community-datasets/crime_and_punish · Datasets at Hugging Face

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but I don’t need it now. I can always earn my own living. Don’t think me
ungrateful. If you are so charitable, that money....”

“It’s for you, for you, Sofya Semyonovna, and please don’t waste words
over it. I haven’t time for it. You will want it. Rodion Romanovitch
has two alternatives: a bullet in the brain or Siberia.” (Sonia looked
wildly at him, and started.) “Don’t be uneasy, I know all about it from
himself and I am not a gossip; I won’t tell anyone. It was good advice
when you told him to give himself up and confess. It would be much
better for him. Well, if it turns out to be Siberia, he will go and
you will follow him. That’s so, isn’t it? And if so, you’ll need money.
You’ll need it for him, do you understand? Giving it to you is the same
as my giving it to him. Besides, you promised Amalia Ivanovna to pay
what’s owing. I heard you. How can you undertake such obligations so
heedlessly, Sofya Semyonovna? It was Katerina Ivanovna’s debt and not
yours, so you ought not to have taken any notice of the German woman.
You can’t get through the world like that. If you are ever questioned
about me--to-morrow or the day after you will be asked--don’t say
anything about my coming to see you now and don’t show the money to
anyone or say a word about it. Well, now good-bye.” (He got up.) “My
greetings to Rodion Romanovitch. By the way, you’d better put the money
for the present in Mr. Razumihin’s keeping. You know Mr. Razumihin? Of
course you do. He’s not a bad fellow. Take it to him to-morrow or...
when the time comes. And till then, hide it carefully.”

Sonia too jumped up from her chair and looked in dismay at Svidrigaïlov.
She longed to speak, to ask a question, but for the first moments she
did not dare and did not know how to begin.

“How can you... how can you be going now, in such rain?”

“Why, be starting for America, and be stopped by rain! Ha, ha! Good-bye,
Sofya Semyonovna, my dear! Live and live long, you will be of use to
others. By the way... tell Mr. Razumihin I send my greetings to him.
Tell him Arkady Ivanovitch Svidrigaïlov sends his greetings. Be sure
to.”

He went out, leaving Sonia in a state of wondering anxiety and vague
apprehension.

It appeared afterwards that on the same evening, at twenty past eleven,
he made another very eccentric and unexpected visit. The rain still
persisted. Drenched to the skin, he walked into the little flat where
the parents of his betrothed lived, in Third Street in Vassilyevsky
Island. He knocked some time before he was admitted, and his visit
at first caused great perturbation; but Svidrigaïlov could be
very fascinating when he liked, so that the first, and indeed very
intelligent surmise of the sensible parents that Svidrigaïlov had
probably had so much to drink that he did not know what he was doing
vanished immediately. The decrepit father was wheeled in to see
Svidrigaïlov by the tender and sensible mother, who as usual began the
conversation with various irrelevant questions. She never asked a direct
question, but began by smiling and rubbing her hands and then, if she
were obliged to ascertain something--for instance, when Svidrigaïlov
would like to have the wedding--she would begin by interested and
almost eager questions about Paris and the court life there, and only
by degrees brought the conversation round to Third Street. On other
occasions this had of course been very impressive, but this time Arkady
Ivanovitch seemed particularly impatient, and insisted on seeing his
betrothed at once, though he had been informed, to begin with, that she
had already gone to bed. The girl of course appeared.

Svidrigaïlov informed her at once that he was obliged by very important
affairs to leave Petersburg for a time, and therefore brought her
fifteen thousand roubles and begged her accept them as a present from
him, as he had long been intending to make her this trifling present
before their wedding. The logical connection of the present with his
immediate departure and the absolute necessity of visiting them for that
purpose in pouring rain at midnight was not made clear. But it all went
off very well; even the inevitable ejaculations of wonder and regret,
the inevitable questions were extraordinarily few and restrained. On the
other hand, the gratitude expressed was most glowing and was reinforced
by tears from the most sensible of mothers. Svidrigaïlov got up,
laughed, kissed his betrothed, patted her cheek, declared he would soon
come back, and noticing in her eyes, together with childish curiosity, a
sort of earnest dumb inquiry, reflected and kissed her again, though
he felt sincere anger inwardly at the thought that his present would be
immediately locked up in the keeping of the most sensible of mothers. He
went away, leaving them all in a state of extraordinary excitement, but
the tender mamma, speaking quietly in a half whisper, settled some of
the most important of their doubts, concluding that Svidrigaïlov was
a great man, a man of great affairs and connections and of great
wealth--there was no knowing what he had in his mind. He would start
off on a journey and give away money just as the fancy took him, so that
there was nothing surprising about it. Of course it was strange that he
was wet through, but Englishmen, for instance, are even more eccentric,
and all these people of high society didn’t think of what was said of
them and didn’t stand on ceremony. Possibly, indeed, he came like that
on purpose to show that he was not afraid of anyone. Above all, not a
word should be said about it, for God knows what might come of it, and
the money must be locked up, and it was most fortunate that Fedosya, the
cook, had not left the kitchen. And above all not a word must be said
to that old cat, Madame Resslich, and so on and so on. They sat up
whispering till two o’clock, but the girl went to bed much earlier,
amazed and rather sorrowful.

Svidrigaïlov meanwhile, exactly at midnight, crossed the bridge on the
way back to the mainland. The rain had ceased and there was a roaring
wind. He began shivering, and for one moment he gazed at the black
waters of the Little Neva with a look of special interest, even inquiry.

but I don’t need it now. I can always earn my own living. Don’t think me

ungrateful. If you are so charitable, that money....”

“It’s for you, for you, Sofya Semyonovna, and please don’t waste words

over it. I haven’t time for it. You will want it. Rodion Romanovitch

has two alternatives: a bullet in the brain or Siberia.” (Sonia looked

wildly at him, and started.) “Don’t be uneasy, I know all about it from

himself and I am not a gossip; I won’t tell anyone. It was good advice

when you told him to give himself up and confess. It would be much

better for him. Well, if it turns out to be Siberia, he will go and

you will follow him. That’s so, isn’t it? And if so, you’ll need money.

You’ll need it for him, do you understand? Giving it to you is the same

as my giving it to him. Besides, you promised Amalia Ivanovna to pay

what’s owing. I heard you. How can you undertake such obligations so

heedlessly, Sofya Semyonovna? It was Katerina Ivanovna’s debt and not

yours, so you ought not to have taken any notice of the German woman.

You can’t get through the world like that. If you are ever questioned

about me--to-morrow or the day after you will be asked--don’t say

anything about my coming to see you now and don’t show the money to

anyone or say a word about it. Well, now good-bye.” (He got up.) “My

greetings to Rodion Romanovitch. By the way, you’d better put the money

for the present in Mr. Razumihin’s keeping. You know Mr. Razumihin? Of

course you do. He’s not a bad fellow. Take it to him to-morrow or...

when the time comes. And till then, hide it carefully.”

Sonia too jumped up from her chair and looked in dismay at Svidrigaïlov.

She longed to speak, to ask a question, but for the first moments she

did not dare and did not know how to begin.

“How can you... how can you be going now, in such rain?”

“Why, be starting for America, and be stopped by rain! Ha, ha! Good-bye,

Sofya Semyonovna, my dear! Live and live long, you will be of use to

others. By the way... tell Mr. Razumihin I send my greetings to him.

Tell him Arkady Ivanovitch Svidrigaïlov sends his greetings. Be sure

to.”

He went out, leaving Sonia in a state of wondering anxiety and vague

apprehension.

It appeared afterwards that on the same evening, at twenty past eleven,

he made another very eccentric and unexpected visit. The rain still

persisted. Drenched to the skin, he walked into the little flat where

the parents of his betrothed lived, in Third Street in Vassilyevsky

Island. He knocked some time before he was admitted, and his visit

at first caused great perturbation; but Svidrigaïlov could be

very fascinating when he liked, so that the first, and indeed very

intelligent surmise of the sensible parents that Svidrigaïlov had

probably had so much to drink that he did not know what he was doing

vanished immediately. The decrepit father was wheeled in to see

Svidrigaïlov by the tender and sensible mother, who as usual began the

conversation with various irrelevant questions. She never asked a direct

question, but began by smiling and rubbing her hands and then, if she

were obliged to ascertain something--for instance, when Svidrigaïlov

would like to have the wedding--she would begin by interested and

almost eager questions about Paris and the court life there, and only

by degrees brought the conversation round to Third Street. On other

occasions this had of course been very impressive, but this time Arkady

Ivanovitch seemed particularly impatient, and insisted on seeing his

betrothed at once, though he had been informed, to begin with, that she

had already gone to bed. The girl of course appeared.

Svidrigaïlov informed her at once that he was obliged by very important

affairs to leave Petersburg for a time, and therefore brought her

fifteen thousand roubles and begged her accept them as a present from

him, as he had long been intending to make her this trifling present

before their wedding. The logical connection of the present with his

immediate departure and the absolute necessity of visiting them for that

purpose in pouring rain at midnight was not made clear. But it all went

off very well; even the inevitable ejaculations of wonder and regret,

the inevitable questions were extraordinarily few and restrained. On the

other hand, the gratitude expressed was most glowing and was reinforced

by tears from the most sensible of mothers. Svidrigaïlov got up,

laughed, kissed his betrothed, patted her cheek, declared he would soon

come back, and noticing in her eyes, together with childish curiosity, a

sort of earnest dumb inquiry, reflected and kissed her again, though

he felt sincere anger inwardly at the thought that his present would be

immediately locked up in the keeping of the most sensible of mothers. He

went away, leaving them all in a state of extraordinary excitement, but

the tender mamma, speaking quietly in a half whisper, settled some of

the most important of their doubts, concluding that Svidrigaïlov was

a great man, a man of great affairs and connections and of great

wealth--there was no knowing what he had in his mind. He would start

off on a journey and give away money just as the fancy took him, so that

there was nothing surprising about it. Of course it was strange that he

was wet through, but Englishmen, for instance, are even more eccentric,

and all these people of high society didn’t think of what was said of

them and didn’t stand on ceremony. Possibly, indeed, he came like that

on purpose to show that he was not afraid of anyone. Above all, not a

word should be said about it, for God knows what might come of it, and

the money must be locked up, and it was most fortunate that Fedosya, the

cook, had not left the kitchen. And above all not a word must be said

to that old cat, Madame Resslich, and so on and so on. They sat up

whispering till two o’clock, but the girl went to bed much earlier,

amazed and rather sorrowful.

Svidrigaïlov meanwhile, exactly at midnight, crossed the bridge on the

way back to the mainland. The rain had ceased and there was a roaring

wind. He began shivering, and for one moment he gazed at the black

waters of the Little Neva with a look of special interest, even inquiry.