lf. His face at once resumed its previous
smile, and he continued to sip his tea.

"What a number of rogues there are about," Zametoff said. "I read not
long ago, in the Moscow papers, that they had captured a whole gang of
forgers in that city. Quite a colony."

"That's old news. I read it a month ago," replied Raskolnikoff in a
careless manner. "And you call such as these rogues?" he added,
smiling.

"Why not?"

"Rogues indeed! Why, they are only children and babies. Fifty banded
together for such purposes! Is it possible? Three would be quite
sufficient, and then they should be sure of one another--not babble
over their cups. The babies! Then to hire unreliable people to change
the notes at the money changers', persons whose hands tremble as they
receive the rubles. On such their lives depend! Far better to strangle
yourself! The man goes in, receives the change, counts some over, the
last portion he takes on faith, stuffs all in his pocket, rushes away
and the murder is out. All is lost by one foolish man. Is it not
ridiculous?"

"That his hands should shake?" replied Zametoff. "No; that is quite
likely. Yours would not, I suppose? I could not endure it, though. For
a paltry reward of a hundred rubles to go on such a mission! And
where? Into a banker's office with forged notes! I should certainly
lose my head. Would not you?"

Raskolnikoff felt again a strong impulse to make a face at him. A
shiver ran down his back. "You would not catch me acting so
foolishly," he commenced. "This is how I should do. I should count
over the first thousand very carefully, perhaps four times, right to
the end, carefully examine each note, and then only pass to the second
thousand, count these as far as the middle of the bundle, take out a
note, hold it to the light, turn it over, then hold it to the light
again, and say, 'I fear this is a bad note,' and then begin to relate
some story about a lost note. Then there would be a third thousand to
count. Not yet, please, there is a mistake in the second thousand. No,
it is correct. And so I should proceed until I had received all. At
last I should turn to go, open the door, but, no, pardon me! I should
return, ask some question, receive some explanation, and there it is
all done."

"What funny things you do say!" said Zametoff with a smile. "You are
all very well theoretically, but try it and see. Look, for example, at
the murder of the money lender, a case in point. There was a