THE OFFICIALS OF THE COURT.
At last Matthew Nikitich also arrived, and the usher, a thin man, with a long neck and a kind of sideways walk, his nether lip protruding to one side, which made him resemble a turkey, came into the jurymen's room.
This usher was an honest man, and had a university education, but could not keep a place for any length of time, as he was subject to fits of drunkenness. Three months before a certain countess, who patronised his wife, had found him this place, and he was very pleased to have kept it so long.
"Well, sirs, is everybody here?" he asked, putting his pince-nez on his nose, and looking round.
"Everybody, I think," said the jolly merchant.
"All right; we'll soon see." And, taking a list from his pocket, he began calling out the names, looking at the men, sometimes through and sometimes over his pince-nez.
"Councillor of State, [grades such as this are common in Russia, and mean very little] J. M. Nikiforoff!"
"I am he," said the dignified-looking man, well versed in the habits of the law court.
"Ivan Semionovitch Ivanoff, retired colonel!"
"Here!" replied a thin man, in the uniform of a retired officer.
"Merchant of the Second Guild, Peter Baklasheff!"
"Here we are, ready!" said the good-humoured merchant, with a broad smile.
"Lieutenant of the Guards, Prince Dmitri Nekhludoff!"
"I am he," answered Nekhludoff.
The usher bowed to him, looking over his pince-nez, politely and pleasantly, as if wishing to distinguish him from the others.
"Captain Youri Demitrievitch-Dantchenko, merchant; Grigori Euphimitch Kouleshoff," etc. All but two were present.
"Now please to come to the court, gentlemen," said the usher, pointing to the door, with an amiable wave of his hand.
All moved towards the door, pausing to let each other pass. Then they went through the corridor into the court.
The court was a large, long room. At one end there was a raised platform, with three steps leading up to it, on which stood a table, covered with a green cloth trimmed with a fringe of a darker shade. At the table were placed three arm-chairs, with high-carved oak backs; on the wall behind them hung a full-length, brightly-coloured portrait of the Emperor in uniform and ribbon, with one foot in advance, and holding a sword. In the right corner hung a case, with an image of Christ crowned with thorns, and beneath it stood a lectern, and on the same side the prosecuting attorney's desk. On the left, opposite the desk, was the secretary's table, and in front of it, nearer the public, an oak grating, with the prisoners' bench, as yet unoccupied, behind it. Besides all this, there were on the right side of the platform high-backed ashwood chairs for the jury, and on the floor below tables for the advocates. All this was in the front part of the court, divided from the back by a grating.
The back was all taken up by seats in tiers. Sitting on the front seats were four women, either servant or factory girls, and two working men, evidently overawed by the grandeur of the room, and not venturing to speak above a whisper.
Soon after the jury had come in the usher entered, with his sideward gait, and stepping to the front, called out in a loud voice, as if he meant to frighten those present, "The Court is coming!" Every one got up as the members stepped on to the platform. Among them the president, with his muscles and fine whiskers. Next came the gloomy member of the Court, who was now more gloomy than ever, having met his brother-in-law, who informed him that he had just called in to see his sister (the member's wife), and that she had told him that there would be no dinner there.
"So that, evidently, we shall have to call in at a cook shop," the brother-in-law added, laughing.
"It is not at all funny," said the gloomy member, and became gloomier still.
Then at last came the third member of the Court, the same Matthew Nikitich, who was always late. He was a bearded man, with large, round, kindly eyes. He was suffering from a catarrh of the stomach, and, according to his doctor's advice, he had begun trying a new treatment, and this had kept him at home longer than usual. Now, as he was ascending the platform, he had a pensive air. He was in the habit of making guesses in answer to all sorts of self-put questions by different curious means. Just now he had asked whether the new treatment would be beneficial, and had decided that it would cure his catarrh if the number of steps from the door to his chair would divide by three. He made 26 steps, but managed to get in a 27th just by his chair.
The figures of the president and the members in their uniforms, with gold-embroidered collars, looked very imposing. They seemed to feel this themselves, and, as if overpowered by their own grandeur, hurriedly sat down on the high backed chairs behind the table with the green cloth, on which were a triangular article with an eagle at the top, two glass vases--something like those in which sweetmeats are kept in refreshment rooms--an inkstand, pens, clean paper, and good, newly-cut pencils of different kinds.
The public prosecutor came in with the judges. With his portfolio under one arm, and swinging the other, he hurriedly walked to his seat near the window, and was instantly absorbed in reading and looking through the papers, not wasting a single moment, in hope of being ready when the business commenced. He had been public prosecutor but a short time, and had only prosecuted four times before this. He was very ambitious, and had firmly made up his mind to get on, and therefore thought it necessary to get a conviction whenever he prosecuted. He knew the chief facts of the poisoning case, and had already formed a plan of action. He only wanted to copy out a few points which he required.
The secretary sat on the opposite side of the platform, and, having got ready all the papers he might want, was looking through an article, prohibited by the censor, which he had procured and read the day before. He was anxious to have a talk about this article with the bearded member, who shared his views, but wanted to look through it once more before doing so.
玛特维终于来了.还有那个脖子很长的瘦民事执行吏,下嘴唇撇向一边,趔趄着走进陪审员议事室.
这个民事执行吏为人正直,受过高等教育,但不论到哪里都保不住位置,因为他嗜酒成癖.三个月前,他妻子的保护人,一位伯爵夫人,给他谋得了这个职位,他总算保持到现在,并因此觉得高兴.
"怎么样,诸位先生,人都到齐了吗?"他戴上夹鼻眼镜后,从眼镜上方向四下里打量了一下,说.
"看样子全到了,"快乐的商人说.
"让我们来核对一下,"民事执行吏说.他从口袋里掏出一张纸,开始点名,有时越过眼镜有时透过眼镜看看被点到名的人.
"五等文官尼基福罗夫."
"是我,"那个相貌堂堂,熟悉各种案情的先生答应.
"退役上校伊凡诺夫."
"有,"那个身穿退役军官制一服的瘦子回答.
"二等商人巴克拉肖夫."
"到,"那个和颜悦色,笑得咧开嘴巴的商人答道."都准备好了!"
"近卫军中尉聂赫留朵夫公爵."
"是我,"聂赫留朵夫回答.
民事执行吏越过眼镜向他瞧瞧,特别恭敬而愉快地向他鞠躬,借此表示聂赫留朵夫的身分与众不同.
"上尉丹钦科,商人库列肖夫,"等等,等等.
少了两个人,其余的都到了.
"诸位先生,现在请出庭,"民事执行吏愉快地指指门口,说.
大家纷纷起身,在门口互相让路,进入走廊,再从走廊来到法庭.
法庭是一个长方形大厅.大厅一端是一座高台,上去要走三级台阶.台中央放一张桌子,桌上铺一块绿呢桌布,边缘饰着深绿色穗子.桌子后面放着三把麻栎扶手椅,椅背很高,上面雕有花纹.椅子后面的墙上挂着一个金边镜框,框里嵌着一个色泽鲜明的将军全身像①.将军的军服上挂着绶带,一只脚跨前一步,一只手按住佩刀一柄一.右墙角上挂着一个神龛,里面供着头戴荆冠的基督像,神龛前面立着读经台.右边放着检察官的高写字台.左边,同高写字台对称,远远地放着书记官的小桌,靠近旁听席有一道光滑的麻栎栏杆,栏杆后面是被告坐的长凳.现在凳子还空着没有人坐.高台的右边放着两排高背椅,那是供陪审员坐的,高台下面的几张桌子是给律师用的.大厅被栏杆分成两部分,这一切都在大厅的前半部.大厅的后半部摆满长凳,一排比一排高,直到后面的墙壁.法庭后半部的前排长凳上坐着四个女人,又象工厂的女工,又象公馆里的女佣,还有两个男人,也是工人.他们显然被法庭的庄严肃穆气氛锁住了,因此一交一谈时怯生生地压低声音.
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①指沙皇像.
陪审员们一坐好,民事执行吏就趔趄着来到法庭中央,仿佛要吓唬在场的人似的,放开嗓门叫道:
"开庭了!"
全体起立.法官纷纷走到台上:领头的是体格魁伟,留络腮一胡一子的庭长,然后是那个脸色一�一沉,戴金丝边眼镜的法官.此刻他的脸色更加一�一沉,因为他在出庭前遇到在当见一习一法官的内弟,内弟告诉他说,他刚才到姐姐那里去过,姐姐向他宣布家里不开饭.
"看来咱们只好上小饭店去吃饭了,"内弟笑着说.
"有什么可笑的,"脸色一�一沉的法官说,他的脸色变得更加一�一沉了.
最后上去的法官就是那个向来迟到的玛特维.他留着大一胡一子,一双善良的大眼睛向下耷一拉着.这个法官长期患胃炎,遵照医生嘱咐今天早晨开始采用新的疗法,因此今天他在家里耽搁得比平时更久.此刻他走上台去,脸上现出专注的神气,因为他有一个一习一惯,常用各种不同方式预测各种问题.此刻他就在占卜,要是从办公室到法庭扶手椅座位的步数可以被三除尽,那么新的疗法定能治好他的胃炎,要是除不尽,那就治不好.走下来是二十六步,但他把最后一步缩小,这样就正好走了二十七步.
庭长和法官穿着衣领上镶有金线的制一服,走上高台,气势十分威严.他们自己也意识到这一点,仿佛都为自己的威严感到不好意思,慌忙谦逊地垂下眼睛,坐到铺着绿呢桌布后面的雕花扶手椅上.桌上竖一立着一个上面雕着一只鹰的三角形打击器,还放着几个食品店里盛糖果用的玻璃缸和墨水瓶,钢笔,白纸以及几支削尖的粗细铅笔.副检察官随着法官们进来.他还是那么匆匆忙忙,腋下夹一着公文包,还是那么拚命摆一动一只手,迅速走到窗边自己的座位上,一坐下就埋头翻阅文件,充分利用每一分钟时间为审案做着准备.副检察官提出公诉还是第四次.他热衷于功名,一心向上爬,因此凡是由他提出公诉的案子,最后非判刑不可.这个毒死人命案的一性一质他大致知道,并且已拟好发言提纲,不过他还需要一些资料,此刻正急急忙忙从卷宗中摘录着.
书记官坐在台上另一角,已把可能需要宣读的文件准备好,然后把昨天才弄到手和阅读过的一篇查禁的文章重读了一遍.他想跟那个同他观点一致的大一胡一子法官谈谈这篇文章,在谈论以前再好好看一遍.
