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Chapter 1

The Beginning of Perhotin’s

Official Career

P

YOTR ILYITCH PERHOTIN, whom we left knock-

ing at the strong locked gates of the widow Morozov’s

house, ended, of course, by making himself heard. Fenya,

who was still excited by the fright she had had two hours

before, and too much ‘upset’ to go to bed, was almost fright-

ened into hysterics on hearing the furious knocking at the

gate. Though she had herself seen him drive away, she fan-

cied that it must be Dmitri Fyodorovitch knocking again,

no one else could knock so savagely. She ran to the house-

porter, who had already waked up and gone out to the gate,

and began imploring him not to open it. But having ques-

tioned Pyotr Ilyitch, and learned that he wanted to see Fenya

on very ‘important business,’ the man made up his mind at

last to open. Pyotr Ilyitch was admitted into Fenya’s kitch-

en, but the girl begged him to allow the houseporter to be

present, ‘because of her misgivings.’ He began questioning

her and at once learnt the most vital fact, that is, that when

Dmitri Fyodorovitch had run out to look for Grushenka, he