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