Chapter 4

           Atthatmomentthedoorwassoftlyopened,andayounggirlwalkedintotheroom,lookingtimidlyabouther.Everyoneturnedtowardsherwithsurpriseandcuriosity.Atfirstsight,Raskolnikovdidnotrecogniseher.ItwasSofyaSemyonovnaMarmeladov.Hehadseenheryesterdayforthefirsttime,butatsuchamoment,insuchsurroundingsandinsuchadress,thathismemoryretainedaverydifferentimageofher.Nowshewasamodestlyandpoorly-dressedyounggirl,veryyoung,indeed,almostlikeachild,withamodestandrefinedmanner,withacandidbutsomewhatfrightened-lookingface.Shewaswearingaveryplainindoordress,andhadonashabbyold-fashionedhat,butshestillcarriedaparasol.Unexpectedlyfindingtheroomfullofpeople,shewasnotsomuchembarrassedascompletelyoverwhelmedwithshyness,likealittlechild.Shewasevenabouttoretreat.“Oh...it’syou!”saidRaskolnikov,extremelyastonished,andhe,too,wasconfused.HeatoncerecollectedthathismotherandsisterknewthroughLuzhin’sletterof“someyoungwomanofnotoriousbehaviour.”HehadonlyjustbeenprotestingagainstLuzhin’scalumnyanddeclaringthathehadseenthegirllastnightforthefirsttime,andsuddenlyshehadwalkedin.Heremembered,too,thathehadnotprotestedagainsttheexpression“ofnotoriousbehaviour.”Allthispassedvaguelyandfleetinglythroughhisbrain,butlookingathermoreintently,hesawthatthehumiliatedcreaturewassohumiliatedthathefeltsuddenlysorryforher.