登陆注册
19593600000302

第302章

"And even if nothing had been omitted, if this were the whole story," the most highly respected of our ladies maintained, "even then it's very doubtful whether it was creditable for a young girl to behave in that way, even for the sake of saving her father."And can Katerina Ivanovna, with her intelligence, her morbid sensitiveness, have failed to understand that people would talk like that? She must have understood it, yet she made up her mind to tell everything.Of course, all these nasty little suspicions as to the truth of her story only arose afterwards and at the first moment all were deeply impressed by it.As for the judges and the lawyers, they listened in reverent, almost shamefaced silence to Katerina Ivanovna.The prosecutor did not venture upon even one question on the subject.Fetyukovitch made a low bow to her.Oh, he was almost triumphant! Much ground had been gained.For a man to give his last four thousand on a generous impulse and then for the same man to murder his father for the sake of robbing him of three thousand- the idea seemed too incongruous.Fetyukovitch felt that now the charge of theft, at least, was as good as disproved."The case" was thrown into quite a different light.There was a wave of sympathy for Mitya.As for him....I was told that once or twice, while Katerina Ivanovna was giving her evidence, he jumped up from his seat, sank back again, and hid his face in his hands.But when she had finished, he suddenly cried in a sobbing voice:

"Katya, why have you ruined me?" and his sobs were audible all over the court.But he instantly restrained himself, and cried again:

"Now I am condemned!"

Then he sat rigid in his place, with his teeth clenched and his arms across his chest.Katerina Ivanovna remained in the court and sat down in her place.She was pale and sat with her eyes cast down.Those who were sitting near her declared that for a long time she shivered all over as though in a fever.Grushenka was called.

I am approaching the sudden catastrophe which was perhaps the final cause of Mitya's ruin.For I am convinced, so is everyone- all the lawyers said the same afterwards- that if the episode had not occurred, the prisoner would at least have been recommended to mercy.But of that later.A few words first about Grushenka.

She, too, was dressed entirely in black, with her magnificent black shawl on her shoulders.She walked to the witness-box with her smooth, noiseless tread, with the slightly swaying gait common in women of full figure.She looked steadily at the President, turning her eyes neither to the right nor to the left.To my thinking she looked very handsome at that moment, and not at all pale, as the ladies alleged afterwards.They declared, too, that she had a concentrated and spiteful expression.I believe that she was simply irritated and painfully conscious of the contemptuous and inquisitive eyes of our scandal-loving public.She was proud and could not stand contempt.She was one of those people who flare up, angry and eager to retaliate, at the mere suggestion of contempt.There was an element of timidity, too, of course, and inward shame at her own timidity, so it was not strange that her tone kept changing.At one moment it was angry, contemptuous and rough, and at another there was a sincere note of self-condemnation.Sometimes she spoke as though she were taking a desperate plunge; as though she felt, "Idon't care what happens, I'll say it...." Apropos of her acquaintance with Fyodor Pavlovitch, she remarked curtly, "That's all nonsense, and was it my fault that he would pester me?" But a minute later she added, "It was all my fault.I was laughing at them both- at the old man and at him, too- and I brought both of them to this.It was all on account of me it happened."Samsonov's name came up somehow."That's nobody's business," she snapped at once, with a sort of insolent defiance."He was my benefactor; he took me when I hadn't a shoe to my foot, when my family had turned me out." The President reminded her, though very politely, that she must answer the questions directly, without going off into irrelevant details.Grushenka crimsoned and her eyes flashed.

The envelope with the notes in it she had not seen, but had only heard from "that wicked wretch" that Fyodor Pavlovitch had an envelope with notes for three thousand in it."But that was all foolishness.

I was only laughing.I wouldn't have gone to him for anything.""To whom are you referring as 'that wicked wretch'?" inquired the prosecutor.

"The lackey, Smerdyakov, who murdered his master and hanged himself last night."She was, of course, at once asked what ground she had for such a definite accusation; but it appeared that she, too, had no grounds for it.

"Dmitri Fyodorovitch told me so himself; you can believe him.

The woman who came between us has ruined him; she is the cause of it all, let me tell you," Grushenka added.She seemed to be quivering with hatred, and there was a vindictive note in her voice.

She was again asked to whom she was referring.

"The young lady, Katerina Ivanovna there.She sent for me, offered me chocolate, tried to fascinate me.There's not much true shame about her, I can tell you that..."At this point the President checked her sternly, begging her to moderate her language.But the jealous woman's heart was burning, and she did not care what she did.

"When the prisoner was arrested at Mokroe," the prosecutor asked, "everyone saw and heard you run out of the next room and cry out: 'It's all my fault.We'll go to Siberia together!' So you already believed him to have murdered his father?""I don't remember what I felt at the time," answered Grushenka.

"Everyone was crying out that he had killed his father, and I felt that it was my fault, that it was on my account he had murdered him.

同类推荐
  • 郊庙歌辞 梁太庙乐

    郊庙歌辞 梁太庙乐

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 本草撮要

    本草撮要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 樗隠集

    樗隠集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 惠运律师书目录

    惠运律师书目录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 金华直指女功正法

    金华直指女功正法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 倾天狂妃

    倾天狂妃

    她灵武大陆的废材,遭人唾骂的废物,却有他不离不弃的在身边守护。“丫头,以后有我保护你”男子眼底一片温柔和心疼。女子一抹唇角的鲜血,狂傲的说道“不需要”-他在世人眼里是高不可攀的神袛,却为她马首是瞻。她在世人眼里是笑面恶魔,却只有在他面前温润自得。-我的存在,就是为了你。
  • 宇宙的起源(自然瞭望书坊)

    宇宙的起源(自然瞭望书坊)

    人类是宇宙演化的杰作,宇宙是神秘莫测的存在。当宇宙的精灵与莫测的神秘结合在一起时,便碰撞出无数精彩的篇章。人类对宇宙的解读和探秘跨越了千年,宇宙的面貌也越来越清晰地展现在人类面前。
  • 异世狂修

    异世狂修

    荒凉的领地将在他手中变成沃土;骄傲的敌人将注定成为他的垫脚石。传说中他粗鄙、无能、甚至无赖;现实中他有神奇的丹药、锋利的神器、强横的阵法和嘴角那抹邪异的笑……
  • 魔法新年史

    魔法新年史

    科学社会,人们对魔法嚏之以鼻,但是几起犯罪案件的发生却异象重生,小协警林宇辰带着疑惑一步步探索,是普通案件?亦或是真有魔法作祟?
  • 开发地球最后的处女地(科普知识大博览)

    开发地球最后的处女地(科普知识大博览)

    要想成为一个有科学头脑的现代人,就要对你在这个世界上所见到的事物都问个“为什么”!科学的发展往往就始于那么一点点小小的好奇心。本丛书带你进行一次穿越时空的旅行,通过这次旅行,你将了解这些伟大的发明、发现的诞生过程,以及这些辉煌成果背后科学家刻苦钻研的惊心时刻。
  • 一念贪婚

    一念贪婚

    一场意外,她发现了叶家二少不为人知的秘密。两个人达成秘密协议,她做他的妻子,他拯救落败的路家。婚姻里:两人友好相处,各自安好。却在蜜月时,背叛了老公。醒来后,她被自己荒唐的行为吓的惊慌失措,匆忙回了国。原以为那一晚,只是自己人生中一次意外的插曲。让她意想不到的是,婚礼上老公未曾露面的小叔,突然从国外回来。当触及到男人清隽的脸旁时,她整个人瞬间崩溃了。她对他避之若浼,他却步步为营。医院里,男人将她抵在门诊室门口,邪魅的问着:你和擎之在一起幸福吗?“你,你想干什么?”
  • 周天大帝

    周天大帝

    浩淼神州,无尽洪荒。斗转星移,历经万古沧桑一个少年从燕山中走出。执剑气,灭天意,掌轮回,我命由我不由天。绝代佳人,缠绵悱恻的爱情;神话之地,险象迭生的夺宝探险;上古战场,惊天动地的域界战争……纵横天域,屠戮苍穹。拓八荒,扫六合。一息一念之间,成我周天血帝
  • TSS之再塑战神联

    TSS之再塑战神联

    公元2149,中联国的星际探索舰队“TSS”击败日联国的第二天,神秘暗黑势力降临庆功会,催眠了所有人。然而,被邀请的一名初中生猛然惊醒……
  • 爱无痕迹

    爱无痕迹

    “春天到了,小草绿了,桃花开了,小鸟恋爱了,蚂蚁同居了,苍蝇怀孕了,蚊子流产了,蝴蝶离婚了,毛毛虫改嫁了,青蛙也生孩子了,你还在等什么呢?我们约会吧!”
  • 豪门娇妻:总裁请淡定

    豪门娇妻:总裁请淡定

    善变的总裁,朝三暮四……袁墨涵是一个非常讨厌以总裁自居男人的,但是偏偏让她碰到了一个,而且,她还必须奉命成婚。没办法,眼巴巴准备从少女变成少妇,但是,在新婚之夜,那个可恶的总裁,竟然玩消失,虽然他很帅,年少多金,也不能原谅他……袁墨涵决定报复,温柔的女人玩起狠来,那可不是一般的凶残,总裁你淡定些,我不就是给你戴了一顶绿帽骗子吗?接下来,还会有第二顶、第三顶呢……