Peter Gerasimovitch's assumption was correct. The president came

back from the debating room with a paper, and read as

follows:--"April 28th, 188-. By His Imperial Majesty's ukase No.

----- The Criminal Court, on the strength of the decision of the

jury, in accordance with Section 3 of Statute 771, Section 3 of

Statutes 770 and 777, decrees that the peasant, Simeon Kartinkin,

33 years of age, and the meschanka Katerina Maslova, 27 years of

age, are to be deprived of all property rights and to be sent to

penal servitude in Siberia, Kartinkin for eight, Maslova for four

years, with the consequences stated in Statute 25 of the code.

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The meschanka Botchkova, 43 years of age, to be deprived of all

special personal and acquired rights, and to be imprisoned for

three years with consequences in accord with Statute 48 of the

code. The costs of the case to be borne equally by the prisoners;

and, in the case of their being without sufficient property, the

costs to be transferred to the Treasury. Articles of material

evidence to be sold, the ring to be returned, the phials

destroyed." Botchkova was condemned to prison, Simeon Kartinken

and Katerina Maslova to the loss of all special rights and

privileges and to penal servitude in Siberia, he for eight and

she for four years.

Kartinkin stood holding his arms close to his sides and moving

his lips. Botchkova seemed perfectly calm. Maslova, when she

heard the sentence, blushed scarlet. "I'm not guilty, not

guilty!" she suddenly cried, so that it resounded through the

room. "It is a sin! I am not guilty! I never wished--I never

thought! It is the truth I am saying--the truth!" and sinking on

the bench she burst into tears and sobbed aloud. When Kartinkin

and Botchkova went out she still sat crying, so that a gendarme

had to touch the sleeve of her cloak.

"No; it is impossible to leave it as it is," said Nekhludoff to

himself, utterly forgetting his bad thoughts. He did not know why

he wished to look at her once more, but hurried out into the

corridor. There was quite a crowd at the door. The advocates and

jury were going out, pleased to have finished the business, and

he was obliged to wait a few seconds, and when he at last got out

into the corridor she was far in front. He hurried along the

corridor after her, regardless of the attention he was arousing,

caught her up, passed her, and stopped. She had ceased crying and

only sobbed, wiping her red, discoloured face with the end of the

kerchief on her head. She passed without noticing him. Then he

hurried back to see the president. The latter had already left

the court, and Nekhludoff followed him into the lobby and went up

to him just as he had put on his light grey overcoat and was

taking the silver-mounted walking-stick which an attendant was

handing him.




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