e brightest spring days it seems
wrapped in a dense shade, and on clear moonlight nights, when the
trees and the little dwelling-houses merged in one blur of shadow
seem plunged in quiet slumber, it alone absurdly and inappropriately
towers, an oppressive mass of stone, above the modest landscape,
spoils the general harmony, and keeps sleepless vigil as though it
could not escape from burdensome memories of past unforgiven sins.
Inside it is like a barn and extremely unattractive. It is strange
to see how readily these elegant lawyers, members of committees,
and marshals of nobility, who in their own homes will make a scene
over the slightest fume from the stove, or stain on the floor,
resign themselves here to whirring ventilation wheels, the disgusting
smell of fumigating candles, and the filthy, forever perspiring
walls.

The sitting of the circuit court began between nine and ten. The
programme of the day was promptly entered upon, with noticeable
haste. The cases came on one after another and ended quickly, like
a church service without a choir, so that no mind could form a
complete picture of all this parti-coloured mass of faces, movements,
words, misfortunes, true sayings and lies, all racing by like a
river in flood. . . . By two o'clock a great deal had been done:
two prisoners had been sentenced to service in convict battalions,
one of the privileged class had been sentenced to deprivation of
rights and imprisonment, one had been acquitted, one case had been
adjourned.

At precisely two o'clock the presiding judge announced that the
case "of the peasant Nikolay Harlamov, charged with the murder of
his wife," would next be heard. The composition of the court remained
the same as it had been for the preceding case, except that the
place of the defending counsel was filled by a new personage, a
beardless young graduate in a coat with bright buttons. The president
gave the order--"Bring in the prisoner!"

But the prisoner, who had been got ready beforehand, was already
walking to his bench. He was a tall, thick-set peasant of about
fifty-five, completely bald, with an apathetic, hairy face and a
big red beard. He was followed by a frail-looking little soldier
with a gun.

Just as he was reaching the bench the escort had a trifling mishap.
He stumbled and dropped the gun out of his hands, but caught it at
once before it touched the ground, knocking his knee violently
against the butt end as he did so. A fai