THE TRIAL--THE MEDICAL REPORT.

But, as if to spite him, the case dragged out to a great length. After each witness had been examined separately and the expert last of all, and a great number of useless questions had been put, with the usual air of importance, by the public prosecutor and by both advocates, the president invited the jury to examine the objects offered as material evidence. They consisted of an enormous diamond ring, which had evidently been worn on the first finger, and a test tube in which the poison had been analysed. These things had seals and labels attached to them.

Just as the witnesses were about to look at these things, the public prosecutor rose and demanded that before they did this the results of the doctor's examination of the body should be read. The president, who was hurrying the business through as fast as he could in order to visit his Swiss friend, though he knew that the reading of this paper could have no other effect than that of producing weariness and putting off the dinner hour, and that the public prosecutor wanted it read simply because he knew he had a right to demand it, had no option but to express his consent.

The secretary got out the doctor's report and again began to read in his weary lisping voice, making no distinction between the "r's" and "l's."

The external examination proved that:

"1. Theropont Smelkoff's height was six feet five inches.

"Not so bad, that. A very good size," whispered the merchant, with interest, into Nekhludoff's ear.

2. He looked about 40 years of age.

3. The body was of a swollen appearance.

4. The flesh was of a greenish colour, with dark spots in several places.

5. The skin was raised in blisters of different sizes and in places had come off in large pieces.

6. The hair was chestnut; it was thick, and separated easily from the skin when touched.

7. The eye-balls protruded from their sockets and the cornea had grown dim.

8. Out of the nostrils, both ears, and the mouth oozed serous liquid; the mouth was half open.

9. The neck had almost disappeared, owing to the swelling of the face and chest."

And so on and so on.

Four pages were covered with the 27 paragraphs describing all the details of the external examination of the enormous, fat, swollen, and decomposing body of the merchant who had been making merry in the town. The indefinite loathing that Nekhludoff felt was increased by the description of the corpse. Katusha's life, and the scrum oozing from the nostrils of the corpse, and the eyes that protruded out of their sockets, and his own treatment of her--all seemed to belong to the same order of things, and he felt surrounded and wholly absorbed by things of the same nature.

When the reading of the report of the external examination was ended, the president heaved a sigh and raised his hand, hoping it was finished; but the secretary at once went on to the description of the internal examination. The president's head again dropped into his hand and he shut his eyes. The merchant next to Nekhludoff could hardly keep awake, and now and then his body swayed to and fro. The prisoners and the gendarmes sat perfectly quiet.

The internal examination showed that:

"1. The skin was easily detachable from the bones of the skull, and there was no coagulated blood.

"2. The bones of the skull were of average thickness and in sound condition.

"3. On the membrane of the brain there were two discoloured spots about four inches long, the membrane itself being of a dull white." And so on for 13 paragraphs more. Then followed the names and signatures of the assistants, and the doctor's conclusion showing that the changes observed in the stomach, and to a lesser degree in the bowels and kidneys, at the postmortem examination, and described in the official report, gave great probability to the conclusion that Smelkoff's death was caused by poison which had entered his stomach mixed with alcohol. To decide from the state of the stomach what poison had been introduced was difficult; but it was necessary to suppose that the poison entered the stomach mixed with alcohol, since a great quantity of the latter was found in Smelkoff's stomach.

"He could drink, and no mistake," again whispered the merchant, who had just waked up.

The reading of this report had taken a full hour, but it had not satisfied the public prosecutor, for, when it had been read through and the president turned to him, saying, "I suppose it is superfluous to read the report of the examination of the internal organs?" he answered in a severe tone, without looking at the president, "I shall ask to have it read."

He raised himself a little, and showed by his manner that he had a right to have this report read, and would claim this right, and that if that were not granted it would serve as a cause of appeal.

The member of the Court with the big beard, who suffered from catarrh of the stomach, feeling quite done up, turned to the president:

"What is the use of reading all this? It is only dragging it out. These new brooms do not sweep clean; they only take a long while doing it."

The member with the gold spectacles said nothing, but only looked gloomily in front of him, expecting nothing good, either from his wife or life in general. The reading of the report commenced.

"In the year 188-, on February 15th, I, the undersigned, commissioned by the medical department, made an examination, No. 638," the secretary began again with firmness and raising the pitch of his voice as if to dispel the sleepiness that had overtaken all present, "in the presence of the assistant medical inspector, of the internal organs:

"1. The right lung and the heart (contained in a 6-lb. glass jar).

"2. The contents of the stomach (in a 6-lb. glass jar).

"3. The stomach itself (in a 6-lb. glass jar).

"4. The liver, the spleen and the kidneys (in a 9-lb. glass jar).

5. The intestines (in a 9-lb. earthenware jar)."

The president here whispered to one of the members, then stooped to the other, and having received their consent, he said: "The Court considers the reading of this report superfluous." The secretary stopped reading and folded the paper, and the public prosecutor angrily began to write down something. "The gentlemen of the jury may now examine the articles of material evidence," said the president. The foreman and several of the others rose and went to the table, not quite knowing what to do with their hands. They looked in turn at the glass, the test tube, and the ring. The merchant even tried on the ring.

"Ah! that was a finger," he said, returning to his place; "like a cucumber," he added. Evidently the image he had formed in his mind of the gigantic merchant amused him.

可是,仿佛有意跟他为难似的,审讯拖了很长时间.先是法庭逐一审问证人和鉴定人,接着副检察官和辩护人照例煞有介事地提出种种不必要的问题,然后一庭长请陪审员检察物证,其中包括一个很大的戒指,显然原来戴的手指很粗,戒指上面有钻石镶成的梅花.再有一个滤器,验出来里面有毒.

这些物证都盖了火漆印,上面贴有标签.

陪审员正要去查看物证,不料副检察官又站起来,要求在检查物证以前先宣读法医的验一尸一报告.

庭长一心想快点结束这个案子,好赶去同他的瑞士女人相会.庭长明明知道宣读这种报告,除了惹人厌烦,推迟吃饭时间外,不会有别的结果,而副检察官所以提出这样的要求,无非因为他有权这样做.庭长毕竟不能拒绝,只得同意.书记官取出文件,又用他那舌一尖音和卷舌音不分的声调,没一精一打采地念起来:

"外部检查结果:

"(一)费拉朋特·斯梅里科夫身长二俄尺十二俄寸①."

--------

①1俄尺等于0．71米.2俄尺12俄寸约合1．95米.

"那汉子可真高大,"那个商人关切地凑着聂赫留朵夫的耳朵低声说.

"(二)就外表推测,年约四十岁.

"(三)一尸一体浮肿.

"(四)全身皮肤呈淡绿色,并有深色斑点.

"(五)一尸一体表皮上有大小水泡,有几处脱皮,状如破布.

"(六)头发深褐色,很浓密,一经触一摸,随即脱落.

"(七)眼球突出眼眶之外,角膜浑浊.

"(八)鼻孔,双耳和口腔有泡沫状脓液流一出,嘴微张.

"(九)由于面部和胸部肿胀,颈部几乎不复能见."

等等,等等.

就这样在四页报告纸上写了二十七条,详细叙述这个在城里寻一欢作乐的商人高大肥胖而又浮肿腐烂的可怕一尸一体的外部检查结果.聂赫留朵夫听了这个验一尸一报告,原来那种说不出的嫌恶感越发强烈了.卡秋莎的一生,从一尸一体鼻孔里流一出来的脓液,从眼眶里暴出来的眼球,他聂赫留朵夫对她的行为,这一切在他看来都是同一类事物.这些事物从四面八方把他一团一团一围住,把他吞没了.等外部检查报告好容易宣读完毕,庭长长长地舒了一口气,抬起头,希望宣读工作就此结束.不料书记官又立刻宣读内部检查报告.

庭长又垂下头,一只手托住脑袋,闭上眼睛.坐在聂赫留朵夫旁边的商人好容易忍住睡意,身一子间或晃了晃.被告们却回他们后面的宪兵一样,坐着一动不动.

"内部检查结果:

"(一)头盖骨表皮极易从头盖骨分离,无一处瘀血可见.

"(二)头盖骨厚度中等,完整无损.

"(三)脑膜坚一硬,有两小块已变色,长约四英寸,脑膜呈浊白色,"等等,另外还有十三条.

然后是在场见证人的姓名和签字,然后是医生的结论.结论表明,根据一尸一体解剖并记录在案,死者胃部以及部分肠子和肾脏发生异变,使人有权以高度可能一性一肯定,斯梅里科夫之死实由于毒药搀入酒内灌进胃里所致.根据胃和部分肠子异变,难以断定用的是什么毒药;但可以肯定毒药是和酒一起进入胃里的,因为胃里有大量酒液.

"看来他喝得可凶了,"那个商人瞌睡刚醒,说.

这份报告宣读了将近一小时,但还是没有使副检察官满足.等报告宣读完毕,庭长就对他说:

"我看内脏检查报告就不用再念了."

"我可要求念一念这个报告,"副检察官稍稍欠起身一子,眼睛不看庭长,严厉地说.他说话的口气使人觉得,他有权要求宣读,并且决不让步,谁如果拒绝他的要求,他将有理由提出上诉.

那个生有一双和善的下垂眼睛的大一胡一子法官,因患有胃炎,觉得体力不支,就对庭长说:

"这个何必念呢?徒然拖时间.这种新扫帚越扫越脏,白白一浪一费时间."

戴金丝边眼镜的法官一言不发,只是忧郁而执拗地瞪着前方.不论对妻子还是对生活他都不抱任何希望.

宣读文件开始了.

"一八八×年二月十五日,本人受医务局委托,遵照第六三八号指令,"书记官提高嗓门,仿佛想驱除所有在场者的睡意,又断然念起来."在副医务检察官监督下,作下列内脏检查:

"(一)右肺和心脏(盛于六磅玻璃瓶内).

"(二)胃内所有物(盛于六磅玻璃瓶内).

"(三)胃(盛于六磅玻璃瓶内).

"(四)肝脏,脾脏和肾脏(盛于三磅玻璃瓶内).

"(五)肠(盛于六磅陶罐内)."

这次宣读一开始,庭长就俯身对一个法官低声说了些什么,然后又转向另一个法官.在获得他们肯定的回答后,他就打断书记官说:

"法庭认为宣读这个文件没有必要,"他说.

书记官住了口,收拾文件.副检察官怒气冲冲地记着什么.

"诸位陪审员先生可以检查物证了,"庭长宣布.

首席陪审员和其他几个陪审员纷纷起立,手足无措地走到桌子旁边.他们依次察看戒指,玻璃瓶和滤器.那个商人还把戒指戴到自己手指上试了试.

"嚯,手指好粗,"他回到他的座位,说."活象一条粗黄瓜,"他补充说,津津有味地猜想那个中毒丧命的商人一定象个大力士.