NO. 21.

"May I look in?" asked Nekhludoff.

"Oh, certainly," answered the assistant, smiling, and turned to the jailer with some question.

Nekhludoff looked into one of the little holes, and saw a tall young man pacing up and down the cell. When the man heard some one at the door he looked up with a frown, but continued walking up and down.

Nekhludoff looked into another hole. His eye met another large eye looking out of the hole at him, and he quickly stepped aside. In the third cell he saw a very small man asleep on the bed, covered, head and all, with his prison cloak. In the fourth a broad-faced man was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head low down. At the sound of footsteps this man raised his head and looked up. His face, especially his large eyes, bore the expression of hopeless dejection. One could see that it did not even interest him to know who was looking into his cell. Whoever it might be, he evidently hoped for nothing good from him. Nekhludoff was seized with dread, and went to Menshoff's cell, No. 21, without stopping to look through any more holes. The jailer unlocked the door and opened it. A young man, with long neck, well-developed muscles, a small head, and kind, round eyes, stood by the bed, hastily putting on his cloak, and looking at the newcomers with a frightened face. Nekhludoff was specially struck by the kind, round eyes that were throwing frightened and inquiring glances in turns at him, at the jailer, and at the assistant, and back again.

"Here's a gentleman wants to inquire into your affair."

"Thank you kindly."

"Yes, I was told about you," Nekhludoff said, going through the cell up to the dirty grated window, "and I should like to hear all about it from yourself."

Menshoff also came up to the window, and at once started telling his story, at first looking shyly at the inspector's assistant, but growing gradually bolder. When the assistant left the cell and went into the corridor to give some order the man grew quite bold. The story was told with the accent and in the manner common to a most ordinary good peasant lad. To hear it told by a prisoner dressed in this degrading clothing, and inside a prison, seemed very strange to Nekhludoff. Nekhludoff listened, and at the same time kept looking around him--at the low bedstead with its straw mattress, the window and the dirty, damp wall, and the piteous face and form of this unfortunate, disfigured peasant in his prison cloak and shoes, and he felt sadder and sadder, and would have liked not to believe what this good-natured fellow was saying. It seemed too dreadful to think that men could do such a thing as to take a man, dress him in convict clothes, and put him in this horrible place without any reason only because he himself had been injured. And yet the thought that this seemingly true story, told with such a good-natured expression on the face, might be an invention and a lie was still more dreadful. This was the story: The village public-house keeper had enticed the young fellow's wife. He tried to get justice by all sorts of means. But everywhere the public-house keeper managed to bribe the officials, and was acquitted. Once, he took his wife back by force, but she ran away next day. Then he came to demand her back, but, though he saw her when he came in, the public-house keeper told him she was not there, and ordered him to go away. He would not go, so the public-house keeper and his servant beat him so that they drew blood. The next day a fire broke out in the public-house, and the young man and his mother were accused of having set the house on fire. He had not set it on fire, but was visiting a friend at the time.

"And it is true that you did not set it on fire?"

"It never entered my head to do it, sir. It must be my enemy that did it himself. They say he had only just insured it. Then they said it was mother and I that did it, and that we had threatened him. It is true I once did go for him, my heart couldn't stand it any longer."

"Can this be true?"

"God is my witness it is true. Oh, sir, be so good--" and Nekhludoff had some difficulty to prevent him from bowing down to the ground. "You see I am perishing without any reason." His face quivered and he turned up the sleeve of his cloak and began to cry, wiping the tears with the sleeve of his dirty shirt.

"Are you ready?" asked the assistant.

"Yes. Well, cheer up. We will consult a good lawyer, and will do what we can," said Nekhludoff, and went out. Menshoff stood close to the door, so that the jailer knocked him in shutting it, and while the jailer was locking it he remained looking out through the little hole.

"里面可以看看吗?"聂赫留朵夫问.

"请吧,"副典狱长笑容可掬地说,接着就向看守问了些什么.聂赫留朵夫凑近一个小一洞往里看:牢房里有一个高个子年轻人,只穿一套衬衣裤,留着一小撮黑一胡一子,在迅速地走来走去.他一听见门外的沙沙声,抬头看了看,皱起眉头,又继续踱步.

聂赫留朵夫从另一个小一洞往里望,他的眼睛正好遇到一只从里面望出来的恐惧的大眼睛,他慌忙躲开.他凑近第三个小一洞,看见一床一上躺着一个个子矮小的人,蜷缩着身一子,用囚袍蒙住脑袋.第四个牢房里坐着一个阔脸的人,脸色苍白,低垂着头,臂肘支在膝盖上.这人一听见脚步声,就抬起头来,向前看了看.他的整个脸上,特别是那双大眼睛里,现出万念俱灰的神色.他显然毫不在乎,是谁在向他张望.不论谁来看他,他显然不指望会有什么好事.聂赫留朵夫感到害怕,不再看别的牢房,就一直来到关押着明肖夫的第二十一号牢房.看守哐啷一声开了锁,推开牢门.一个脖子细长,肌肉发达的年轻人,生有一双和善的圆眼睛,留着一小撮一胡一子,站在一床一铺旁边.他现出惊惧的神色,慌忙穿上囚袍,眼睛盯着来人.特别使聂赫留朵夫感动的是他那双和善的圆眼睛,又困惑又惊惧地瞧瞧他,又瞧瞧看守,再瞧瞧副典狱长,然后又回过来瞧瞧他.

"喏,这位先生要了解了解你的案子."

"十分感谢."

"是的,有人给我讲了您的案子,"聂赫留朵夫走到牢房里,站在装有铁栅的肮脏窗子旁,说,"很想听您自己谈一谈."

明肖夫也走到窗前,立刻讲起他的事来.他先是怯生生地瞧瞧副典狱长,随后胆子渐渐大起来.等到副典狱长走出牢房,到走廊里去吩咐什么事,他就毫无顾虑了.从语言和姿态上看,讲这个故事的是一个极其淳朴善良的农村小伙子.但在监狱里听一个身穿囚服的犯人亲口讲述,聂赫留朵夫觉得特别别扭.聂赫留朵夫一边听,一边打量着铺草垫的低矮一床一铺,钉有粗铁条的窗子,涂抹得一塌一胡一涂的又潮又脏的墙壁,以及这个身穿囚鞋囚服,受尽折磨的不幸的人,他那痛苦的神色和身一子,心里觉得越来越难受.他不愿相信,这个极其善良的人所讲的事情是真的.他想到一个人平白无故被抓起来,硬给套一上囚服,关在这个可怕的地方,就因为有人要恣意加以凌一辱,他不禁感到心惊胆战.不过,想到万一这个相貌和善的人所讲的事只是欺骗和捏造,他就感到更加心惊胆战.事情是这样的:在他婚后不久,一个酒店老板就夺了他的妻子.他到处申诉告状.可是酒店老板买通了长官,官方就一直庇护他.有一次明肖夫把妻子硬拉回家,可是第二天她又跑了.于是他就上门去讨.酒店老板说他的妻子不在(他进去的时候明明看见她在里面),喝令他走开.他不走.酒店老板就伙同一名雇工把他打得头破血流.第二天,酒店老板的院子起火.明肖夫连同他的母亲被指控放火,其实他当时正在他教父家里,根本不可能放火.

"那你真的没有放过火吗?"

"老爷,我连这样的念头都不曾有过.准是那坏蛋自己放的火.据说,他刚刚保过火险.他却说我和我一妈一去过他家,还吓唬过他.不错,我那次把他大骂了一顿,我实在气不过.至于放火,确实没有放过.再说,起火的时候,我人也不在那里.他却硬说我和我一妈一在那里.他贪图保险费,自己放了火,还把罪名硬栽在我们头上."

"真有这样的事吗?"

"老爷,我可以当着上帝的面说一句,这都是真的.您就算是我的亲爹吧!"他说着要跪下去.聂赫留朵夫好容易才把他拦住."您把我救出去吧,要不太冤枉了,我会完蛋的,"他继续说.

明肖夫的脸颊忽然哆嗦起来,他哭了.接着他卷起囚袍袖子,用肮脏的衬衫袖子擦擦眼睛.

"你们谈完了吗?"副典狱长问.

"谈完了.那么您不要灰心,我们一定努力想办法,"聂赫留朵夫说完,走了出去.明肖夫站在门口,因此看守关上牢门时,那门正好撞在他身上.看守锁门的时候,明肖夫就从门上的小一洞往外张望.