“How can it be?  Great heavens!  I don’t understand it!”

The lawyer did not listen to her, but looked at the flowers on her hat, making mental calculations.

Behind the old lady, beaming in his wide-open vest, and with a self-sufficient smile on his face, came that same famous lawyer who so managed the case that the lady with the large flowers lost all her property, while his shrewd client, who paid him ten thousand rubles, received over a hundred thousand.  All eyes were directed toward him.  He was conscious of it and seemed to say by his demeanor: 

“Never mind your expressions of devotion,” and brushed past the crowd.

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote A:  A sect of eunuchs.]

CHAPTER VII.

Finally Matvei Nikitich arrived, and the usher, a long-necked and lean man, with a sideling gait and protruding lower lip, entered the jury-room.

The usher was an honest man, with a university education, but he could not hold any employment on account of his tippling habit.  A countess, his wife’s patroness, had obtained him his present position three months ago; he still retained it, and was exceedingly glad.

“Are you all here, gentlemen?” he asked, putting on his pince-nez and looking through it.

“I think so,” said the cheerful merchant.

“Let us see,” said the usher, and drawing a sheet of paper from his pocket, began to call the names of the jury, looking at those that responded to their names now through his pince-nez, now over it.

“Counsilor of State E. M. Nikiforoff.”

“Here,” said the portly gentleman, who was familiar with all the litigations.

“Retired Colonel Ivan Semionovich Ivanoff.”

“Present,” answered a lank man in the uniform of a retired officer.

“Merchant of the second guild, Peter Baklashoff.”

“Here,” said the good-natured merchant, smiling from ear to ear.  “We are ready.”

“Lieutenant of the Guards, Prince Dmitri Nekhludoff.”

“Here,” answered Nekhludoff.

The usher, looking politely and pleasantly through his pince-nez, bowed, thereby distinguishing him from the rest, as it were.

“Captain Uri Dmitrievich Danchenko; merchant Gregory Ephimovich Kouleshoff,” etc., etc., etc.

There were but two missing from the panel.

“You will now, gentlemen, walk into the court,” said the usher, pointing to the door with a polite sweep of the hand.

They all rose from their seats, and passing each other through the door, made their way through the corridor to the court-room.