登陆注册
19593600000327

第327章

"Now, thank God! we've come to the real point: 'since he was in the garden, he must have murdered him.' In those few words: 'since he was, then he must' lies the whole case for the prosecution.He was there, so he must have.And what if there is no must about it, even if he was there? Oh, I admit that the chain of evidence- the coincidences- are really suggestive.But examine all these facts separately, regardless of their connection.Why, for instance, does the prosecution refuse to admit the truth of the prisoner's statement that he ran away from his father's window? Remember the sarcasms in which the prosecutor indulged at the expense of the respectful and 'pious' sentiments which suddenly came over the murderer.But what if there were something of the sort, a feeling of religious awe, if not of filial respect? 'My mother must have been praying for me at that moment,' were the prisoner's words at the preliminary inquiry, and so he ran away as soon as he convinced himself that Madame Svyetlov was not in his father's house.'But he could not convince himself by looking through the window,' the prosecutor objects.But why couldn't he? Why? The window opened at the signals given by the prisoner.Some word might have been uttered by Fyodor Pavlovitch, some exclamation which showed the prisoner that she was not there.Why should we assume everything as we imagine it, as we make up our minds to imagine it? A thousand things may happen in reality which elude the subtlest imagination.

"'Yes, but Grigory saw the door open and so the prisoner certainly was in the house, therefore he killed him.' Now about that door, gentlemen of the jury....Observe that we have only the statement of one witness as to that door, and he was at the time in such a condition, that- but supposing the door was open; supposing the prisoner has lied in denying it, from an instinct of self-defence, natural in his position; supposing he did go into the house- well, what then? How does it follow that because he was there he committed the murder? He might have dashed in, run through the rooms; might have pushed his father away; might have struck him; but as soon as he had made sure Madame Svyetlov was not there, he may have run away rejoicing that she was not there and that he had not killed his father.And it was perhaps just because he had escaped from the temptation to kill his father, because he had a clear conscience and was rejoicing at not having killed him, that he was capable of a pure feeling, the feeling of pity and compassion, and leapt off the fence a minute later to the assistance of Grigory after he had, in his excitement, knocked him down.

"With terrible eloquence the prosecutor has described to us the dreadful state of the prisoner's mind at Mokroe when love again lay before him calling him to new life, while love was impossible for him because he had his father's bloodstained corpse behind him and beyond that corpse- retribution.And yet the prosecutor allowed him love, which he explained, according to his method, talking about this drunken condition, about a criminal being taken to execution, about it being still far off, and so on and so on.But again I ask, Mr.Prosecutor, have you not invented a new personality? Is the prisoner so coarse and heartless as to be able to think at that moment of love and of dodges to escape punishment, if his hands were really stained with his father's blood? No, no, no! As soon as it was made plain to him that she loved him and called him to her side, promising him new happiness, oh! then, I protest he must have felt the impulse to suicide doubled, trebled, and must have killed himself, if he had his father's murder on his conscience.Oh, no! he would not have forgotten where his pistols lay! I know the prisoner: the savage, stony heartlessness ascribed to him by the prosecutor is inconsistent with his character.He would have killed himself, that's certain.He did not kill himself just because 'his mother's prayers had saved him,' and he was innocent of his father's blood.

He was troubled, he was grieving that night at Mokroe only about old Grigory and praying to God that the old man would recover, that his blow had not been fatal, and that he would not have to suffer for it.Why not accept such an interpretation of the facts? What trustworthy proof have we that the prisoner is lying?

"But we shall be told at once again, 'There is his father's corpse! If he ran away without murdering him, who did murder him?'

Here, I repeat, you have the whole logic of the prosecution.Who murdered him, if not he? There's no one to put in his place.

"Gentlemen of the jury, is that really so? Is it positively, actually true that there is no one else at all? We've heard the prosecutor count on his fingers all the persons who were in that house that night.They were five in number; three of them, I agree, could not have been responsible- the murdered man himself, old Grigory, and his wife.There are left then the prisoner and Smerdyakov, and the prosecutor dramatically exclaims that the prisoner pointed to Smerdyakov because he had no one else to fix on, that had there been a sixth person, even a phantom of a sixth person, he would have abandoned the charge against Smerdyakov at once in shame and have accused that other.But, gentlemen of the jury, why may I not draw the very opposite conclusion? There are two persons- the prisoner and Smerdyakov.Why can I not say that you accuse my client, simply because you have no one else to accuse? And you have no one else only because you have determined to exclude Smerdyakov from all suspicion.

"It's true, indeed, Smerdyakov is accused only by the prisoner, his two brothers, and Madame Svyetlov.But there are others who accuse him: there are vague rumours of a question, of a suspicion, an obscure report, a feeling of expectation.Finally, we have the evidence of a combination of facts very suggestive, though, I admit, inconclusive.

同类推荐
  • 药鉴

    药鉴

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 得配本草

    得配本草

    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。
  • 父母恩重经

    父母恩重经

    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。
  • 分别功德论

    分别功德论

    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。
  • 高斋诗话

    高斋诗话

    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
  • 龙之征程

    龙之征程

    神魔争霸,天道无常,在那段乱世的岁月里,有那么的一段传说,一段关于人龙之子主宰浮沉的传说
  • 英雄联盟之末路逐梦

    英雄联盟之末路逐梦

    青梅竹马,姐弟恋情,青春和梦想,荣誉和奋斗。游戏只是载体,暧昧才是主题!
  • 水晶璀璨:天使羽翼

    水晶璀璨:天使羽翼

    血,溅着。心,痛着。也是,被自己的好朋友杀死,谁不心痛呢?绝望中,她异世穿越,新生笑世间。
  • 悟真篇注释

    悟真篇注释

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 第一巾帼

    第一巾帼

    作为穿越女的叶凌,坚定地执行着“人不中二枉少年”的致理格言,在中二的道路上一路逛奔直撞南墙,用满头的血与泪来证实她不过就是个平凡的穿越女,从此顿悟,成为冉冉新星。三年后,叶凌再回京都,在以正常人的姿态经历了种种阳谋阳谋后,叶姑娘感叹:还是中二好啊!于是,叶姑娘中二症发作,烧杀抢掠无所不作,欺男霸女,欺市霸国,誓将中二进行到底!(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 遥远的风铃

    遥远的风铃

    上个世纪70年代,命运的机缘让一批省城教授、电影导演以及县中教学骨干,兼做了江心洲中学的各科老师。他们凄切而壮美的生命之花,开放在这片浩荡而贫瘠的土地上,激荡着少女小芽的懵懂岁月。
  • 抗战老兵之不死传奇

    抗战老兵之不死传奇

    他们以自己的胸膛迎向日寇的刺刀,却把后背留给同胞,他们把死亡留给自己,却把生的机会留给妻儿老小,为了国家,为了民族,他们誓死不退,宁可战至最后一卒……谨以此文,献给所有为国家、为民族而捐躯的英雄。##########剑客粉丝群:28672101(欢迎广大书友加入)剑客铁粉群:124223988(需全订)
  • 农家养女之凤鸣朝阳

    农家养女之凤鸣朝阳

    唐安平觉得没有比自己更倒霉的人了吧,在21世纪自己好歹是个富家千金,有车有房还意外得了一个空间,虽然不受继母待见,生活也过的有滋有味,不过福气也是有用完的时候,不过是在树叉上睡了一觉,醒来自己居然变成了一个十岁的小女孩,有着极品的家人,自己还不是这个家的亲生女儿,还好爷爷奶奶还是非常偏心她这个孙女的,养父母极致疼爱。
  • EXO初雪

    EXO初雪

    一个普通少女,因为优异的成绩入学圣樱城最好的学校“圣樱贵族学院”,并结识了12校草,但是,12校草似乎对少女不太友善,这究竟是为什么?装有秘密的项链?最终真相揭晓,少年们对少女是愧疚?还是爱?而少女的心又将何去何从?
  • 世子的重生毒妻

    世子的重生毒妻

    我给老公下了点强效药,夜里他却差点把我弄死...思涵被庶妹和夫君联手害死,死前从庶妹顾夏莲口中得知父亲安乐侯顾庭沛也被这二人害死了,而顾夏莲的真实身份竟然是南越国公主。重生回到十岁的顾思涵痛下决心,要跟随父亲习武,强大自己手上的势力,并查明顾夏莲的身份,帮安乐侯府躲过劫难,手刃渣男和顾夏莲,报仇雪恨。