登陆注册
4771600000021

第21章

And taking the policeman by the hand he drew him towards the seat.

“Look here, hopelessly drunk, and she has just come down the boulevard. There is no telling who and what she is, she does not look like a professional. It’s more likely she has been given drink and deceived somewhere … for the first time … you understand? and they’ve put her out into the street like that. Look at the way her dress is torn, and the way it has been put on: she has been dressed by somebody, she has not dressed herself, and dressed by unpractised hands, by a man’s hands; that’s evident. And now look there: I don’t know that dandy with whom I was going to fight, I see him for the first time, but he, too, has seen her on the road, just now, drunk, not knowing what she is doing, and now he is very eager to get hold of her, to get her away somewhere while she is in this state … that’s certain, believe me, I am not wrong. I saw him myself watching her and following her, but I prevented him, and he is just waiting for me to go away. Now he has walked away a little, and is standing still, pretending to make a cigarette. … Think how can we keep her out of his hands, and how are we to get her home?”

The policeman saw it all in a flash. The stout gentleman was easy to understand, he turned to consider the girl. The policeman bent over to examine her more closely, and his face worked with genuine compassion.

“Ah, what a pity!” he said, shaking his head—“why, she is quite a child! She has been deceived, you can see that at once. Listen, lady,” he began addressing her, “where do you live?” The girl opened her weary and sleepy-looking eyes, gazed blankly at the speaker and waved her hand.

“Here,” said Raskolnikov feeling in his pocket and finding twenty copecks, “here, call a cab and tell him to drive her to her address. The only thing is to find out her address!”

“Missy, missy!” the policeman began again, taking the money. “I’ll fetch you a cab and take you home myself. Where shall I take you, eh? Where do you live?”

“Go away! They won’t let me alone,” the girl muttered, and once more waved her hand.

“Ach, ach, how shocking! It’s shameful, missy, it’s a shame!” He shook his head again, shocked, sympathetic and indignant.

“It’s a difficult job,” the policeman said to Raskolnikov, and as he did so, he looked him up and down in a rapid glance. He, too, must have seemed a strange figure to him: dressed in rags and handing him money!

“Did you meet her far from here?” he asked him.

“I tell you she was walking in front of me, staggering, just here, in the boulevard. She only just reached the seat and sank down on it.”

“Ah, the shameful things that are done in the world nowadays, God have mercy on us! An innocent creature like that, drunk already! She has been deceived, that’s a sure thing. See how her dress has been torn too. … Ah, the vice one sees nowadays! And as likely as not she belongs to gentlefolk too, poor ones maybe. … There are many like that nowadays. She looks refined, too, as though she were a lady,” and he bent over her once more.

Perhaps he had daughters growing up like that, “looking like ladies and refined” with pretensions to gentility and smartness. …

“The chief thing is,” Raskolnikov persisted, “to keep her out of this scoundrel’s hands! Why should he outrage her! It’s as clear as day what he is after; ah, the brute, he is not moving off!”

Raskolnikov spoke aloud and pointed to him. The gentleman heard him, and seemed about to fly into a rage again, but thought better of it, and confined himself to a contemptuous look. He then walked slowly another ten paces away and again halted.

“Keep her out of his hands we can,” said the constable thoughtfully, “if only she’d tell us where to take her, but as it is. … Missy, hey, missy!” he bent over her once more.

She opened her eyes fully all of a sudden, looked at him intently, as though realising something, got up from the seat and walked away in the direction from which she had come. “Oh shameful wretches, they won’t let me alone!” she said, waving her hand again. She walked quickly, though staggering as before. The dandy followed her, but along another avenue, keeping his eye on her.

“Don’t be anxious, I won’t let him have her,” the policeman said resolutely, and he set off after them.

“Ah, the vice one sees nowadays!” he repeated aloud, sighing.

At that moment something seemed to sting Raskolnikov; in an instant a complete revulsion of feeling came over him.

“Hey, here!” he shouted after the policeman.

The latter turned round.

“Let them be! What is it to do with you? Let her go! Let him amuse himself.” He pointed at the dandy, “What is it to do with you?”

The policeman was bewildered, and stared at him open-eyed. Raskolnikov laughed.

“Well!” ejaculated the policeman, with a gesture of contempt, and he walked after the dandy and the girl, probably taking Raskolnikov for a madman or something even worse.

同类推荐
  • Father and Son

    Father and Son

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE

    THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 闽事纪略

    闽事纪略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE TWIN HELLS

    THE TWIN HELLS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 了明篇

    了明篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 中国父母培养孩子易犯的600个错误

    中国父母培养孩子易犯的600个错误

    本书列举了父母在家庭教育中经常易犯的约600个错误,既分析了错误产生的原因,又提出了解决错误的方案。一书在手,父母必能茅塞顿开。这是一本可以伴随父母一生的书,天下的父母们可能每天都在自觉不自觉地实践着书中的内容——用自己的心灵和行动;这也是一本影响孩子未来的书,它将伴随孩子一天天地成长。当孩子长大成人,我们不苛求获得丰厚的回报,只希望他在回忆儿时的经历时能发自内心地说:“假如有来生的话,我希望下辈子还做你们的孩子。”
  • 来璩

    来璩

    来璩是我的儿子。来璩不是我的亲生儿子。这有点儿复杂,三言两语说不明白。四年多了,渐渐地已让我忘了他不是我儿子的时候,他的父亲来学斌——我的堂弟出现了,这让我再一次清醒,来璩终归不是我的亲生儿子。这让我懊恼,我想不明白,那个小时候尾巴一样跟在我后面的小屁孩,长大后怎么变成这样一个不守信用的东西,我恨不能立刻见到他,左右开弓,如同鲁提辖拳打镇关西,在他脸上开个油酱铺,以解心头之恨。这么说你肯定一头雾水,可我没法慢条斯理给你娓娓道来。此刻我正在拥堵不堪的硬座车厢,犹如关在笼中的困兽,焦躁不安,心里像有团火烧似的。
  • 御宠狂妃:逆天七小姐

    御宠狂妃:逆天七小姐

    新书已发《邪王躺过来:腹黑小毒妃》她是狂妄噬血的特工,异世重生到苏家无能的七小姐身上。再睁眼,她已不是她,亲手手刃仇人,搅得国公府一乱糟。他是人人惧怕,尊贵至极的战王,传闻娶过五个王妃,都在新婚之夜莫名曝毙。一场赐婚,她嫁于他为妃,夫妻一拍即合,狼狈为奸。“王爷,王妃废了权相的大公子。”战王漫不经心,“叫他来找本王要药费,本王不会吝啬。”……“王爷,王妃奔去北辰国。”战王抬眸嗯一声,“立马派四大暗卫保护……”她杀人夺财,他替她开路,暴宠无度,夫妻俩纵横天下,四国统一。
  • An Inland Voyage

    An Inland Voyage

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上赤文洞神三箓

    太上赤文洞神三箓

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 一品风华

    一品风华

    孟宁一觉醒来,竟发觉自己变成了个小孩,看着对面一脸怪笑看着自己的奇怪叔叔,孟宁有种很不淡定的冲动;既来之则安之,且看孟宁如何玩转这个奇怪的古代世界,拜师学艺,女扮男装,一连串搞笑事件也接踵而至!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 古墓里的新娘:狂暴二小姐

    古墓里的新娘:狂暴二小姐

    她,21世纪身份极其神秘的顶尖杀手,冷酷腹黑,口蜜腹剑!一朝穿越,却是纳亚家最无用的废物二小姐……天才?废柴?不屑?嘲讽?丫的!不怕死的都放马过来!想杀她?哼!那也要看看地府敢不敢收?呃!神马?魔君看上我了?好吧,长的帅的话倒是可以考虑……!
  • 天价宠婚:冷情总裁俏娇妻

    天价宠婚:冷情总裁俏娇妻

    莫小熙为了奶奶的治疗费将自己卖给一个从来没见过的神秘男人。但是在领结婚证的时候,在民政局门口看到的人却是她的顶头大BOSS!“怎么是你?”莫小熙觉得上天给她开的这个玩笑太大了!欧阳昊辰似笑非笑地看着自己看中的女人,怎么就不是他了,他为了将这个小女人揽入怀里在背后做了多少事……“这是我们的结婚协议,你没有看清对象是谁就签字,那是你的问题,跟我无关。”“……”“请问我可以悔婚吗?”“不可以!”这其实是一个呆萌小白兔不小心遇上了一只腹黑大灰狼,大灰狼对小白兔一见钟情,最后直接把小白兔打包带回家的爱情故事!
  • 带着空间闯古代

    带着空间闯古代

    他只是想安安静静的做几个菜,过几天平常人的生活而已,这招谁惹谁了。可自从救了那个自称是时空管理局的人后,所有一切都变了。从此,带着一空间,一契灵往来于各个时空完成各式各样的任务。
  • 野性的呼唤

    野性的呼唤

    《野性的呼唤》主要讲述一条家狗变成一只野狼的故事。小说的主人公是一条名叫“巴克”的狗,在被拐卖前,它是法官米勒家中一条养尊处优的驯养犬,过着无忧无虑的生活;然而,在被拐卖到严酷的北方之后,它不得不面对一个完全不同的世界。在极其恶劣的现实环境中,它显示出了强烈的生存欲望,并由这种欲望主宰,设法克服一切难以想象的困难,成为一只适应荒野生存规律和竞争规律的雪橇狗,最终还响应荒野的召唤,回归了自然。