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- CRIME AND PUNISHMENT 35
and such a day Marfa Petrovna would be reading the letter in
such and such a place and people assembled for every reading of
it, even many who had heard it several times already both in
their own houses and in other people's. In my opinion a great
deal, a very great deal of all this was unnecessary; but that's
Marfa Petrovna's character. Anyway she succeeded in com-
pletely re-establishing Dounia's reputation and the whole ig-
nominy ofthis affair rested as an indelible disgrace upon her
husband, as the only person to blame, so that I really began to
feel sorry for him; it was really treating the crazy fellow too
harshly. Dounia was at once asked to give lessons in several
families, but she refused. All of a sudden every one began to
treat her with marked respect and all this did much to bring
about the event by which, one may say, our whole fortunes are
now transformed. You must know, dear Rodya, that Dounia
has a suitor and that she has already consented to marry him. I
hasten to tell you all about the matter, and though it has been
arranged without asking your consent, I think you will not be
aggrieved with me or with your sister on that account, for you
will see that we could not wait and put off our decision till we
heard from you. And you could not have judged all the facts
without being on the spot. This was how it happened. He is
already of the rank of a counsellor, Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin,
and is distantly related to Marfa Petrovna, who has been very
active in bringing the match about. It began with his expressing
through her his desire to make our acquaintance. He was prop-
erly received, drank coffee with us and the very next day he
sent us a letter in which he very courteously made an offer and
begged for a speedy and decided answer. He is a very busy man
and is in a great hurry to get to Petersburg, so that every mo-
ment isprecious to him. At first, of course, we were greatly
surprised, as it had all happened so quickly and unexpectedly.
"We thought and talked it over the whole day. He is a well-to-
do man, to be depended upon, he has two posts in the govern-
ment and has already made his fortune. It is true that he is forty-
five years old, but he is of a fairly prepossessing appearance, and
might still be thought attractive by women, and he is altogethc r
a very respectable and presentable man, only he seems a little
morose and somewhat conceited. But f>ossibly that may only
be the impression he makes at first sight. And beware, dear
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