He said he would wait for him, and in the meanwhile began talking to the carter’s wife.  But when she moved to the stove, with her back turned to him, the idea entered his mind to kill her.  He marvelled at himself at first, and shook his head; but the next moment he seized the knife he had hidden in his boot, knocked the woman down on the floor, and cut her throat.  When the children began to scream, he killed them also and went away.  He did not look out for another place to spend the night, but at once left the town.  In a village some distance away he went to the inn and slept there.  The next day he returned to the district town, and there he overheard in the street Maria Semenovna’s talk with the schoolmaster.  Her look frightened him, but yet he made up his mind to creep into her house, and rob her of the money she had received.  When the night came he broke the lock and entered the house.  The first person who heard his steps was the younger daughter, the married one.  She screamed.  Stepan stabbed her immediately with his knife.  Her husband woke up and fell upon Stepan, seized him by his throat, and struggled with him desperately.  But Stepan was the stronger man and overpowered him.  After murdering him, Stepan, excited by the long fight, stepped into the next room behind a partition.  That was Maria Semenovna’s bedroom.  She rose in her bed, looked at Stepan with her mild frightened eyes, and crossed herself.

Once more her look scared Stepan.  He dropped his eyes.

“Where is your money?” he asked, without raising his face.

She did not answer.

“Where is the money?” asked Stepan again, showing her his knife.

“How can you . . .” she said.

“You will see how.”

Stepan came close to her, in order to seize her hands and prevent her struggling with him, but she did not even try to lift her arms or offer any resistance; she pressed her hands to her chest, and sighed heavily.

“Oh, what a great sin!” she cried.  “How can you!  Have mercy on yourself.  To destroy somebody’s soul . . . and worse, your own! . . .”

Stepan could not stand her voice any longer, and drew his knife sharply across her throat.  “Stop that talk!” he said.  She fell back with a hoarse cry, and the pillow was stained with blood.  He turned away, and went round the rooms in order to collect all he thought worth taking.  Having made a bundle of the most valuable things, he lighted a cigarette, sat down for a while, brushed his clothes, and left the house.  He thought this murder would not matter to him more than those he had committed before; but before he got a night’s lodging, he felt suddenly so exhausted that he could not walk any farther.  He stepped down into the gutter and remained lying there the rest of the night, and the next day and the next night.

PART SECOND

I