llov, gentilhomme russe et citoyen du monde.' Ha ha!" He went off
in a peal of laughter. "No, no, no; stay. I've found something better
than all. Eureka! _'Gentilhomme, seminariste russe et citoyen du monde
civilise!'_ That's better than any...." He jumped up from the sofa
and suddenly, with a rapid gesture, snatched up the revolver from the
window, ran with it into the next room, and closed the door behind him.

Pyotr Stepanovitch stood for a moment, pondering and gazing at the door.

"If he does it at once, perhaps he'll do it, but if he begins thinking,
nothing will come of it."

Meanwhile he took up the paper, sat down, and looked at it again. The
wording of the document pleased him again.

"What's needed for the moment? What's wanted is to throw them all off
the scent and keep them busy for a time. The park? There's no park in
the town and they'll guess its Skvoreshniki of themselves. But while
they are arriving at that, time will be passing; then the search will
take time too; then when they find the body it will prove that the story
is true, and it will follow that's it all true, that it's true about
Fedka too. And Fedka explains the fire, the Lebyadkins; so that it was
all being hatched here, at Filipov's, while they overlooked it and saw
nothing--that will quite turn their heads! They will never think of
the quintet; Shatov and Kirillov and Fedka and Lebyadkin, and why they
killed each other--that will be another question for them. Oh, damn it
all, I don't hear the shot!"

Though he had been reading and admiring the wording of it, he had been
listening anxiously all the time, and he suddenly flew into a rage. He
looked anxiously at his watch; it was getting late and it was fully ten
minutes since Kirillov had gone out.... Snatching up the candle, he went
to the door of the room where Kirillov had shut himself up. He was just
at the door when the thought struck him that the candle had burnt out,
that it would not last another twenty minutes, and that there was no
other in the room. He took hold of the handle and listened warily; he
did not hear the slightest sound. He suddenly opened the door and lifted
up the candle: something uttered a roar and rushed at him. He slammed
the door with all his might and pressed his weight against it; but all
sounds died away and again there was deathlike stillness.

He stood for a long while irresolute, with the candle in his hand. He
had been able to see very little in the