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178 The Gospel in Dostoyevskyfront, though she was expecting him soon to return. She refusedhis offer and begged him not to come and see her. After he hadceased to visit her, he took advantage of his knowledge of thehouse to enter at night through the garden by the roof, at greatrisk of discovery. But as often happens, a crime committed withextraordinary audacity is more successful than others.Entering the garret through the skylight, he went down theladder, knowing that the door at the bottom of it was sometimes,through the negligence of the servants, left unlocked. He hopedto find it so, and so it was. He made his way in the dark to herbedroom, where a light was burning. As though on purpose,both her maids had gone off to a birthday party in the samestreet, without asking leave. The other servants slept in the servants’quarters or in the kitchen on the ground floor. His passionflamed up at the sight of her asleep, and then vindictive, jealousanger took possession of his heart, and beside himself, like adrunken man, he thrust a knife into her heart, so that she did noteven cry out. Then with devilish and criminal cunning he contrivedthat suspicion should fall on the servants. He was so baseas to take her purse, to open her chest with keys from under herpillow, and to take some things from it, doing it all as it mighthave been done by an ignorant servant, leaving valuable papersand taking only money. He took some of the larger gold things,but left smaller articles that were ten times as valuable. He tookwith him, too, some things for himself as remembrances, but ofthat later. Having done this awful deed, he returned by the wayhe had come.Neither the next day, when the alarm was raised, nor at anytime after in his life, did anyone dream of suspecting that hewas the criminal. In fact, no one knew of his love for her, forhe was always reserved and silent and had no friend to whom