“D’you know, sirs, we have made a shameful hash of it?” said Peter Gerasimovitch, approaching Nekhludoff, to whom the foreman was relating something.  “Why, we’ve got her to Siberia.”

“What are you saying?” exclaimed Nekhludoff.  This time he did not notice the teacher’s familiarity.

“Why, we did not put in our answer ’Guilty, but without intent of causing death.’  The secretary just told me the public prosecutor is for condemning her to 15 years’ penal servitude.”

“Well, but it was decided so,” said the foreman.

Peter Gerasimovitch began to dispute this, saying that since she did not take the money it followed naturally that she could not have had any intention of committing murder.

“But I read the answer before going out,” said the foreman, defending himself, “and nobody objected.”

“I had just then gone out of the room,” said Peter Gerasimovitch, turning to Nekhludoff, “and your thoughts must have been wool-gathering to let the thing pass.”

“I never imagined this,” Nekhludoff replied.

“Oh, you didn’t?”

“Oh, well, we can get it put right,” said Nekhludoff.

“Oh, dear no; it’s finished.”

Nekhludoff looked at the prisoners.  They whose fate was being decided still sat motionless behind the grating in front of the soldiers.  Maslova was smiling.  Another feeling stirred in Nekhludoff’s soul.  Up to now, expecting her acquittal and thinking she would remain in the town, he was uncertain how to act towards her.  Any kind of relations with her would be so very difficult.  But Siberia and penal servitude at once cut off every possibility of any kind of relations with her.  The wounded bird would stop struggling in the game-bag, and no longer remind him of its existence.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The trial—­the sentence.

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.  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.