It would be difficult to explain exactly what could have originated the idea of that senseless dinner in Katerina Ivanovna's disordered brain. Nearly ten of the twenty roubles, given by Raskolnikov for Marmeladov's funeral, were wasted upon it. Possibly Katerina Ivanovna felt obliged to honour the memory of the deceased "suitably," that all the lodgers, and still more Amalia Ivanovna, might know "that he was in no way their inferior, and perhaps very much their superior," and that no one had the right "to turn up his nose at him." Perhaps the chief element was that peculiar "poor man's pride," which compels many poor people to spend their last savings on some traditional social ceremony, simply in order to do "like other people," and not to "be looked down upon." It is very probable, too, that Katerina Ivanovna longed on this occasion, at the moment when she seemed to be abandoned by everyone, to show those "wretched contemptible lodgers" that she knew "how to do things, how to entertain" and that she had been brought up "in a genteel, she might almost say aristocratic colonel's family" and had not been meant for sweeping floors and washing the children's rags at night. Even the poorest and most broken-spirited people are sometimes liable to these paroxysms of pride and vanity which take the form of an irresistible nervous craving. And Katerina Ivanovna was not broken-spirited; she might have been killed by circumstance, but her spirit could not have been broken, that is, she could not have been intimidated, her will could not be crushed. Moreover Sonia had said with good reason that her mind was unhinged. She could not be said to be insane, but for a year past she had been so harassed that her mind might well be overstrained. The later stages of consumption are apt, doctors tell us, to affect the intellect.
There was no great variety of wines, nor was there Madeira; but wine there was. There was vodka, rum and Lisbon wine, all of the poorest quality but in sufficient quantity. Besides the traditional rice and honey, there were three or four dishes, one of which consisted of pancakes, all prepared in Amalia Ivanovna's kitchen. Two samovars were boiling, that tea and punch might be offered after dinner. Katerina Ivanovna had herself seen to purchasing the provisions, with the help of one of the lodgers, an unfortunate little Pole who had somehow been stranded at Madame Lippevechsel's. He promptly put himself at Katerina Ivanovna's disposal and had been all that morning and all the day before running about as fast as his legs could carry him, and very anxious that everyone should be aware of it. For every trifle he ran to Katerina Ivanovna, even hunting her out at the bazaar, at every instant called her "/Pani/." She was heartily sick of him before the end, though she had declared at first that she could not have got on without this "serviceable and magnanimous man." It was one of Katerina Ivanovna's characteristics to paint everyone she met in the most glowing colours. Her praises were so exaggerated as sometimes to be embarrassing; she would invent various circumstances to the credit of her new acquaintance and quite genuinely believe in their reality. Then all of a sudden she would be disillusioned and would rudely and contemptuously repulse the person she had only a few hours before been literally adoring. She was naturally of a gay, lively and peace-loving disposition, but from continual failures and misfortunes she had come to desire so /keenly/ that all should live in peace and joy and should not /dare/ to break the peace, that the slightest jar, the smallest disaster reduced her almost to frenzy, and she would pass in an instant from the brightest hopes and fancies to cursing her fate and raving, and knocking her head against the wall.
Amalia Ivanovna, too, suddenly acquired extraordinary importance in Katerina Ivanovna's eyes and was treated by her with extraordinary respect, probably only because Amalia Ivanovna had thrown herself heart and soul into the preparations. She had undertaken to lay the table, to provide the linen, crockery, etc., and to cook the dishes in her kitchen, and Katerina Ivanovna had left it all in her hands and gone herself to the cemetery. Everything had been well done. Even the table-cloth was nearly clean; the crockery, knives, forks and glasses were, of course, of all shapes and patterns, lent by different lodgers, but the table was properly laid at the time fixed, and Amalia Ivanovna, feeling she had done her work well, had put on a black silk dress and a cap with new mourning ribbons and met the returning party with some pride. This pride, though justifiable, displeased Katerina Ivanovna for some reason: "as though the table could not have been laid except by Amalia Ivanovna!" She disliked the cap with new ribbons, too. "Could she be stuck up, the stupid German, because she was mistress of the house, and had consented as a favour to help her poor lodgers! As a favour! Fancy that! Katerina Ivanovna's father who had been a colonel and almost a governor had sometimes had the table set for forty persons, and then anyone like Amalia Ivanovna, or rather Ludwigovna, would not have been allowed into the kitchen."
Katerina Ivanovna, however, put off expressing her feelings for the time and contented herself with treating her coldly, though she decided inwardly that she would certainly have to put Amalia Ivanovna down and set her in her proper place, for goodness only knew what she was fancying herself. Katerina Ivanovna was irritated too by the fact that hardly any of the lodgers invited had come to the funeral, except the Pole who had just managed to run into the cemetery, while to the memorial dinner the poorest and most insignificant of them had turned up, the wretched creatures, many of them not quite sober. The older and more respectable of them all, as if by common consent, stayed away. Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin, for instance, who might be said to be the most respectable of all the lodgers, did not appear, though Katerina Ivanovna had the evening before told all the world, that is Amalia Ivanovna, Polenka, Sonia and the Pole, that he was the most generous, noble-hearted man with a large property and vast connections, who had been a friend of her first husband's, and a guest in her father's house, and that he had promised to use all his influence to secure her a considerable pension. It must be noted that when Katerina Ivanovna exalted anyone's connections and fortune, it was without any ulterior motive, quite disinterestedly, for the mere pleasure of adding to the consequence of the person praised. Probably "taking his cue" from Luzhin, "that contemptible wretch Lebeziatnikov had not turned up either. What did he fancy himself? He was only asked out of kindness and because he was sharing the same room with Pyotr Petrovitch and was a friend of his, so that it would have been awkward not to invite him."
Among those who failed to appear were "the genteel lady and her old- maidish daughter," who had only been lodgers in the house for the last fortnight, but had several times complained of the noise and uproar in Katerina Ivanovna's room, especially when Marmeladov had come back drunk. Katerina Ivanovna heard this from Amalia Ivanovna who, quarrelling with Katerina Ivanovna, and threatening to turn the whole family out of doors, had shouted at her that they "were not worth the foot" of the honourable lodgers whom they were disturbing. Katerina Ivanovna determined now to invite this lady and her daughter, "whose foot she was not worth," and who had turned away haughtily when she casually met them, so that they might know that "she was more noble in her thoughts and feelings and did not harbour malice," and might see that she was not accustomed to her way of living. She had proposed to make this clear to them at dinner with allusions to her late father's governorship, and also at the same time to hint that it was exceedingly stupid of them to turn away on meeting her. The fat colonel-major (he was really a discharged officer of low rank) was also absent, but it appeared that he had been "not himself" for the last two days. The party consisted of the Pole, a wretched looking clerk with a spotty face and a greasy coat, who had not a word to say for himself, and smelt abominably, a deaf and almost blind old man who had once been in the post office and who had been from immemorial ages maintained by someone at Amalia Ivanovna's.
A retired clerk of the commissariat department came, too; he was drunk, had a loud and most unseemly laugh and only fancy--was without a waistcoat! One of the visitors sat straight down to the table without even greeting Katerina Ivanovna. Finally one person having no suit appeared in his dressing-gown, but this was too much, and the efforts of Amalia Ivanovna and the Pole succeeded in removing him. The Pole brought with him, however, two other Poles who did not live at Amalia Ivanovna's and whom no one had seen here before. All this irritated Katerina Ivanovna intensely. "For whom had they made all these preparations then?" To make room for the visitors the children had not even been laid for at the table; but the two little ones were sitting on a bench in the furthest corner with their dinner laid on a box, while Polenka as a big girl had to look after them, feed them, and keep their noses wiped like well-bred children's.
Katerina Ivanovna, in fact, could hardly help meeting her guests with increased dignity, and even haughtiness. She stared at some of them with special severity, and loftily invited them to take their seats. Rushing to the conclusion that Amalia Ivanovna must be responsible for those who were absent, she began treating her with extreme nonchalance, which the latter promptly observed and resented. Such a beginning was no good omen for the end. All were seated at last.
Raskolnikov came in almost at the moment of their return from the cemetery. Katerina Ivanovna was greatly delighted to see him, in the first place, because he was the one "educated visitor, and, as everyone knew, was in two years to take a professorship in the university," and secondly because he immediately and respectfully apologised for having been unable to be at the funeral. She positively pounced upon him, and made him sit on her left hand (Amalia Ivanovna was on her right). In spite of her continual anxiety that the dishes should be passed round correctly and that everyone should taste them, in spite of the agonising cough which interrupted her every minute and seemed to have grown worse during the last few days, she hastened to pour out in a half whisper to Raskolnikov all her suppressed feelings and her just indignation at the failure of the dinner, interspersing her remarks with lively and uncontrollable laughter at the expense of her visitors and especially of her landlady.
"It's all that cuckoo's fault! You know whom I mean? Her, her!" Katerina Ivanovna nodded towards the landlady. "Look at her, she's making round eyes, she feels that we are talking about her and can't understand. Pfoo, the owl! Ha-ha! (Cough-cough-cough.) And what does she put on that cap for? (Cough-cough-cough.) Have you noticed that she wants everyone to consider that she is patronising me and doing me an honour by being here? I asked her like a sensible woman to invite people, especially those who knew my late husband, and look at the set of fools she has brought! The sweeps! Look at that one with the spotty face. And those wretched Poles, ha-ha-ha! (Cough-cough-cough.) Not one of them has ever poked his nose in here, I've never set eyes on them. What have they come here for, I ask you? There they sit in a row. Hey, /pan/!" she cried suddenly to one of them, "have you tasted the pancakes? Take some more! Have some beer! Won't you have some vodka? Look, he's jumped up and is making his bows, they must be quite starved, poor things. Never mind, let them eat! They don't make a noise, anyway, though I'm really afraid for our landlady's silver spoons . . . Amalia Ivanovna!" she addressed her suddenly, almost aloud, "if your spoons should happen to be stolen, I won't be responsible, I warn you! Ha-ha-ha!" She laughed turning to Raskolnikov, and again nodding towards the landlady, in high glee at her sally. "She didn't understand, she didn't understand again! Look how she sits with her mouth open! An owl, a real owl! An owl in new ribbons, ha-ha-ha!"
Here her laugh turned again to an insufferable fit of coughing that lasted five minutes. Drops of perspiration stood out on her forehead and her handkerchief was stained with blood. She showed Raskolnikov the blood in silence, and as soon as she could get her breath began whispering to him again with extreme animation and a hectic flush on her cheeks.
"Do you know, I gave her the most delicate instructions, so to speak, for inviting that lady and her daughter, you understand of whom I am speaking? It needed the utmost delicacy, the greatest nicety, but she has managed things so that that fool, that conceited baggage, that provincial nonentity, simply because she is the widow of a major, and has come to try and get a pension and to fray out her skirts in the government offices, because at fifty she paints her face (everybody knows it) . . . a creature like that did not think fit to come, and has not even answered the invitation, which the most ordinary good manners required! I can't understand why Pyotr Petrovitch has not come? But where's Sonia? Where has she gone? Ah, there she is at last! what is it, Sonia, where have you been? It's odd that even at your father's funeral you should be so unpunctual. Rodion Romanovitch, make room for her beside you. That's your place, Sonia . . . take what you like. Have some of the cold entree with jelly, that's the best. They'll bring the pancakes directly. Have they given the children some? Polenka, have you got everything? (Cough-cough-cough.) That's all right. Be a good girl, Lida, and, Kolya, don't fidget with your feet; sit like a little gentleman. What are you saying, Sonia?"
Sonia hastened to give her Pyotr Petrovitch's apologies, trying to speak loud enough for everyone to hear and carefully choosing the most respectful phrases which she attributed to Pyotr Petrovitch. She added that Pyotr Petrovitch had particularly told her to say that, as soon as he possibly could, he would come immediately to discuss /business/ alone with her and to consider what could be done for her, etc., etc.
Sonia knew that this would comfort Katerina Ivanovna, would flatter her and gratify her pride. She sat down beside Raskolnikov; she made him a hurried bow, glancing curiously at him. But for the rest of the time she seemed to avoid looking at him or speaking to him. She seemed absent-minded, though she kept looking at Katerina Ivanovna, trying to please her. Neither she nor Katerina Ivanovna had been able to get mourning; Sonia was wearing dark brown, and Katerina Ivanovna had on her only dress, a dark striped cotton one.
The message from Pyotr Petrovitch was very successful. Listening to Sonia with dignity, Katerina Ivanovna inquired with equal dignity how Pyotr Petrovitch was, then at once whispered almost aloud to Raskolnikov that it certainly would have been strange for a man of Pyotr Petrovitch's position and standing to find himself in such "extraordinary company," in spite of his devotion to her family and his old friendship with her father.
"That's why I am so grateful to you, Rodion Romanovitch, that you have not disdained my hospitality, even in such surroundings," she added almost aloud. "But I am sure that it was only your special affection for my poor husband that has made you keep your promise."
Then once more with pride and dignity she scanned her visitors, and suddenly inquired aloud across the table of the deaf man: "Wouldn't he have some more meat, and had he been given some wine?" The old man made no answer and for a long while could not understand what he was asked, though his neighbours amused themselves by poking and shaking him. He simply gazed about him with his mouth open, which only increased the general mirth.
"What an imbecile! Look, look! Why was he brought? But as to Pyotr Petrovitch, I always had confidence in him," Katerina Ivanovna continued, "and, of course, he is not like . . ." with an extremely stern face she addressed Amalia Ivanovna so sharply and loudly that the latter was quite disconcerted, "not like your dressed up draggletails whom my father would not have taken as cooks into his kitchen, and my late husband would have done them honour if he had invited them in the goodness of his heart."
"Yes, he was fond of drink, he was fond of it, he did drink!" cried the commissariat clerk, gulping down his twelfth glass of vodka.
"My late husband certainly had that weakness, and everyone knows it," Katerina Ivanovna attacked him at once, "but he was a kind and honourable man, who loved and respected his family. The worst of it was his good nature made him trust all sorts of disreputable people, and he drank with fellows who were not worth the sole of his shoe. Would you believe it, Rodion Romanovitch, they found a gingerbread cock in his pocket; he was dead drunk, but he did not forget the children!"
"A cock? Did you say a cock?" shouted the commissariat clerk.
Katerina Ivanovna did not vouchsafe a reply. She sighed, lost in thought.
"No doubt you think, like everyone, that I was too severe with him," she went on, addressing Raskolnikov. "But that's not so! He respected me, he respected me very much! He was a kind-hearted man! And how sorry I was for him sometimes! He would sit in a corner and look at me, I used to feel so sorry for him, I used to want to be kind to him and then would think to myself: 'Be kind to him and he will drink again,' it was only by severity that you could keep him within bounds."
"Yes, he used to get his hair pulled pretty often," roared the commissariat clerk again, swallowing another glass of vodka.
"Some fools would be the better for a good drubbing, as well as having their hair pulled. I am not talking of my late husband now!" Katerina Ivanovna snapped at him.
The flush on her cheeks grew more and more marked, her chest heaved. In another minute she would have been ready to make a scene. Many of the visitors were sniggering, evidently delighted. They began poking the commissariat clerk and whispering something to him. They were evidently trying to egg him on.
"Allow me to ask what are you alluding to," began the clerk, "that is to say, whose . . . about whom . . . did you say just now . . . But I don't care! That's nonsense! Widow! I forgive you. . . . Pass!"
And he took another drink of vodka.
Raskolnikov sat in silence, listening with disgust. He only ate from politeness, just tasting the food that Katerina Ivanovna was continually putting on his plate, to avoid hurting her feelings. He watched Sonia intently. But Sonia became more and more anxious and distressed; she, too, foresaw that the dinner would not end peaceably, and saw with terror Katerina Ivanovna's growing irritation. She knew that she, Sonia, was the chief reason for the 'genteel' ladies' contemptuous treatment of Katerina Ivanovna's invitation. She had heard from Amalia Ivanovna that the mother was positively offended at the invitation and had asked the question: "How could she let her daughter sit down beside /that young person/?" Sonia had a feeling that Katerina Ivanovna had already heard this and an insult to Sonia meant more to Katerina Ivanovna than an insult to herself, her children, or her father, Sonia knew that Katerina Ivanovna would not be satisfied now, "till she had shown those draggletails that they were both . . ." To make matters worse someone passed Sonia, from the other end of the table, a plate with two hearts pierced with an arrow, cut out of black bread. Katerina Ivanovna flushed crimson and at once said aloud across the table that the man who sent it was "a drunken ass!"
Amalia Ivanovna was foreseeing something amiss, and at the same time deeply wounded by Katerina Ivanovna's haughtiness, and to restore the good-humour of the company and raise herself in their esteem she began, apropos of nothing, telling a story about an acquaintance of hers "Karl from the chemist's," who was driving one night in a cab, and that "the cabman wanted him to kill, and Karl very much begged him not to kill, and wept and clasped hands, and frightened and from fear pierced his heart." Though Katerina Ivanovna smiled, she observed at once that Amalia Ivanovna ought not to tell anecdotes in Russian; the latter was still more offended, and she retorted that her "/Vater aus Berlin/ was a very important man, and always went with his hands in pockets." Katerina Ivanovna could not restrain herself and laughed so much that Amalia Ivanovna lost patience and could scarcely control herself.
"Listen to the owl!" Katerina Ivanovna whispered at once, her good- humour almost restored, "she meant to say he kept his hands in his pockets, but she said he put his hands in people's pockets. (Cough- cough.) And have you noticed, Rodion Romanovitch, that all these Petersburg foreigners, the Germans especially, are all stupider than we! Can you fancy anyone of us telling how 'Karl from the chemist's' 'pierced his heart from fear' and that the idiot, instead of punishing the cabman, 'clasped his hands and wept, and much begged.' Ah, the fool! And you know she fancies it's very touching and does not suspect how stupid she is! To my thinking that drunken commissariat clerk is a great deal cleverer, anyway one can see that he has addled his brains with drink, but you know, these foreigners are always so well behaved and serious. . . . Look how she sits glaring! She is angry, ha-ha! (Cough-cough-cough.)"
Regaining her good-humour, Katerina Ivanovna began at once telling Raskolnikov that when she had obtained her pension, she intended to open a school for the daughters of gentlemen in her native town T----. This was the first time she had spoken to him of the project, and she launched out into the most alluring details. It suddenly appeared that Katerina Ivanovna had in her hands the very certificate of honour of which Marmeladov had spoken to Raskolnikov in the tavern, when he told him that Katerina Ivanovna, his wife, had danced the shawl dance before the governor and other great personages on leaving school. This certificate of honour was obviously intended now to prove Katerina Ivanovna's right to open a boarding-school; but she had armed herself with it chiefly with the object of overwhelming "those two stuck-up draggletails" if they came to the dinner, and proving incontestably that Katerina Ivanovna was of the most noble, "she might even say aristocratic family, a colonel's daughter and was far superior to certain adventuresses who have been so much to the fore of late." The certificate of honour immediately passed into the hands of the drunken guests, and Katerina Ivanovna did not try to retain it, for it actually contained the statement /en toutes lettres/, that her father was of the rank of a major, and also a companion of an order, so that she really was almost the daughter of a colonel.
Warming up, Katerina Ivanovna proceeded to enlarge on the peaceful and happy life they would lead in T----, on the gymnasium teachers whom she would engage to give lessons in her boarding-school, one a most respectable old Frenchman, one Mangot, who had taught Katerina Ivanovna herself in old days and was still living in T----, and would no doubt teach in her school on moderate terms. Next she spoke of Sonia who would go with her to T---- and help her in all her plans. At this someone at the further end of the table gave a sudden guffaw.
Though Katerina Ivanovna tried to appear to be disdainfully unaware of it, she raised her voice and began at once speaking with conviction of Sonia's undoubted ability to assist her, of "her gentleness, patience, devotion, generosity and good education," tapping Sonia on the cheek and kissing her warmly twice. Sonia flushed crimson, and Katerina Ivanovna suddenly burst into tears, immediately observing that she was "nervous and silly, that she was too much upset, that it was time to finish, and as the dinner was over, it was time to hand round the tea."
At that moment, Amalia Ivanovna, deeply aggrieved at taking no part in the conversation, and not being listened to, made one last effort, and with secret misgivings ventured on an exceedingly deep and weighty observation, that "in the future boarding-school she would have to pay particular attention to /die Wasche/, and that there certainly must be a good /dame/ to look after the linen, and secondly that the young ladies must not novels at night read."
Katerina Ivanovna, who certainly was upset and very tired, as well as heartily sick of the dinner, at once cut short Amalia Ivanovna, saying "she knew nothing about it and was talking nonsense, that it was the business of the laundry maid, and not of the directress of a high- class boarding-school to look after /die Wasche/, and as for novel- reading, that was simply rudeness, and she begged her to be silent." Amalia Ivanovna fired up and getting angry observed that she only "meant her good," and that "she had meant her very good," and that "it was long since she had paid her /gold/ for the lodgings."
Katerina Ivanovna at once "set her down," saying that it was a lie to say she wished her good, because only yesterday when her dead husband was lying on the table, she had worried her about the lodgings. To this Amalia Ivanovna very appropriately observed that she had invited those ladies, but "those ladies had not come, because those ladies /are/ ladies and cannot come to a lady who is not a lady." Katerina Ivanovna at once pointed out to her, that as she was a slut she could not judge what made one really a lady. Amalia Ivanovna at once declared that her "/Vater aus Berlin/ was a very, very important man, and both hands in pockets went, and always used to say: 'Poof! poof!'" and she leapt up from the table to represent her father, sticking her hands in her pockets, puffing her cheeks, and uttering vague sounds resembling "poof! poof!" amid loud laughter from all the lodgers, who purposely encouraged Amalia Ivanovna, hoping for a fight.
But this was too much for Katerina Ivanovna, and she at once declared, so that all could hear, that Amalia Ivanovna probably never had a father, but was simply a drunken Petersburg Finn, and had certainly once been a cook and probably something worse. Amalia Ivanovna turned as red as a lobster and squealed that perhaps Katerina Ivanovna never had a father, "but she had a /Vater aus Berlin/ and that he wore a long coat and always said poof-poof-poof!"
Katerina Ivanovna observed contemptuously that all knew what her family was and that on that very certificate of honour it was stated in print that her father was a colonel, while Amalia Ivanovna's father--if she really had one--was probably some Finnish milkman, but that probably she never had a father at all, since it was still uncertain whether her name was Amalia Ivanovna or Amalia Ludwigovna.
At this Amalia Ivanovna, lashed to fury, struck the table with her fist, and shrieked that she was Amalia Ivanovna, and not Ludwigovna, "that her /Vater/ was named Johann and that he was a burgomeister, and that Katerina Ivanovna's /Vater/ was quite never a burgomeister." Katerina Ivanovna rose from her chair, and with a stern and apparently calm voice (though she was pale and her chest was heaving) observed that "if she dared for one moment to set her contemptible wretch of a father on a level with her papa, she, Katerina Ivanovna, would tear her cap off her head and trample it under foot." Amalia Ivanovna ran about the room, shouting at the top of her voice, that she was mistress of the house and that Katerina Ivanovna should leave the lodgings that minute; then she rushed for some reason to collect the silver spoons from the table. There was a great outcry and uproar, the children began crying. Sonia ran to restrain Katerina Ivanovna, but when Amalia Ivanovna shouted something about "the yellow ticket," Katerina Ivanovna pushed Sonia away, and rushed at the landlady to carry out her threat.
At that minute the door opened, and Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin appeared on the threshold. He stood scanning the party with severe and vigilant eyes. Katerina Ivanovna rushed to him.
很难确切说明，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜已经不大正常的头脑里为什么会产生这样的想法：要办一次毫无意义的酬客宴。真的，为办酬客宴，差不多花掉了从拉斯科利尼科夫那儿得到的二十多卢布中的十个卢布，而这笔钱其实是为了安葬马尔梅拉多夫才送给她的。也许，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜认为自己有责任“好好地”追悼亡夫，让所有房客，特别是阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜知道，他“不仅完全不比他们差，而且，也许要比他们强得多”，让他们知道，他们谁也没有权利在他面前“妄自尊大”。也许，这儿起了最大作用的，是穷人们那种特殊的自尊心，由于这种自尊心作祟，许多穷人都是尽最后努力，把积攒下来的最后几个戈比都花在我们日常生活中人人必须遵守的某些社会礼仪上了，他们这样做，只不过是为了“不比别人差”，也为了不让那些别人“指责”他们。很有可能，正是在这种情况下，正是在她似乎已被世界上所有人抛弃了的时候，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜想要让所有这些“卑微和可恶的住户们”看看，她不但“会生活，善于接待客人”，而且她所受的教育根本就不是为了来过这种穷日子的，她是在“一个高贵的、甚至可以说是在一个有贵族身份的上校家庭里”给教养成一人的，她所受的教育完全不是为了自己擦地板，每天夜里洗孩子们的破旧衣服。这种自尊和虚荣有时也会在最为贫困、完全给压垮了的人们心中突然爆发出来，有时甚至会变成一种愤懑的、无法抑制的需求。何况卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜还不是一个给压垮了的人：她本来是会让环境给完全压垮的，但是要在一精一神上压垮她，也就是使她畏惧，征服她的意志，却决不可能。此外，索涅奇卡说她的一精一神不正常也是有充分根据的。不错，还不能完全肯定地这么说，不过，最近一个时期，最近这一年来，她那可怜的头脑的确受了太多的折磨，不会不在某种程度上受到一定的损害。据医生说，肺病急剧恶化也会使神经功能发生紊乱。
酒的数量和品种都不多，也没有马德拉酒：这是夸大其词，不过酒是有的。有伏特加、糖酒，里斯本葡萄酒，质量都十分低劣，数量却相当充足。吃的东西，除了蜜粥，还有三、四道菜（顺带说一声，还有煎饼），所有东西都是从阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜的厨房里送来的，此外，还一下子生了两个茶炊，那是准备饭后喝茶和兑五味酒用的。所有东西都是卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜亲自采购的，有一个不知为什么住在利佩韦赫泽尔太太这里的、可怜的波兰人帮着她，他立刻同意供卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜差遣，昨天一整天和今天一个早上，他一直拼命东奔西跑，累得气喘吁吁，好像竭力想让人注意到他特别卖力。为了每件小事，他时刻不停地跑去找卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜，甚至跑到商场去找她，不停地管她叫“少尉太太”，最后他简直让她觉得烦死了，尽管起初她曾说过，要不是有这个“自愿帮忙的好心人”，她可要完全累垮了。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜的一性一格特点就是如此：对任何一个初次见面的人，她总是赶紧用最美的语言大加称赞，有人甚至会被她吹捧得怪难为情，她会无中生有，用种种虚构的事实往人脸上贴金，而且自己对这一切都完全真诚地深信不疑，后来却突然一下子失望了，跟人家决裂了，对人家横加侮辱，把那个仅仅几小时前还简直崇拜得五体投地的人粗一暴地赶出去。她天生是一个一爱一笑、乐观、对人友好的人，但是由于接连不断的不幸和挫折，她变得那样狂一热地希望和要求世界上所有人都过得很愉快，而且不许他们过另一种生活，以致生活中稍有一点儿不和谐，遭受到什么最微不足道的挫折，都几乎会使她立刻发疯，刚刚还存有最光明的希望，浸沉在最美的幻想之中，转瞬间就会诅咒命运，不管抓到什么，都会把它撕碎，随手乱扔出去，还用头往墙上撞。不知为什么，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜也突然受到卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜异乎寻常的重视和异乎寻常的尊敬，唯一的原因也许是，着手办酬客宴的时候，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜全心全意地决定帮着她张罗一切：她给摆好桌子，拿来桌布、碗、碟以及其他东西，还在自己的厨房里准备饭菜。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜要去墓地，于是把一切都托付给她，让她全权处理。真的，一切都安排得好极了：桌上铺了桌布，甚至相当整洁，碗碟、刀叉、酒杯、玻璃杯、茶杯，一应俱全，当然啦，所有这一切都是从各个住户那里借来，东拼西凑的，大小不同，形状各异，然而一切都按时摆妥了。阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜觉得，事情做得很出色，迎接从墓地回来的人们时，甚至有点儿自豪，她穿得十分漂亮，戴一顶系着黑色新纱带的包发帽，穿一件黑色的连衫裙。这种自豪感虽然是理所当然的，但不知为什么，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜却很不喜欢，心想：“真的，好像少了您阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜，别人就不会摆桌子开饭似的！”她也不喜欢那顶系上了新纱带的包发帽：“这个愚蠢的德国女人这么神气，说不定是因为，她认为自己是房东，是她大发善心，这才同意帮助穷苦的房客吧？大发善心！这倒要请教了！我卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜的爸爸是位上校，差点儿没当上省长，有时他家里大宴宾客，一请就是四十个人，像您阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜这样的人，或者不如说，像柳德维戈芙娜这样的人，连厨房都不会让您进……”不过她决定暂时不把自己心里的想法说出来，虽说她已暗暗拿定了主意，今天一定得制一服这个阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜，让她记住自己的真正身份，不然的话，天知道她会把自己想象成什么样的人；但暂时只是对她相当冷淡。另一件事也在某种程度上使卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜感到气愤：除了总算按时赶到墓地的那个波兰人，邀请过的其他房客，几乎谁也没去参加葬礼；来赴酬客宴的，也就是说，来吃下酒菜的，都是住户中最无足轻重的穷人，其中不少人甚至已经喝醉了，真的，都是些上不得台面的货色。房客当中几个较为年长和比较庄重的人，好像故意商量好了似的，全都没来。譬如说，像彼得·彼特罗维奇·卢任，可以说是所有房客中最有身份的，他也没有来，可是还在昨天晚上，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜就已经对所有人，也就是对阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜、波列奇卡、索尼娅和那个波兰人说了许多，说这是一个最高尚、最慷慨的人，说他有很多关系，又有资产，是她第一个丈夫的朋友，是她父亲家里的常客，还说，他答应要用一切办法为她弄到一笔数目可观的抚恤金。这里我们要记住，如果卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜吹嘘说，某人在社会上有很多关系，又有资产，这绝不是出于她个人的利益，或者是自己有什么打算，而是完全无私地，也可以说是完全出于一片热情，只不过是因为她高兴称赞那个人，从而更加抬高那个她所称赞的人的身价而已。大概，“这个可恶的坏蛋列别贾特尼科夫”是“学卢任的样”，所以也没来。“这家伙自以为是个什么人呢？只不过是出于善意，这才邀请了他，而且这还是因为他和彼得·彼特罗维奇同住在一间房子里，又是他的熟人，所以不好意思不邀请他。”那个颇有上流社会风度的太太和她那个“青春已逝、尚未出阁”的女儿也没有来，虽然她们在阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜这里总共才不过住了两个星期左右，可是对于从马尔梅拉多夫家里传出的吵闹声和叫喊声，却已经抱怨过好几次了，特别是当死者生前醉醺醺地回家来的时候；她们的抱怨，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜当然已经知道了，因为每当阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜和她对骂，威胁要把他们全家都赶出去的时候，总是扯着嗓子大喊，说他们惊动了“那两位高贵的房客，而他们连给她们提鞋也都不配”。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜现在故意邀请“她似乎连给她们提鞋都不配”的这母女俩，尤其是因为在这以前偶尔遇到她们的时候，那位太太总是高傲地扭过脸去，——那么就让她了解一下吧，这里的人“思想感情都更高尚些，不记仇恨，也邀请了她们”，而且要让她看到，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜可不是过惯了这种生活的人。她打算在酒席宴前一定要把这一点向她们说清楚，而且一定要告诉她们，她过世的父亲几乎当上了省长，同时也间接向她们暗示，以后碰到的时候用不着把脸扭过去，这样做是非常愚蠢的。那个胖中校（其实是个退役的上尉）也没来，不过，原来还从昨天早上，他就已经“烂醉如泥”了。总而言之，应邀前来的只有这么几个人：那个波兰人，接着来的还有一个样子长得十分难看、一言不发的小职员，他穿一件油污的燕尾服，满脸粉刺，身上还有一股难闻的气味；随后又来了一个小老头儿，是个聋子，眼睛也几乎完全瞎了，以前不知在哪儿的邮政总局里做过事，有个人不知为什么从很久以前就在阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜这儿养着他。还来了一个已经喝醉了的退职中尉，其实是个军需官，经常高声大笑，实在不成体统，而且，“你们瞧”，连背心都没穿！还有一个，一进来就在桌边坐下了，甚至没向卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜点头问好。最后又来了一个，因为没有衣服，就穿着睡衣跑来了，这可太不像话了，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜和那个波兰人费了好大劲，总算把他推了出去。不过那个波兰人还带了两个波兰人来，他们从来根本就没在阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜这儿住过，在这以前，这幢房子里的人谁也没看见过他们。这一切都让卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜感到不快，惹她生气。“这一切到底是为谁准备的？”为了腾出座位来招待客人，甚至没让孩子们坐到桌边，而饭桌本来就已经占据了整个房间；把孩子们安顿在后面角落里，用一个箱子当作桌子，而且让两个最小的孩子坐在长凳上，波列奇卡已经是个大姑一娘一了，应该照看着他们，喂他们，就像侍候“贵族子弟”那样，给他们擦鼻涕。总之，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜不得已只好格外傲慢、甚至是高傲地迎接所有这些客人。她特别严峻地打量了一下某几个人，做出一副很瞧不起的样子，请他们入席。不知为什么，她认为阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜要为所有那些没来的人承担一切罪责，突然对她很不客气，后者立刻就发觉了，为此感到十分委屈。
这样的开始不会预示好的结局。终于，大家都坐下来了。
拉斯科利尼科夫几乎是在他们刚从墓地回来的时候就进来了。看到他来了，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜高兴得要命，第一，因为他是所有客人中唯一“有教养的人”，而且“正如大家都知道的，两年以后他就要在这儿一所大学里当教授了”，第二，因为他很恭敬地请她原谅，说，尽管他很想去参加葬礼，可还是没能前去。她急忙跑过去招呼他，请他坐在自己左边的座位上（坐在右边的是阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜），尽管她忙个不停，不断地张罗着有条不紊地上菜，把每道菜都送到每位客人面前，尽管一刻也不停的咳嗽使她感到十分痛苦，呼吸困难，不时把她的话打断，而且，最近这两天这咳嗽似乎已经变成了痼疾，她却对拉斯科利尼科夫说个不停，急于低声向他倾诉心中郁积的感情，述说因为酬客宴办得很不称心而感到的理所当然的愤慨；而且这愤慨时常转变为最快乐和抑制不住的嘲笑，嘲笑在座的客人们，但主要是嘲笑女房东。
“一切都怪这只布谷鸟。您要明白我说的是谁：我说的是她，是她！”说着，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜朝女房东那边点点头，向他示意。“您看她：瞪圆了眼睛，感觉出我们是在谈论她了，可是她听不懂，所以瞪大了眼睛。呸，猫头鹰！哈——哈——哈！……咳——咳——咳！她戴着这顶包发帽是想表示什么呢！咳——咳—— 咳！您注意到了吗，她一直想让大家认为，她是在保护我，她的大驾光临，是她瞧得起我。我把她当作正派人，请她去邀请几位体面些的客人，也就是亡夫的熟人，可是您瞧，她请来了些什么人啊：一些小丑！几个邋遢鬼！您瞧瞧这个脸那么脏的家伙：真是个长着两条腿的饭桶！还有这两个波兰人……哈——哈——哈！咳—— 咳——咳！无论谁，无论谁，从来也没在这儿看见过他们，我也从来没见过他们；嗯，我请问您，他们是来干什么的？规规矩矩地坐成一排。潘涅，盖伊①！”她突然对他们当中的一个喊了一声，“您尝过煎饼了吗？再来点儿嘛！请喝点儿啤酒啊，啤酒！不想喝伏特加吗？您瞧：他霍地站起来，点头哈腰，您瞧，您瞧：准是饿坏了，这些穷鬼！没关系，让他们吃吧。他们至少不大吵大闹，不过……不过，真的，我为房东的那些银调羹感到担心！……阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜！”她突然对她几乎是大声说，“我把话说在前头，万一您的调羹给偷走了，我可不能负责！哈——哈——哈！”她哈哈大笑起来，又转过脸来对着拉斯科利尼科夫，又朝女房东那边向他点头示意，为自己这一狂妄的举动感到十分高兴。“她没听懂，又没听懂！她张大了嘴坐在那儿，您瞧：猫头鹰，真是只夜猫子，系着新纱带的猫头鹰，哈——哈——哈！”
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①波兰文，意为“喂，先生们！”
这时笑声又变成了难以忍受的咳嗽，接连不断地足足咳了五分钟。手绢儿上留下了好几点血迹，额上渗出了豆大的汗珠。她默默地让拉斯科利尼科夫看看手绢儿上的血，刚刚喘过一口气来，立刻又异常兴奋地对他低声说了起来，而且双颊上泛起了红晕：
“您瞧，我把一件最微妙的事托付给她，请她去邀请这位太太和她的女儿，您明白我说的是谁吗？这需要以最委婉的方式，用最巧妙的手法，可是她把事情给办砸了，这个外来的傻一娘一儿们，这个高傲自大的贱货，这个微不足道的外省女人，只不过因为她是个什么少校的遗孀，来京城是为了设法请求发给她抚恤金，天天往政一府机关里跑，把下摆都磨破了，她都五十五岁了，还要染头发，搽胭脂抹粉（这大家都知道）……就是这样一个贱货，不但不认为她应该来，甚至都没让人来道声歉，既然她不能来，在这种情况下也该懂得最普通的礼貌，叫人来说一声啊！我真不懂，彼得·彼特罗维奇为什么也没来？不过索尼娅在哪儿呢？她上哪儿去了？啊，她终于来了！索尼娅，你在哪儿？奇怪，就连参加父亲的葬礼，你也没能准时赶到。罗季昂·罗曼内奇，请让她坐在您旁边。喏，索涅奇卡，你坐这儿…… 你想吃什么，自己拿吧。来点儿肉冻吧，这道菜最好。这就要端煎饼来了。给孩子们拿去了吗？波列奇卡，你们那儿什么都有了吗？咳——咳——咳！嗯，好的。要做个乖孩子，廖尼娅，还有你，科利亚，两只脚别晃来晃去；要像贵族家的孩子那样坐着。你说什么，索涅奇卡？”
索尼娅立刻向她转达了彼得·彼特罗维奇的歉意，竭力说得大声些，想让大家都能听到，而且用的是最客气、最尊敬的词句，甚至故意用彼得·彼特罗维奇的口气，不过这些话都是她自己编出来、而且经过润色的。她还补充说，彼得·彼特罗维奇特别让她转告，只要一有可能，他立刻就会前来，当面谈谈几个问题，商量一下，今后可以做些什么，可以采取些什么措施，等等。
索尼娅知道，这样说会让卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜宽心，使她得到安慰，使她感到满意，而主要的，是能满足她的自尊心。她坐到拉斯科利尼科夫身旁，急忙向他行了个礼，并且好奇地匆匆向他看了一眼。不过在其余时间里，不知为什么，她却一直避免看他，避免和他说话。她甚至好像心不在焉，虽然眼睛一直看着卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜的脸，讨她喜欢。无论是她，还是卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜，都没穿孝服，因为她们都没有孝服可穿；索尼娅穿一件颜色较深的褐色衣服，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜穿的是她那件唯一的、有条纹的深色印花布连衫裙。关于彼得·彼特罗维奇的情况，很顺利地讲完了。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜骄傲地听完了索尼娅的话，又带着同样骄傲的神情问：彼得·彼特罗维奇身一体怎样？然后立刻，几乎是大声对拉斯科利尼科夫窃窃私语说，如果像彼得·彼特罗维奇这么一位可尊敬的、有身份的人会到这样“稀奇古怪的一伙人”中间来，那才当真是件怪事，尽管他真心诚意地关心她的家庭，也忘不了跟她父亲的老一交一情。
“所以我才特别感谢您，罗季昂·罗曼内奇，因为在这样的情况下，承蒙不弃，屈尊前来参加我的酬客宴，”她几乎是大声说，“不过，我深信，只是因为您与我可怜的亡夫友情非同一般，才促使您履行了自己的诺言。”
之后，她又一次骄傲而尊严地扫视了一下自己的客人们，突然特别关切地隔着桌子高声问那个耳聋的小老头儿：“要不要再来点儿烤肉？请他喝过里斯本葡萄酒没有？”小老头儿没有回答，好久也不明白，人家在问他什么，尽管他的邻座为了取笑，甚至推了推他。他只是张着嘴朝四下里看了看，这就更让大家感到好笑了。
“瞧，多傻的一个傻瓜！您瞧，您瞧！请他来作什么？至于彼得·彼特罗维奇，我对他是永远相信的，”卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜继续对拉斯科利尼科夫说，“他当然不像……”她神情特别严峻、毫不客气地对阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜说，甚至使她感到有些害怕了，“不像您那些穿得特别惹人注目、裙子拖在地上的女人，我爸爸家里都不会让这样的女人去作厨一娘一，我的亡夫当然会赏她们个脸，接待她们，可那也只不过是因为他心肠太好，他的好心是无限的。”
“不错，他一爱一喝酒；喜欢这玩意儿，经常喝！”那个退役的军需官突然高声叫喊，说着喝干了第十二杯伏特加。
“亡夫确实有这个嗜好，这大家都知道，”卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜突然一下子盯住了他，“可他是一个心地善良，而且高尚的人，一爱一自己的家，也尊敬自己的家；只有一样不好，由于心肠好，他太相信形形色一色腐化堕一落的人了，天知道他跟谁没在一道喝过酒啊，就连那些还抵不上他一个鞋掌的家伙，也和他在一道灌过黄汤！您信不信，罗季昂·罗曼诺维奇，在他口袋里找到过公鸡形状的蜜糖饼干，醉得像个死人，可是还惦记着孩子们。”
“公—鸡？您说：公—鸡？”那个军需官先生大声喊。
卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜根本没答理他。她不知想起了什么，叹了口气。
“您大概和大家一样，认为我对他太严厉了，”她转过脸来对着拉斯科利尼科夫，接着说下去。“其实不是这样！他尊敬我，他非常，非常尊敬我！是个好心肠的人！有时觉得那么可怜他！他常常坐在角落里望着我，我觉得他那么可怜，真想跟他亲一热一下，可是后来又暗自想：‘对他亲一热了，他就又要去喝酒了’，只有对他严厉些，才能多少管得住他。”
“是啊，常常揪他的头发，揪过不止一次了，”又是那个军需官打断了她，又灌下了一杯伏特加。
“不仅揪头发，就是用笤帚来对付某些傻瓜，也挺有好处。现在我说的不是我的亡夫！”卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜很不客气地对那个军需官说。
她脸上的红晕越来越红了，胸部也一起一伏。再过一会儿，她就要跟人吵架了。许多人在嘿嘿地笑，看得出来，许多人觉得这很有意思。有人开始怂恿军需官，不知在悄悄地跟他说什么。显然是想挑一动他们吵架。
“请——请——问，您说这话是什么意思，”军需官说，“也就是说，您指的……是谁……您刚刚说的话是……不过，用不着说了！一胡一说八道！寡一妇！遗孀！我原谅您……我不计较！”他又干了一杯伏特加。
拉斯科利尼科夫坐在那儿，带着厌恶的心情默默地听着。只是出于礼貌，他才多少吃一点儿卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜不断放到他盘子里的菜肴，这也只不过是为了她不致见怪。他凝神注视着索尼娅。但索尼娅越来越忧虑，越来越担心了；她也预感到酬客宴不会平安无事地结束，惊恐地观察着卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜越来越恼怒的神情。同时她也知道，那母女两个所以那样蔑视卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜的邀请，主要原因就是她，索尼娅。她曾经听到阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜亲口说，那位母亲甚至认为，邀请她们是对她们的侮辱，还问“她怎么能让自己的女儿和这个女人坐在一起？”索尼娅预感到，对这一点，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜已经多多少少听说了，而侮辱她，侮辱索尼娅，对于卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜来说，这比侮辱她本人，侮辱她的孩子，侮辱她的爸爸还要严重，总之，是极大的侮辱，索尼娅也知道，在卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜“还没能让那两个裙子拖在地上的女人知道，她们俩是……”以及如此等等之前，现在她是决不会安静下来了。好像故意为难似的，有人从桌子的另一头给索尼娅传来一个盘子，盘子里放着用黑面包做的两颗心，还有一支箭穿透了这两颗心。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜脸涨得血红，立刻隔着桌子高声说，传递这个盘子的人当然是“一头喝醉的蠢驴”。阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜也预感到要出什么乱子，同时卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜的高傲态度又使她深深感到受了侮辱，为了缓和一下紧张气氛，让大家忘掉不愉快的事情，顺带也在大家心目中抬高自己的身价，突然无缘无故地说，她有个熟人，“药房里的卡尔”，一天夜里，他坐了一辆马车，“马车夫想要杀西（死）他，卡尔颗颗（苦苦）哀求，求他不要杀西（死）他，痛哭流去（涕），束手待劈（毙），怕得要命，吓得他的心都好像给穿瘦（透）了”。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜虽然也笑了笑，可是立刻说，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜不该用俄语讲笑话。阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜心里更不痛快了，反驳说，她的“法特尔·阿乌斯· 柏林①，是个非常、非常重要的人，走路的时候总是双手摸进（插在）口袋里”。一爱一笑的卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜忍不住哈哈大笑起来，这样一来阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜已经大为恼火，只是还勉强克制着。
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①德文，“父亲是柏林人”之意。
“瞧，这只猫头鹰！”卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜几乎快乐起来，立刻又对拉斯科利尼科夫低声说，“她想说：双手插在口袋里，可是说成了他常摸别人的口袋，咳——咳！您发觉吗，罗季昂·罗曼诺维奇，从这个故事就可以彻底看出，所有这些住在彼得堡的外国人，主要是那些不知从什么地方来到我们这儿的德国人，全都比我们蠢！您同意吗，难道能说这种话：‘药房里的卡尔吓得心都好像给穿透了’，还说，他（饭桶！）不是把那个马车夫捆起来，却‘束手待毙，痛哭流涕，苦苦哀求’。唉，这个傻女人！她以为这样说很感动人，却没想到，这样显得她多么愚蠢！依我看，这个喝醉了的军需官比她聪明得多；至少可以看出，他是个酒鬼，醉得丧失了理智，可这些德国人神情全都那么庄重，那么严肃……瞧，她坐在那儿，眼睛瞪得老大。她生气了！生气了！哈——哈——
哈！咳——咳——咳！”
卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜快活起来了，立刻沉醉于种种幻想之中，而且想到许多详情细节，突然说，等她领到抚恤金，一定要在自己的故乡T城办一所贵族女子寄宿中学。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜本人还没有把这个想法告诉过拉斯利尼科夫，她立刻为那些诱人的细节而神往了。不知怎么，她手里忽然出现了一张“奖状”，就是已故的马尔梅拉多夫在小酒馆里跟拉斯科利尼科夫提到过的那张奖状，当时他说，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜，他的妻子，从高等学校毕业的时候，“在省长和其他名流面前”跳过披巾舞。这张奖状现在显然应该成为一个证据，证明卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜有权开办寄宿中学；但主要目的还是为了让“那两个穿得特别惹人注意、裙子拖到地上的女人”见识见识，彻底打掉她们的傲气，如果她们来参加酬客宴的话，而且要明确地向她们证明，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜出身于最高贵的，“甚至可以说是贵族的家庭，是上校的女儿，肯定比某些女冒险家要高贵些，而最近却出现了那么多这样的女冒险家”。奖状立刻在醉醺醺的客人们手里传递起来，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜并不阻止他们这样做，因为这张奖状的确entouteslettres①说明，她是获得过勋章的七等文官的女儿，因而实际上差不多也就是上校的女儿了。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜兴奋起来，立刻详尽地描绘将来在T城的美好、平静的生活；谈到了她聘请来在她那所中学教课的教师，说是有一位可敬的老人，是个姓曼戈的法国人，在女子高等学校里，就教过卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜法语，现在他还在T城安度晚年，只要多少给他一点儿薪水，他准会到她的中学里去教书。最后还谈到了索尼娅，说“她要和卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜一同去T城，帮助她料理一切”。但这时桌子的那一头突然有人噗嗤一声笑了出来。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜虽然竭力立刻装作毫不在乎的样子，轻蔑地不去理睬桌子那头发出的笑声，可是又立刻提高声音，兴奋地说，索菲娅·谢苗诺芙娜无疑有能力作她的助手，说索尼娅“一性一情一温一和，有耐心，有自我牺牲一精一神，高尚，而且很有教养”，说着，还一爱一抚地拍拍索尼娅的脸蛋儿，欠起身来，热情地吻了她两下。索尼娅脸红了，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜却突然放声大哭起来，可是又立刻自言自语地说，她“是个神经脆弱的傻女人，而且太伤心了，酬客宴也该结束了，因为菜已经上完，该送茶来了”。这场谈话，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜完全插不上嘴，而且别人根本就不听她说话，因此她觉得难过极了，所以就在这个时候，她突然冒险作最后一次尝试，怀着忧虑的心情大胆向卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜提了一个很有道理、而且意义深刻的意见，说是在她要办的那所寄宿中学里，需要特别注意女孩子们内一衣（迪·韦舍）②的清洁，而且“一定需要有这样一位能干的太太（迪·达梅）③，让她好好地照管内一衣”，其次，“得让所有年轻的女孩子夜里都安安静静，别看小说”。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜当真十分伤心，而且也很累了，酬客宴已经让她感到厌烦透了，所以她立刻“很不客气地打断了”阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜的话，说她“一胡一说八道”，什么也不懂；说关心迪·韦舍是女管理员的事，而不是贵族女子中学校长的事；至于看小说，说这种话甚至简直不成体统，请她免开尊口。阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜涨红了脸，怒不可遏，说，她不过是出于“一片好心”，她“完全出于善意，她的心大大的好”，还说，“租房子的格利德④已经很久很久没给了”。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜立刻让她 “住嘴”，说，她说什么“出于好心”，那是撒谎，因为还在昨天，死者还停放在桌子上的时候，她就为了房子在折磨她了。对这些责难，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜满有道理地反驳说，她去“邀请那位太太和她的小一姐，可是她们不肯来，因为她们是高贵的太太和小一姐，不能到不高贵的太太这儿来”。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜立刻向她“着重指出”，因为她自己是个邋里邋遢的人，所以她不能判断什么是真正的高贵。阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜不能忍受这种侮辱，立刻宣称：“我的法特尔·阿乌斯·柏林，是个非常、非常重要的人，走路的时候双手总是摸进（插在）口袋里，嘴里一直在说：呸！呸！”为了一逼一真地模仿自己的法特尔，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜从椅子上霍地站了起来，把两只手插在衣袋里，鼓起腮帮，嘴里发出一些含糊不清的声音，好像是在说“呸——呸”，所有房客们都高声大笑，预感到就要打起来了，故意对阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜表示赞许，给她打气。但是卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜已经感到忍无可忍，立刻“一字一顿、清清楚楚地”高声说，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜也许从来就没有法特尔，她只不过是一个住在彼得堡的、喝得醉醺醺的芬兰女人，大概以前是在什么地方当厨一娘一，说不定比这还要卑贱。阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜脸红得像煮熟了的虾，尖声叫喊起来，说，也许卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜“根本就没有法特尔；她却有一个法特尔·阿乌斯·柏林，他穿着很长的常礼服，一直在说：呸，呸，呸！”卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜轻蔑地说，她的出身是大家都知道的，这张奖状上就用铅字印着，她的父亲是位上校；可阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜的父亲（如果她真有个什么父亲的话），大概是个在彼得堡卖牛一奶一的芬兰人；最有可能的是，她根本就没有父亲，因为直到现在还弄不清楚，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜的父名是什么：是伊万诺芙娜呢，还是柳德维戈芙娜？这时阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜气得发狂了，用拳头捶着桌子，尖声叫喊，说她是阿玛莉—伊万，不是柳德维戈芙娜，说她的法特尔“叫约翰，当过市长”，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜的法特尔却“从来也没当过市长”。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜从椅子上站了起来，用听起来相当平静的声音（可是脸色发白，胸部剧烈地一起一伏）严厉地对她说，如果她胆敢，哪怕敢再说一次，“把自己那个坏蛋父亲跟她的爸爸相提并论，那么她，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜就要扯下她的包发帽，把它踩个稀烂”。一听到这些话，阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜立刻在屋里奔跑起来，还拼命叫喊，说她是房东，叫卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜“马上从这所房子里搬出去”；随后又不知为了什么扑过去从桌子上收起那些银汤匙。吵闹声、叫喊声、哄笑声乱成一片；孩子们哭起来了。索尼娅急忙过来拉住卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜；可是当阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜突然高声叫嚷，提到什么黄色执照的时候，卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜一下子推开了索尼娅，冲到阿玛莉娅·伊万诺芙娜跟前，想立刻把扯下她包发帽的威胁付诸实现。就在这个时候，房门开了，彼得·彼特罗维奇突然出现在门口。他站在那里，用严厉而十分注意的目光扫视了一下这一伙人。卡捷琳娜·伊万诺芙娜急忙向他跑去。
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①法文，“充分”之意。
②德文，“内一衣”之意。
③德文，“太太”之意。
④德文，“钱”之意。
