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But Raskolnikov had become superstitious of late. The traces of

superstition remained in him long after, and were almost

ineradicable. And in all this he was always afterwards disposed

to see something strange and mysterious, as it were, the presence

of some peculiar influences and coincidences. In the previous

winter a student he knew called Pokorev, who had left for Harkov,

had chanced in conversation to give him the address of Alyona

Ivanovna, the old pawnbroker, in case he might want to pawn

anything. For a long while he did not go to her, for he had

lessons and managed to get along somehow. Six weeks ago he had

remembered the address; he had two articles that could be pawned:

his father's old silver watch and a little gold ring with three

red stones, a present from his sister at parting. He decided to

take the ring. When he found the old woman he had felt an

insurmountable repulsion for her at the first glance, though he

knew nothing special about her.