to the law everywhere, and the tapster was everywhere acquitted.  Once he took her away by force, but she ran away the following day.  He went to the seducer, demanding his wife.  The tapster told him that she was not there, although he saw her when coming in, and ordered him to depart.  He would not go.  Then the tapster and another workman beat him until he bled, and the following day the tapster’s house took fire.  He and his mother were charged with incendiarism, although at the time the fire broke out he was visiting a friend.

“And you really did not set the fire?”

“I never even thought of such a thing, master.  The villain must have done it himself.  They say that he had just insured his house.  And he said that I and my mother came and threatened him.  It is true, I abused him at that time—­couldn’t help it—­but I did not set the fire, and was not even in the neighborhood when the fire started.  He set the fire purposely on the day I was there with my mother.  He did it for the insurance money, and threw it on us.”

“Is it possible?”

“As true as there is a living God, master.  Do help us!” He was about to bow to the ground, but Nekhludoff forcibly prevented him.  “Release me.  I am suffering here innocently,” he continued.  His face suddenly began to twitch; tears welled up in his eyes, and, rolling up the sleeve of his coat, he began to wipe his eyes with the dirty sleeve of his shirt.

“Have you finished?” asked the warden.

“Yes.  Cheer up; I will do what I can for you,” Nekhludoff said, and walked out.  Menshov stood in the door, so that when the warden closed it he pushed him in.  While the warden was locking the door, Menshov looked through the hole.

CHAPTER LI.

It was dinner time when Nekhludoff retraced his steps through the wide corridor, and the cells were open.  The prisoners, in light yellow coats, short, wide trousers and prison shoes, eyed him greedily.  Nekhludoff experienced strange feelings and commiseration for the prisoners, and, for some reason, shame that he should so calmly view it.

In one of the corridors a man, clattering with his prison shoes, ran into one of the cells, and immediately a crowd of people came out, placed themselves in his way, and bowed.

“Your Excellency—­I don’t know what to call you—­please order that our case be decided.”

“I am not the commander.  I do not know anything.”

“No matter.  Tell them, the authorities, or somebody,” said an indignant voice, “to look into our case.  We are guilty of no offense, and have been in prison the second month now.”

“How so?  Why?” asked Nekhludoff.

“We don’t know ourselves why, but we have been here the second month.”

“That is true,” said the assistant inspector.  “They were taken because they had no passports, and they were to be transported to their district, but the prison had burned down there, and the authorities asked us to keep them here.  Those belonging to other districts were transported, but these we keep here.”