Page 756 of 1294

"No, not better, not at all better!" Sonia unconsciously repeated

in dismay.

"And the children? What can you do except take them to live with

you?"

"Oh, I don't know," cried Sonia, almost in despair, and she put

her hands to her head.

It was evident that that idea had very often occurred to her

before and he had only roused it again.

"And, what, if even now, while Katerina Ivanovna is alive, you

get ill and are taken to the hospital, what will happen then?" he

persisted pitilessly.

"How can you? That cannot be!"

And Sonia's face worked with awful terror.

"Cannot be?" Raskolnikov went on with a harsh smile. "You are not

insured against it, are you? What will happen to them then? They

will be in the street, all of them, she will cough and beg and

knock her head against some wall, as she did to-day, and the

children will cry.... Then she will fall down, be taken to the

police station and to the hospital, she will die, and the

children..."