crime_and_punish · Datasets at Hugging Face

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which stood the old woman’s bed and chest of drawers and into which he
had never looked before. These two rooms made up the whole flat.

“What do you want?” the old woman said severely, coming into the room
and, as before, standing in front of him so as to look him straight in
the face.

“I’ve brought something to pawn here,” and he drew out of his pocket
an old-fashioned flat silver watch, on the back of which was engraved a
globe; the chain was of steel.

“But the time is up for your last pledge. The month was up the day
before yesterday.”

“I will bring you the interest for another month; wait a little.”

“But that’s for me to do as I please, my good sir, to wait or to sell
your pledge at once.”

“How much will you give me for the watch, Alyona Ivanovna?”

“You come with such trifles, my good sir, it’s scarcely worth anything.
I gave you two roubles last time for your ring and one could buy it
quite new at a jeweler’s for a rouble and a half.”

“Give me four roubles for it, I shall redeem it, it was my father’s. I
shall be getting some money soon.”

“A rouble and a half, and interest in advance, if you like!”

“A rouble and a half!” cried the young man.

“Please yourself”--and the old woman handed him back the watch. The
young man took it, and was so angry that he was on the point of going
away; but checked himself at once, remembering that there was nowhere
else he could go, and that he had had another object also in coming.

“Hand it over,” he said roughly.

The old woman fumbled in her pocket for her keys, and disappeared behind
the curtain into the other room. The young man, left standing alone in
the middle of the room, listened inquisitively, thinking. He could hear
her unlocking the chest of drawers.

“It must be the top drawer,” he reflected. “So she carries the keys in
a pocket on the right. All in one bunch on a steel ring.... And there’s
one key there, three times as big as all the others, with deep notches;
that can’t be the key of the chest of drawers... then there must be some
other chest or strong-box... that’s worth knowing. Strong-boxes always
have keys like that... but how degrading it all is.”

The old woman came back.

“Here, sir: as we say ten copecks the rouble a month, so I must take
fifteen copecks from a rouble and a half for the month in advance. But
for the two roubles I lent you before, you owe me now twenty copecks
on the same reckoning in advance. That makes thirty-five copecks
altogether. So I must give you a rouble and fifteen copecks for the
watch. Here it is.”

“What! only a rouble and fifteen copecks now!”

“Just so.”

The young man did not dispute it and took the money. He looked at the
old woman, and was in no hurry to get away, as though there was still
something he wanted to say or to do, but he did not himself quite know
what.

“I may be bringing you something else in a day or two, Alyona
Ivanovna--a valuable thing--silver--a cigarette-box, as soon as I get it
back from a friend...” he broke off in confusion.

“Well, we will talk about it then, sir.”

“Good-bye--are you always at home alone, your sister is not here with
you?” He asked her as casually as possible as he went out into the
passage.

“What business is she of yours, my good sir?”

“Oh, nothing particular, I simply asked. You are too quick.... Good-day,
Alyona Ivanovna.”

Raskolnikov went out in complete confusion. This confusion became more
and more intense. As he went down the stairs, he even stopped short, two
or three times, as though suddenly struck by some thought. When he was
in the street he cried out, “Oh, God, how loathsome it all is! and
can I, can I possibly.... No, it’s nonsense, it’s rubbish!” he added
resolutely. “And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head?
What filthy things my heart is capable of. Yes, filthy above all,
disgusting, loathsome, loathsome!--and for a whole month I’ve been....”
But no words, no exclamations, could express his agitation. The feeling
of intense repulsion, which had begun to oppress and torture his heart
while he was on his way to the old woman, had by now reached such a
pitch and had taken such a definite form that he did not know what to
do with himself to escape from his wretchedness. He walked along the
pavement like a drunken man, regardless of the passers-by, and jostling
against them, and only came to his senses when he was in the next
street. Looking round, he noticed that he was standing close to a tavern

which stood the old woman’s bed and chest of drawers and into which he

had never looked before. These two rooms made up the whole flat.

“What do you want?” the old woman said severely, coming into the room

and, as before, standing in front of him so as to look him straight in

the face.

“I’ve brought something to pawn here,” and he drew out of his pocket

an old-fashioned flat silver watch, on the back of which was engraved a

globe; the chain was of steel.

“But the time is up for your last pledge. The month was up the day

before yesterday.”

“I will bring you the interest for another month; wait a little.”

“But that’s for me to do as I please, my good sir, to wait or to sell

your pledge at once.”

“How much will you give me for the watch, Alyona Ivanovna?”

“You come with such trifles, my good sir, it’s scarcely worth anything.

I gave you two roubles last time for your ring and one could buy it

quite new at a jeweler’s for a rouble and a half.”

“Give me four roubles for it, I shall redeem it, it was my father’s. I

shall be getting some money soon.”

“A rouble and a half, and interest in advance, if you like!”

“A rouble and a half!” cried the young man.

“Please yourself”--and the old woman handed him back the watch. The

young man took it, and was so angry that he was on the point of going

away; but checked himself at once, remembering that there was nowhere

else he could go, and that he had had another object also in coming.

“Hand it over,” he said roughly.

The old woman fumbled in her pocket for her keys, and disappeared behind

the curtain into the other room. The young man, left standing alone in

the middle of the room, listened inquisitively, thinking. He could hear

her unlocking the chest of drawers.

“It must be the top drawer,” he reflected. “So she carries the keys in

a pocket on the right. All in one bunch on a steel ring.... And there’s

one key there, three times as big as all the others, with deep notches;

that can’t be the key of the chest of drawers... then there must be some

other chest or strong-box... that’s worth knowing. Strong-boxes always

have keys like that... but how degrading it all is.”

The old woman came back.

“Here, sir: as we say ten copecks the rouble a month, so I must take

fifteen copecks from a rouble and a half for the month in advance. But

for the two roubles I lent you before, you owe me now twenty copecks

on the same reckoning in advance. That makes thirty-five copecks

altogether. So I must give you a rouble and fifteen copecks for the

watch. Here it is.”

“What! only a rouble and fifteen copecks now!”

“Just so.”

The young man did not dispute it and took the money. He looked at the

old woman, and was in no hurry to get away, as though there was still

something he wanted to say or to do, but he did not himself quite know

what.

“I may be bringing you something else in a day or two, Alyona

Ivanovna--a valuable thing--silver--a cigarette-box, as soon as I get it

back from a friend...” he broke off in confusion.

“Well, we will talk about it then, sir.”

“Good-bye--are you always at home alone, your sister is not here with

you?” He asked her as casually as possible as he went out into the

passage.

“What business is she of yours, my good sir?”

“Oh, nothing particular, I simply asked. You are too quick.... Good-day,

Alyona Ivanovna.”

Raskolnikov went out in complete confusion. This confusion became more

and more intense. As he went down the stairs, he even stopped short, two

or three times, as though suddenly struck by some thought. When he was

in the street he cried out, “Oh, God, how loathsome it all is! and

can I, can I possibly.... No, it’s nonsense, it’s rubbish!” he added

resolutely. “And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head?

What filthy things my heart is capable of. Yes, filthy above all,

disgusting, loathsome, loathsome!--and for a whole month I’ve been....”

But no words, no exclamations, could express his agitation. The feeling

of intense repulsion, which had begun to oppress and torture his heart

while he was on his way to the old woman, had by now reached such a

pitch and had taken such a definite form that he did not know what to

do with himself to escape from his wretchedness. He walked along the

pavement like a drunken man, regardless of the passers-by, and jostling

against them, and only came to his senses when he was in the next

street. Looking round, he noticed that he was standing close to a tavern