltthathisparchedlipswerefleckedwithfoam,hisheartwasthrobbing。Buthewasstilldeterminednottospeaktilltherightmoment。Herealisedthatthiswasthebestpolicyinhisposition,becauseinsteadofsayingtoomuchhewouldbeirritatinghisenemybyhissilenceandprovokinghimintospeakingtoofreely。Anyhow,thiswaswhathehopedfor。
　　“No,Iseeyoudon'tbelieveme,youthinkIamplayingaharmlessjokeonyou,“Porfirybeganagain,gettingmoreandmorelively,chucklingateveryinstantandagainpacingroundtheroom。“And,tobesure,you'reright：Godhasgivenmeafigurethatcanawakennonebutcomicideasinotherpeople;abuffoon;butletmetellyouandIrepeatit,excuseanoldman,mydearRodionRomanovitch,youareamanstillyoung,sotosay,inyourfirstyouthandsoyouputintellectaboveeverything,likeallyoungpeople。Playfulwitandabstractargumentsfascinateyouandthat'sforalltheworldliketheoldAustrianHofkriegsrath,asfarasIcanjudgeofmilitarymattersthatis：onpaperthey'dbeatenNapoleonandtakenhimprisoner,andthereintheirstudytheyworkeditalloutinthecleverestfashion,butlookyou,GeneralMacksurrenderedwithallhisarmy,he-he-he!Isee,Isee,RodionRomanovitch,youarelaughingatacivilianlikeme,takingexamplesoutofmilitaryhistory!ButIcan'thelpit,it'smyweakness。Iamfondofmilitaryscience。
　　AndI'meversofondofreadingallmilitaryhistories。I'vecertainlymissedmypropercareer。Ioughttohavebeeninthearmy,uponmywordIought。Ishouldn'thavebeenaNapoleon,butImighthavebeenamajor,he-he-he!Well,I'lltellyouthewholetruth,mydearfellow,aboutthisspecialcase,Imean：actualfactandaman'stemperament,mydearsir,areweightymattersandit'sastonishinghowtheysometimesdeceivethesharpestcalculation!I-listentoanoldman-amspeakingseriously,RodionRomanovitchashesaidthisPorfiryPetrovitchwhowasscarcelyfiveandthirtyactuallyseemedtohavegrownold;evenhisvoicechangedandheseemedtoshrinktogethermoreover,I'macandidman……amIacandidmanornot?Whatdoyousay?IfancyIreallyam：Itellyouthesethingsfornothinganddon'tevenexpectarewardforit,he-he!Well,toproceed,witinmyopinionisasplendidthing,itis,sotosay,anadornmentofnatureandaconsolationoflife,andwhattricksitcanplay!Sothatitsometimesishardforapoorexamininglawyertoknowwhereheis,especiallywhenhe'sliabletobecarriedawaybyhisownfancy,too,foryouknowheisamanafterall。Butthepoorfellowissavedbythecriminal'stemperament,worseluckforhim!Butyoungpeoplecarriedawaybytheirownwitdon'tthinkofthat'whentheyoverstepallobstacles'asyouwittilyandcleverlyexpressedityesterday。Hewilllie-thatis,themanwhoisaspecialcase,theincognito,andhewillliewell,inthecleverestfashion;youmightthinkhewouldtriumphandenjoythefruitsofhiswit,butatthemostinteresting,themostflagrantmomenthewillfaint。Ofcoursetheremaybeillnessandastuffyroomaswell,butanyway!Anywayhe'sgivenustheidea!Heliedincomparably,buthedidn'treckononhistemperament。That'swhatbetrayshim!Anothertimehewillbecarriedawaybyhisplayfulwitintomakingfunofthemanwhosuspectshim,hewillturnpaleasitwereonpurposetomislead,buthispalenesswillbetoonatural,toomuchliketherealthing,againhehasgivenusanidea!Thoughhisquestionermaybedeceivedatfirst,hewillthinkdifferentlynextdayifheisnotafool,and,ofcourse,itislikethatateverystep!Heputshimselfforwardwhereheisnotwanted,speakscontinuallywhenheoughttokeepsilent,bringsinallsortsofallegoricalallusions,he-he!Comesandaskswhydidn'tyoutakemelongago,he-he-he!Andthatcanhappen,youknow,withthecleverestman,thepsychologist,theliteraryman。Thetemperamentreflectseverythinglikeamirror!Gazeintoitandadmirewhatyousee!Butwhyareyousopale,RodionRomanovitch?Istheroomstuffy?ShallIopenthewindow？”
　　“Oh,don'ttrouble,please,“criedRaskolnikovandhesuddenlybrokeintoalaugh。“Pleasedon'ttrouble。“
　　Porfirystoodfacinghim,pausedamomentandsuddenlyhetoolaughed。Raskolnikovgotupfromthesofa,abruptlycheckinghishystericallaughter。
　　“PorfiryPetrovitch,“hebegan,speakingloudlyanddistinctly,thoughhislegstrembledandhecouldscarcelystand。“IseeclearlyatlastthatyouactuallysuspectmeofmurderingthatoldwomanandhersisterLizaveta。LetmetellyouformypartthatIamsickofthis。Ifyoufindthatyouhavearighttoprosecutemelegally,toarrestme,thenprosecuteme,arrestme。ButIwillnotletmyselfbejeeredattomyfaceandworried……“
　　Hislipstrembled,hiseyesglowedwithfuryandhecouldnotrestrainhisvoice。
　　“Iwon'tallowit！”heshouted,bringinghisfistdownonthetable。
　　“Doyouhearthat,PorfiryPetrovitch?Iwon'tallowit。“
　　“Goodheavens!Whatdoesitmean？”criedPorfiryPetrovitch,apparentlyquitefrightened。“RodionRomanovitch,mydearfellow,whatisthematterwithyou？”
　　“Iwon'tallowit,“Raskolnikovshoutedagain。
　　“Hush,mydearman!They'llhearandcomein。Justthink,whatcouldwesaytothem？”PorfiryPetrovitchwhisperedinhorror,bringinghisfaceclosetoRaskolnikov's。
　　“Iwon'tallowit,Iwon'tallowit,“Raskolnikovrepeatedmechanically,buthetoospokeinasuddenwhisper。
　　Porfiryturnedquicklyandrantoopenthewindow。
　　“Somefreshair!Andyoumusthavesomewater,mydearfellow。
　　You'reill！”andhewasrunningtothedoortocallforsomewhenhefoundadecanterofwaterinthecorner。“Come,drinkalittle,“hewhispered,rushinguptohimwiththedecanter。“Itwillbesuretodoyougood。“
　　PorfiryPetrovitch'salarmandsympathyweresonaturalthatRaskolnikovwassilentandbeganlookingathimwithwildcuriosity。
　　Hedidnottakethewater,however。
　　“RodionRomanovitch,mydearfellow,you'lldriveyourselfoutofyourmind,Iassureyou,ach,ach!Havesomewater,dodrinkalittle。“
　　Heforcedhimtotaketheglass。Raskolnikovraiseditmechanicallytohislips,butsetitonthetableagainwithdisgust。
　　“Yes,you'vehadalittleattack!You'llbringbackyourillnessagain,mydearfellow,“PorfiryPetrovitchcackledwithfriendlysympathy,thoughhestilllookedratherdisconcerted。“Goodheavens,youmusttakemorecareofyourself!DmitriProkofitchwashere,cametoseemeyesterday-Iknow,Iknow,I'veanasty,ironicaltemper,butwhattheymadeofit!……Goodheavens,hecameyesterdayafteryou'dbeen。Wedinedandhetalkedandtalkedaway,andI
　　couldonlythrowupmyhandsindespair!Didhecomefromyou?Butdositdown,formercy'ssake,sitdown！”
　　“No,notfromme,butIknewhewenttoyouandwhyhewent,“
　　Raskolnikovansweredsharply。
　　“Youknew？”
　　“Iknew。Whatofit？”
　　“Whythis,RodionRomanovitch,thatIknowmorethanthataboutyou;
　　Iknowabouteverything。Iknowhowyouwenttotakeaflatatnightwhenitwasdarkandhowyourangthebellandaskedabouttheblood,sothattheworkmenandtheporterdidnotknowwhattomakeofit。Yes,Iunderstandyourstateofmindatthattime……butyou'lldriveyourselfmadlikethat,uponmyword!You'llloseyourhead!
　　You'refullofgenerousindignationatthewrongsyou'vereceived,firstfromdestiny,andthenfromthepoliceofficers,andsoyourushfromonethingtoanothertoforcethemtospeakoutandmakeanendofitall,becauseyouaresickofallthissuspicionandfoolishness。
　　That'sso,isn'tit?Ihaveguessedhowyoufeel,haven'tI?Onlyinthatwayyou'llloseyourheadandRazumihin's,too;he'stoogoodamanforsuchaposition,youmustknowthat。Youareillandheisgoodandyourillnessisinfectiousforhim……I'lltellyouaboutitwhenyouaremoreyourself……Butdositdown,forgoodness'sake。
　　Pleaserest,youlookshocking,dositdown。“
　　Raskolnikovsatdown;henolongershivered,hewashotallover。InamazementhelistenedwithstrainedattentiontoPorfiryPetrovitchwhostillseemedfrightenedashelookedafterhimwithfriendlysolicitude。Buthedidnotbelieveawordhesaid,thoughhefeltastrangeinclinationtobelieve。Porfiry'sunexpectedwordsabouttheflathadutterlyoverwhelmedhim。“Howcanitbe,heknowsabouttheflatthen,“hethoughtsuddenly,“andhetellsitmehimself！”
　　“Yes,inourlegalpracticetherewasacasealmostexactlysimilar,acaseofmorbidpsychology,“Porfirywentonquickly。“Amanconfessedtomurderandhowhekeptitup!Itwasaregularhallucination;hebroughtforwardfacts,heimposeduponeveryoneandwhy?Hehadbeenpartly,butonlypartly,unintentionallythecauseofamurderandwhenheknewthathehadgiventhemurdererstheopportunity,hesankintodejection,itgotonhismindandturnedhisbrain,hebeganimaginingthingsandhepersuadedhimselfthathewasthemurderer。ButatlasttheHighCourtofAppealswentintoitandthepoorfellowwasacquittedandputunderpropercare。ThankstotheCourtofAppeals!Tut-tut-tut!Why,mydearfellow,youmaydriveyourselfintodeliriumifyouhavetheimpulsetoworkuponyournerves,togoringingbellsatnightandaskingaboutblood!I'vestudiedallthismorbidpsychologyinmypractice。Amanissometimestemptedtojumpoutofawindoworfromabelfry。Justthesamewithbell-ringing……It'sallillness,RodionRomanovitch!Youhavebeguntoneglectyourillness。Youshouldconsultanexperienceddoctor,what'sthegoodofthatfatfellow?Youarelightheaded!Youweredeliriouswhenyoudidallthis！”
　　ForamomentRaskolnikovfelteverythinggoinground。
　　“Isitpossible,isitpossible,“flashedthroughhismind,“thatheisstilllying?Hecan'tbe,hecan'tbe。“Herejectedthatidea,feelingtowhatadegreeoffuryitmightdrivehim,feelingthatthatfurymightdrivehimmad。
　　“Iwasnotdelirious。IknewwhatIwasdoing,“hecried,strainingeveryfacultytopenetratePorfiry'sgame,“Iwasquitemyself,doyouhear？”
　　“Yes,Ihearandunderstand。Yousaidyesterdayyouwerenotdelirious,youwereparticularlyemphaticaboutit!Iunderstandallyoucantellme!A-ach!……Listen,RodionRomanovitch,mydearfellow。
　　Ifyouwereactuallyacriminal,orweresomehowmixedupinthisdamnablebusiness,wouldyouinsistthatyouwerenotdeliriousbutinfullpossessionofyourfaculties?Andsoemphaticallyandpersistently?Woulditbepossible?Quiteimpossible,tomythinking。Ifyouhadanythingonyourconscience,youcertainlyoughttoinsistthatyouweredelirious。That'sso,isn'tit？”
　　Therewasanoteofslynessinthisinquiry。RaskolnikovdrewbackonthesofaasPorfirybentoverhimandstaredinsilentperplexityathim。
　　“AnotherthingaboutRazumihin-youcertainlyoughttohavesaidthathecameofhisownaccord,tohaveconcealedyourpartinit!Butyoudon'tconcealit!Youlaystressonhiscomingatyourinstigation。“
　　Raskolnikovhadnotdoneso。Achillwentdownhisback。
　　“Youkeeptellinglies,“hesaidslowlyandweakly,twistinghislipsintoasicklysmile,“youaretryingagaintoshowthatyouknowallmygame,thatyouknowallIshallsaybeforehand,“hesaid,conscioushimselfthathewasnotweighinghiswordsasheought。“Youwanttofrightenme……oryouaresimplylaughingatme……“
　　Hestillstaredathimashesaidthisandagaintherewasalightofintensehatredinhiseyes。
　　“Youkeeplying,“hesaid。“Youknowperfectlywellthatthebestpolicyforthecriminalistotellthetruthasnearlyaspossible……toconcealaslittleaspossible。Idon'tbelieveyou！”
　　“Whatawilypersonyouare！”Porfirytittered,“there'snocatchingyou;you'veaperfectmonomania。Soyoudon'tbelieveme?Butstillyoudobelieveme,youbelieveaquarter;I'llsoonmakeyoubelievethewhole,becauseIhaveasincerelikingforyouandgenuinelywishyougood。“
　　Raskolnikov'slipstrembled。
　　“Yes,Ido,“wentonPorfiry,touchingRaskolnikov'sarmgenially,“youmusttakecareofyourillness。Besides,yourmotherandsisterareherenow;youmustthinkofthem。Youmustsootheandcomfortthemandyoudonothingbutfrightenthem……“
　　“Whathasthattodowithyou?Howdoyouknowit?Whatconcernisitofyours?Youarekeepingwatchonmeandwanttoletmeknowit？”
　　“Goodheavens!Why,Ilearntitallfromyouyourself!Youdon'tnoticethatinyourexcitementyoutellmeandotherseverything。FromRazumihin,too,Ilearntanumberofinterestingdetailsyesterday。
　　No,youinterruptedme,butImusttellyouthat,forallyourwit,yoursuspiciousnessmakesyoulosethecommon-senseviewofthings。Toreturntobell-ringing,forinstance。I,anexamininglawyer,havebetrayedapreciousthinglikethat,arealfactforitisafactworthhaving,andyouseenothinginit!Why,ifIhadtheslightestsuspicionofyou,shouldIhaveactedlikethat?No,I
　　shouldfirsthavedisarmedyoursuspicionsandnotletyouseeI
　　knewofthatfact,shouldhavedivertedyourattentionandsuddenlyhavedealtyouaknock-downblowyourexpressionsaying：'Andwhatwereyoudoing,sir,pray,attenornearlyelevenatthemurderedwoman'sflatandwhydidyouringthebellandwhydidyouaskaboutblood?Andwhydidyouinvitetheporterstogowithyoutothepolicestation,tothelieutenant?'That'showIoughttohaveactedifIhadagrainofsuspicionofyou。Ioughttohavetakenyourevidenceindueform,searchedyourlodgingandperhapshavearrestedyou,too……soIhavenosuspicionofyou,sinceIhavenotdonethat!
　　Butyoucan'tlookatitnormallyandyouseenothing,Isayagain。“
　　RaskolnikovstartedsothatPorfiryPetrovitchcouldnotfailtoperceiveit。
　　“Youarelyingallthewhile,“hecried,“Idon'tknowyourobject,butyouarelying。YoudidnotspeaklikethatjustnowandIcannotbemistaken！”
　　“Iamlying？”Porfiryrepeated,apparentlyincensed,butpreservingagood-humouredandironicalface,asthoughhewerenotintheleastconcernedatRaskolnikov'sopinionofhim。“Iamlying……
　　buthowdidItreatyoujustnow,I,theexamininglawyer?Promptingyouandgivingyoueverymeansforyourdefence;illness,Isaid,delirium,injury,melancholyandthepoliceofficersandalltherestofit?Ah!He-he-he!Though,indeed,allthosepsychologicalmeansofdefencearenotveryreliableandcutbothways：illness,delirium,Idon'tremember-that'sallright,butwhy,mygoodsir,inyourillnessandinyourdeliriumwereyouhauntedbyjustthosedelusionsandnotbyanyothers?Theremayhavebeenothers,eh?
　　He-he-he！”
　　Raskolnikovlookedhaughtilyandcontemptuouslyathim。
　　“Briefly,“hesaidloudlyandimperiously,risingtohisfeetandinsodoingpushingPorfirybackalittle,“briefly,Iwanttoknow,doyouacknowledgemeperfectlyfreefromsuspicionornot?Tellme,PorfiryPetrovitch,tellmeonceforallandmakehaste！”
　　“WhatabusinessI'mhavingwithyou！”criedPorfirywithaperfectlygood-humoured,slyandcomposedface。“Andwhydoyouwanttoknow,whydoyouwanttoknowsomuch,sincetheyhaven'tbeguntoworryyou?Why,youarelikeachildaskingformatches!Andwhyareyousouneasy?Whydoyouforceyourselfuponus,eh?He-he-he！”
　　“Irepeat,“Raskolnikovcriedfuriously,“thatIcan'tputupwithit！”
　　“Withwhat?Uncertainty？”interruptedPorfiry。
　　“Don'tjeeratme!Iwon'thaveit!ItellyouIwon'thaveit。I
　　can'tandIwon't,doyouhear,doyouhear？”heshouted,bringinghisfistdownonthetableagain。
　　“Hush!Hush!They'lloverhear!Iwarnyouseriously,takecareofyourself。Iamnotjoking,“Porfirywhispered,butthistimetherewasnotthelookofoldwomanishgood-natureandalarminhisface。Nowhewasperemptory,stern,frowningandforoncelayingasideallmystification。
　　Butthiswasonlyforaninstant。Raskolnikov,bewildered,suddenlyfellintoactualfrenzy,but,strangetosay,heagainobeyedthecommandtospeakquietly,thoughhewasinaperfectparoxysmoffury。
　　“Iwillnotallowmyselftobetortured,“hewhispered,instantlyrecognisingwithhatredthathecouldnothelpobeyingthecommandanddriventoevengreaterfurybythethought。“Arrestme,searchme,butkindlyactindueformanddon'tplaywithme!Don'tdare！”
　　“Don'tworryabouttheform,“Porfiryinterruptedwiththesameslysmile,asitwere,gloatingwithenjoymentoverRaskolnikov。“I
　　invitedyoutoseemequiteinafriendlyway。“
　　“Idon'twantyourfriendshipandIspitonit!Doyouhear?And,here,Itakemycapandgo。Whatwillyousaynowifyoumeantoarrestme？”
　　Hetookuphiscapandwenttothedoor。
　　“Andwon'tyouseemylittlesurprise？”chuckledPorfiry,againtakinghimbythearmandstoppinghimatthedoor。
　　Heseemedtobecomemoreplayfulandgood-humouredwhichmaddenedRaskolnikov。
　　“Whatsurprise？”heasked,standingstillandlookingatPorfiryinalarm。
　　“Mylittlesurprise,it'ssittingtherebehindthedoor,he-he-he!
　　Hepointedtothelockeddoor。Ilockedhiminthatheshouldnotescape。“
　　“Whatisit?Where?What?……“
　　Raskolnikovwalkedtothedoorandwouldhaveopenedit,butitwaslocked。
　　“It'slocked,hereisthekey！”
　　Andhebroughtakeyoutofhispocket。
　　“Youarelying,“roaredRaskolnikovwithoutrestraint,“youlie,youdamnedpunchinello！”andherushedatPorfirywhoretreatedtotheotherdoor,notatallalarmed。
　　“Iunderstanditall!YouarelyingandmockingsothatImaybetraymyselftoyou……“
　　“Why,youcouldnotbetrayyourselfanyfurther,mydearRodionRomanovitch。Youareinapassion。Don'tshout,Ishallcalltheclerks。“
　　“Youarelying!Calltheclerks!YouknewIwasillandtriedtoworkmeintoafrenzytomakemebetraymyself,thatwasyourobject!Produceyourfacts!Iunderstanditall。You'venoevidence,youhaveonlywretchedrubbishlysuspicionslikeZametov's!Youknewmycharacter,youwantedtodrivemetofuryandthentoknockmedownwithpriestsanddeputies……Areyouwaitingforthem?eh!Whatareyouwaitingfor?Wherearethey?Producethem？”
　　“Whydeputies,mygoodman?Whatthingspeoplewillimagine!Andtodosowouldnotbeactinginformasyousay,youdon'tknowthebusiness,mydearfellow……Andthere'snoescapingform,asyousee,“Porfirymuttered,listeningatthedoorthroughwhichanoisecouldbeheard。
　　“Ah,they'recoming,“criedRaskolnikov。“You'vesentforthem!
　　Youexpectedthem!Well,producethemall：yourdeputies,yourwitnesses,whatyoulike!……Iamready！”
　　Butatthismomentastrangeincidentoccurred,somethingsounexpectedthatneitherRaskolnikovnorPorfiryPetrovitchcouldhavelookedforsuchaconclusiontotheirinterview。
　　ChapterSixWHENHErememberedthesceneafterwards,thisishowRaskolnikovsawit。
　　Thenoisebehindthedoorincreased,andsuddenlythedoorwasopenedalittle。
　　“Whatisit？”criedPorfiryPetrovitch,annoyed。“Why,Igaveorders……“
　　Foraninstanttherewasnoanswer,butitwasevidentthattherewereseveralpersonsatthedoor,andthattheywereapparentlypushingsomebodyback。
　　“Whatisit？”PorfiryPetrovitchrepeated,uneasily。
　　“TheprisonerNikolayhasbeenbrought,“someoneanswered。
　　“Heisnotwanted!Takehimaway!Lethimwait!What'shedoinghere?Howirregular！”criedPorfiry,rushingtothedoor。
　　“Buthe……“beganthesamevoice,andsuddenlyceased。