Resurrection

"I am not guilty of anything," she began rapidly. "As I said

before I say again, I did not take it--I did not take it; I did

not take anything, and the ring he gave me himself."

"You do not plead guilty of having stolen 2,500 roubles?" asked

the president.

"I've said I took nothing but the 40 roubles."

"Well, and do you plead guilty of having given the merchant

Smelkoff a powder in his drink?"

"Yes, that I did. Only I believed what they told me, that they

were sleeping powders, and that no harm could come of them. I

never thought, and never wished. . . God is my witness; I say, I

never meant this," she said.

"So you do not plead guilty of having stolen the money and the

ring from the merchant Smelkoff, but confess that you gave him

the powder?" said the president.

"Well, yes, I do confess this, but I thought they were sleeping

powders. I only gave them to make him sleep; I never meant and

never thought of worse."

"Very well," said the president, evidently satisfied with the

results gained. "Now tell us how it all happened," and he leaned

back in his chair and put his folded hands on the table. "Tell us

all about it. A free and full confession will be to your

advantage."

Maslova continued to look at the president in silence, and

blushing.

"Tell us how it happened."

"How it happened?" Maslova suddenly began, speaking quickly. "I

came to the lodging-house, and was shown into the room. He was

there, already very drunk." She pronounced the word _he_ with a

look of horror in her wide-open eyes. "I wished to go away, but

he would not let me." She stopped, as if having lost the thread,

or remembered some thing else.

"Well, and then?"

"Well, what then? I remained a bit, and went home again."

At this moment the public prosecutor raised himself a little,

leaning on one elbow in an awkward manner.

"You would like to put a question?" said the president, and

having received an answer in the affirmative, he made a gesture

inviting the public prosecutor to speak.

"I want to ask, was the prisoner previously acquainted with

Simeon Kartinkin?" said the public prosecutor, without looking at

Maslova, and, having put the question, he compressed his lips and

frowned.

The president repeated the question. Maslova stared at the public

prosecutor, with a frightened look.

"With Simeon? Yes," she said.

"I should like to know what the prisoner's acquaintance with

Kartinkin consisted in. Did they meet often?"

"Consisted in? . . . He invited me for the lodgers; it was not

an acquaintance at all," answered Maslova, anxiously moving her

eyes from the president to the public prosecutor and back to the

president.

"I should like to know why Kartinkin invited only Maslova, and

none of the other girls, for the lodgers?" said the public

prosecutor, with half-closed eyes and a cunning, Mephistophelian

smile.