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the bell. He must certainly be a man of authority and an intimate
|
acquaintance.
|
At this moment light hurried steps were heard not far off, on the
|
stairs. Someone else was approaching. Raskolnikov had not heard them at
|
first.
|
“You don’t say there’s no one at home,” the new-comer cried in a
|
cheerful, ringing voice, addressing the first visitor, who still went on
|
pulling the bell. “Good evening, Koch.”
|
“From his voice he must be quite young,” thought Raskolnikov.
|
“Who the devil can tell? I’ve almost broken the lock,” answered Koch.
|
“But how do you come to know me?”
|
“Why! The day before yesterday I beat you three times running at
|
billiards at Gambrinus’.”
|
“Oh!”
|
“So they are not at home? That’s queer. It’s awfully stupid though.
|
Where could the old woman have gone? I’ve come on business.”
|
“Yes; and I have business with her, too.”
|
“Well, what can we do? Go back, I suppose, Aie--aie! And I was hoping to
|
get some money!” cried the young man.
|
“We must give it up, of course, but what did she fix this time for? The
|
old witch fixed the time for me to come herself. It’s out of my way.
|
And where the devil she can have got to, I can’t make out. She sits here
|
from year’s end to year’s end, the old hag; her legs are bad and yet
|
here all of a sudden she is out for a walk!”
|
“Hadn’t we better ask the porter?”
|
“What?”
|
“Where she’s gone and when she’ll be back.”
|
“Hm.... Damn it all!... We might ask.... But you know she never does go
|
anywhere.”
|
And he once more tugged at the door-handle.
|
“Damn it all. There’s nothing to be done, we must go!”
|
“Stay!” cried the young man suddenly. “Do you see how the door shakes if
|
you pull it?”
|
“Well?”
|
“That shows it’s not locked, but fastened with the hook! Do you hear how
|
the hook clanks?”
|
“Well?”
|
“Why, don’t you see? That proves that one of them is at home. If they
|
were all out, they would have locked the door from the outside with the
|
key and not with the hook from inside. There, do you hear how the hook
|
is clanking? To fasten the hook on the inside they must be at home,
|
don’t you see. So there they are sitting inside and don’t open the
|
door!”
|
“Well! And so they must be!” cried Koch, astonished. “What are they
|
about in there?” And he began furiously shaking the door.
|
“Stay!” cried the young man again. “Don’t pull at it! There must be
|
something wrong.... Here, you’ve been ringing and pulling at the door
|
and still they don’t open! So either they’ve both fainted or...”
|
“What?”
|
“I tell you what. Let’s go fetch the porter, let him wake them up.”
|
“All right.”
|
Both were going down.
|
“Stay. You stop here while I run down for the porter.”
|
“What for?”
|
“Well, you’d better.”
|
“All right.”
|
“I’m studying the law you see! It’s evident, e-vi-dent there’s something
|
wrong here!” the young man cried hotly, and he ran downstairs.
|
Koch remained. Once more he softly touched the bell which gave one
|
tinkle, then gently, as though reflecting and looking about him, began
|
touching the door-handle pulling it and letting it go to make sure once
|
more that it was only fastened by the hook. Then puffing and panting he
|
bent down and began looking at the keyhole: but the key was in the lock
|
on the inside and so nothing could be seen.
|
Raskolnikov stood keeping tight hold of the axe. He was in a sort of
|
delirium. He was even making ready to fight when they should come in.
|
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