talk of love--she's bashful
to hysterics--but just let her see you can't tear yourself away--that's
enough. It's fearfully comfortable; you're quite at home, you can
read, sit, lie about, write. You may even venture on a kiss, if you're
careful."

"But what do I want with her?"

"Ach, I can't make you understand! You see, you are made for each other!
I have often been reminded of you!... You'll come to it in the end! So
does it matter whether it's sooner or later? There's the feather-bed
element here, brother--ach! and not only that! There's an attraction
here--here you have the end of the world, an anchorage, a quiet haven,
the navel of the earth, the three fishes that are the foundation of the
world, the essence of pancakes, of savoury fish-pies, of the evening
samovar, of soft sighs and warm shawls, and hot stoves to sleep on--as
snug as though you were dead, and yet you're alive--the advantages
of both at once! Well, hang it, brother, what stuff I'm talking, it's
bedtime! Listen. I sometimes wake up at night; so I'll go in and look at
him. But there's no need, it's all right. Don't you worry yourself,
yet if you like, you might just look in once, too. But if you notice
anything--delirium or fever--wake me at once. But there can't be...."

CHAPTER II

Razumihin waked up next morning at eight o'clock, troubled and serious.
He found himself confronted with many new and unlooked-for perplexities.
He had never expected that he would ever wake up feeling like that. He
remembered every detail of the previous day and he knew that a perfectly
novel experience had befallen him, that he had received an impression
unlike anything he had known before. At the same time he recognised
clearly that the dream which had fired his imagination was hopelessly
unattainable--so unattainable that he felt positively ashamed of it, and
he hastened to pass to the other more practical cares and difficulties
bequeathed him by that "thrice accursed yesterday."

The most awful recollection of the previous day was the way he had shown
himself "base and mean," not only because he had been drunk, but
because he had taken advantage of the young girl's position to abuse
her _fiance_ in his stupid jealousy, knowing nothing of their mutual
relations and obligations and next to nothing of the man himself. And
what right had he to criticise him in that hasty and unguarded manner?
Who had asked for his opinion? Was it thinkable that such a creature