"Good God!" he muttered "I must fly, fly," and he rushed into the entry.

But here a shock of terror awaited him such as he had never known before.
He stood and gazed and could not believe his eyes: the door, the outer door from the stairs, at which he had not long before waited and rung, was standing unfastened and at least six inches open.

No lock, no bolt, all the time, all that time! The old woman had not shut it after him perhaps as a precaution.

But, good God! Why, he had seen Lizaveta afterwards! And how could he, how could he have failed to reflect that she must have come in somehow! She could not have come through the wall! He dashed to the door and fastened the latch.
"But no, the wrong thing again! I must get away, get away...." He unfastened the latch, opened the door and began listening on the staircase.
He listened a long time.

Somewhere far away, it might be in the gateway, two voices were loudly and shrilly shouting, quarrelling and scolding.
"What are they about ?" He waited patiently.