Page 68 (1/2)

The third question, concerning Maslova, raised a fierce dispute

The fore and

the theft, to which the ree The colonel,

the clerk and the old artelshik sided with the merchant, the rest

seeround, chiefly because all the jury tired, and

preferred to take up the view that would bring them sooner to a

decision and thus liberate them

Froe of

Maslova, Nekhludoff was certain that she was innocent of both the

theft and the poisoning And he felt sure that all the others

would come to the same conclusion When he saw that the

merchant's aard defence (evidently based on his physical

admiration for her, which he did not even try to hide) and the

foreman's insistence, and especially everybody's weariness, were

all tending to her condeed to state his

objections, yet dared not, lest his relations with Maslova should

be discovered He felt he could not allow things to go on without

stating his objection; and, blushing and growing pale again, was

about to speak when Peter Gerasimovitch, irritated by the

authoritative an to raise his

objections and said the very things Nekhludoff was about to say

"Allowthe key proves she is guilty of the theft; but what could

be easier than for the servants to open the portone?"