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- 374 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
because my children were starving, she sold herself for us! Ah,
husband, husband! Do you see? Do you see? What a memorial
dinner for you! Merciful heavens! Defend her, why are you all
standing still? Rodion Romano vitch, why don't you stand up
for her? Do you believe it, too? You are not worth her little
finger, all of you together! Good God! Defend her now, at
least!"The wail of the poor, consumptive, helpless woman seemed to
produce a great effect on her audience. The agonised, wasted,
consumptive face, the parched blood-stained lips, the hoarse
voice, the tears unrestrained as a child's, the trustful, childish
and yet despairing prayer for help were so piteous that every
one seemed to feel for her. Pyotr Petrovitch at any rate was at
once moved to compassion.
"Madam, madam, this incident does not reflect upon you!"
he cried impressively, "no one would take upon himself to
accuse you of being an instigator or even an accomplice in it,
especially as you have proved her guilt by turning out her
pockets, showing that you had no previous idea of it. I am most
ready, most ready to show compassion, if poverty, so to speak,
drove Sofya Semyonovna to it, but why did you refuse to con-
fess, jnademoiselle? Were you afraid of the disgrace? The first
step? You lost your head, perhaps? One can quite understand
it. . . . But how could you have lowered yourself to such an
action? Gentlemen," he addressed the whole company, "gentle-
men! Compassionate and so to say commiserating these people, I
am ready to overlook it even now in spite of the personal insult
lavished upon me! And may this disgrace be a lesson to you for
the future," he said, addressing Sonia, "and I will carry the
matter no further. Enough!"
Pyotr Petrovitch stole a glance at Raskolnikov. Their eyes
met, and the fire in Raskolnikov's seemed ready to reduce him
to ashes. Meanwhile Katerina Ivanovna apparently heard noth-
ing. She was kissing and hugging Sonia like a madwoman. The
children, too, were embracing Sonia on all sides, and Polenka, —
though she did not fully understand what was wrong, — was
drowned in tears and shaking with sobs, as she hid her pretty
little face, swollen with weeping, on Sonia's shoulder.
"How vile!" a loud voice cried suddenly in the doorway.
Pyotr Petrovitch looked round quickly.
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