第129章

第129章“ican’tofferyoucoffeehere;butwhynotspendfiveminuteswithafriend?”porfirypatteredon,“andyouknowalltheseofficialduties…pleasedon’tmindmyrunningupanddown,excuseit,mydearfellow,iamverymuchafraidofoffendingyou,butexerciseisabsolutelyindispensableforme.i’malwayssittingandsogladtobemovingaboutforfiveminutes…isufferfrommysedentarylife…ialwaysintendtojoinagymnasium;theysaythatofficialsofallranks,evenprivycouncillors,maybeseenskippinggailythere;thereyouhaveit,modernscience…yes,yes.…butasformydutieshere,inquiriesandallsuchformalities…youmentionedinquiriesyourselfjustnow…iassureyoutheseinterrogationsaresometimesmoreembarrassingfortheinterrogatorthanfortheinterrogated.…youmadetheobservationyourselfjustnowveryaptlyandwittily.”(raskolnikovhadmadenoobservationofthekind.)“onegetsintoamuddle!aregularmuddle!onekeepsharpingonthesamenote,likeadrum!thereistobeareformandweshallbecalledbyadifferentname,atleast,he-he-he!andasforourlegaltradition,asyousowittilycalledit,ithoroughlyagreewithyou.everyprisonerontrial,eventherudestpeasant,knowsthattheybeginbydisarminghimwithirrelevantquestions(asyousohappilyputit)andthendealhimaknock-downblow,he-he-he!—yourfelicitouscomparison,he-he!soyoureallyimaginedthatimeantby‘governmentquarters’…he-he!youareanironicalperson.come.iwon’tgoon!ah,bytheway,yes!onewordleadstoanother.youspokeofformalityjustnow,aproposoftheinquiry,youknow.butwhat’stheuseofformality?inmanycasesit’snonsense.sometimesonehasafriendlychatandgetsagooddealmoreoutofit.onecanalwaysfallbackonformality,allowmetoassureyou.andafterall,whatdoesitamountto?anexamininglawyercannotbeboundedbyformalityateverystep.theworkofinvestigationis,sotospeak,afreeartinitsownway,he-he-he!”

porfirypetrovitchtookbreathamoment.hehadsimplybabbledonutteringemptyphrases,lettingslipafewenigmaticwordsandagainrevertingtoincoherence.hewasalmostrunningabouttheroom,movinghisfatlittlelegsquickerandquicker,lookingattheground,withhisrighthandbehindhisback,whilewithhisleftmakinggesticulationsthatwereextraordinarilyincongruouswithhiswords.raskolnikovsuddenlynoticedthatasheranabouttheroomheseemedtwicetostopforamomentnearthedoor,asthoughhewerelistening.

“isheexpectinganything?”

“youarecertainlyquiterightaboutit,”porfirybegangaily,lookingwithextraordinarysimplicityatraskolnikov(whichstartledhimandinstantlyputhimonhisguard);“certainlyquiterightinlaughingsowittilyatourlegalforms,he-he!someoftheseelaboratepsychologicalmethodsareexceedinglyridiculousandperhapsuseless,ifoneadherestoocloselytotheforms.yes…iamtalkingofformsagain.well,ifirecognise,ormorestrictlyspeaking,ifisuspectsomeoneorothertobeacriminalinanycaseentrustedtome…you’rereadingforthelaw,ofcourse,rodionromanovitch?”

“yes,iwas…”

“well,thenitisaprecedentforyouforthefuture—thoughdon’tsupposeishouldventuretoinstructyouafterthearticlesyoupublishaboutcrime!no,isimplymakeboldtostateitbywayoffact,ifitookthismanorthatforacriminal,why,iask,shouldiworryhimprematurely,eventhoughihadevidenceagainsthim?inonecaseimaybebound,forinstance,toarrestamanatonce,butanothermaybeinquiteadifferentposition,youknow,sowhyshouldn’tilethimwalkaboutthetownabit?he-he-he!butiseeyoudon’tquiteunderstand,soi’llgiveyouaclearerexample.ifiputhiminprisontoosoon,imayverylikelygivehim,sotospeak,moralsupport,he-he!you’relaughing?”

raskolnikovhadnoideaoflaughing.hewassittingwithcompressedlips,hisfeverisheyesfixedonporfirypetrovitch’s.