"I don't know. How should I know?" said Maslova, casting a
frightened look round, and fixing her eyes for a moment on
Nekhludoff. "He asked whom he liked."
"Is it possible that she has recognised me?" thought Nekhludoff,
and the blood rushed to his face. But Maslova turned away without
distinguishing him from the others, and again fixed her eyes
anxiously on the public prosecutor.
"So the prisoner denies having had any intimate relations with
Kartinkin? Very well, I have no more questions to ask."
And the public prosecutor took his elbow off the desk, and began
writing something. He was not really noting anything down, but
only going over the letters of his notes with a pen, having seen
the procureur and leading advocates, after putting a clever
question, make a note, with which, later on, to annihilate their
adversaries.
The president did not continue at once, because he was consulting
the member with the spectacles, whether he was agreed that the
questions (which had all been prepared be forehand and written
out) should be put.
"Well! What happened next?" he then went on.
"I came home," looking a little more boldly only at the
president, "and went to bed. Hardly had I fallen asleep when one
of our girls, Bertha, woke me. 'Go, your merchant has come
again!' He"--she again uttered the word _he_ with evident horror--
"he kept treating our girls, and then wanted to send for more
wine, but his money was all gone, and he sent me to his lodgings
and told me where the money was, and how much to take. So I
went."
The president was whispering to the member on his left, but, in
order to appear as if he had heard, he repeated her last words.
"So you went. Well, what next?"
"I went, and did all he told me; went into his room. I did not go
alone, but called Simeon Kartinkin and her," she said, pointing
to Botchkova.
"That's a lie; I never went in," Botchkova began, but was
stopped.
"In their presence I took out four notes," continued Maslova,
frowning, without looking at Botchkova.
"Yes, but did the prisoner notice," again asked the prosecutor,
"how much money there was when she was getting out the 40
roubles?"
Maslova shuddered when the prosecutor addressed her; she did not
know why it was, but she felt that he wished her evil.
"I did not count it, but only saw some 100-rouble notes."
"Ah! The prisoner saw 100-rouble notes. That's all?"
"Well, so you brought back the money," continued the president,
looking at the clock.
"I did."
"Well, and then?"
"Then he took me back with him," said Maslova.
"Well, and how did you give him the powder? In his drink?"
"How did I give it? I put them in and gave it him."