“I did not think of it,” answered Nekhludoff.

“You did not!”

“We can right it yet,” said Nekhludoff.

“No, we cannot—­it is all over now.”

Nekhludoff looked at the prisoners.  While their fate was being decided, they sat motionless behind the grating in front of the soldiers.  Maslova was smiling.

Nekhludoff’s soul was stirred by evil thoughts.  When he thought that she would be freed and remain in the city, he was undecided how he should act toward her, and it was a difficult matter.  But Siberia and penal servitude at once destroyed the possibility of their meeting again.  The wounded bird would stop struggling in the game-bag, and would no longer remind him of its existence.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The apprehensions of Peter Gerasimovitch were justified.

On returning from the consultation-room the justiciary produced a document and read the following: 

“By order of His Imperial Majesty, the Criminal Division of the ——­ Circuit Court, in conformity with the finding of the jury, and in accordance with ch. 771, s. 3, and ch. 776, s. 3, and ch. 777 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, this 28th day of April, 188-, decrees that Simon Kartinkin, thirty-three years of age, and Katherine Maslova, twenty-seven years of age, be deprived of all civil rights, and sent to penal servitude, Kartinkin for eight, Maslova for the term of four years, under conditions prescribed by ch. 25 of the Code.  Euphemia Bochkova is deprived of all civil and special rights and privileges, and is to be confined in jail for the period of three years under conditions prescribed by ch. 49 of the Code, with the costs of the trial to be borne by all three, and in case of their inability to pay, to be paid out of the treasury.

“The exhibits are to be sold, the ring returned, and the vials destroyed.”

Kartinkin stood like a post, and with outstretched fingers held up the sleeves of his coat, moving his jaws.  Bochkova seemed to be calm.  When Maslova heard the decision, she turned red in the face.

“I am innocent, I am innocent!” she suddenly cried.  “It is a sin.  I am innocent.  I never wished; never thought.  It is the truth.”  And sinking to the bench, she began to cry aloud.

When Kartinkin and Bochkova left the court-room she was still standing and crying, so that the gendarme had to touch the sleeve of her coat.

“She cannot be left to her fate,” said Nekhludoff to himself, entirely forgetting his evil thoughts, and, without knowing why, he ran into the corridor to look at her again.  He was detained at the door for a few minutes by the jostling, animated crowd of jurors and lawyers, who were glad that the case was over, so that when he reached the corridor Maslova was some distance away.  Without thinking of the attention he was attracting, with quick step he overtook her, walked a little ahead of her and stopped.  She had ceased to cry, only a sob escaped her now and then while she wiped her tears with a corner of her ’kerchief.  She passed him without turning to look at him.  He then hastily returned to see the justiciary.  The latter had left his room, and Nekhludoff found him in the porter’s lodge.