out again in the same loud and wailing voice:

"It's not the right thing, no, no, it's not the right thing!"

The place to which they carried the dead man at the extreme end of the
rather large pond, which was the farthest of the three from the house,
was one of the most solitary and unfrequented spots in the park,
especially at this late season of the year. At that end the pond was
overgrown with weeds by the banks. They put down the lantern, swung the
corpse and threw it into the pond. They heard a muffled and prolonged
splash. Pyotr Stepanovitch raised the lantern and every one followed his
example, peering curiously to see the body sink, but nothing could
be seen: weighted with the two stones, the body sank at once. The big
ripples spread over the surface of the water and quickly passed away. It
was over.

Virginsky went off with Erkel, who before giving up Lyamshin to
Tolkatchenko brought him to Pyotr Stepanovitch, reporting to the
latter that Lyamshin had come to his senses, was penitent and begged
forgiveness, and indeed had no recollection of what had happened to him.
Pyotr Stepanovitch walked off alone, going round by the farther side of
the pond, skirting the park. This was the longest way. To his surprise
Liputin overtook him before he got half-way home.

"Pyotr Stepanovitch! Pyotr Stepanovitch! Lyamshin will give
information!"

"No, he will come to his senses and realise that he will be the first to
go to Siberia if he did. No one will betray us now. Even you won't."

"What about you?"

"No fear! I'll get you all out of the way the minute you attempt to turn
traitors, and you know that. But you won't turn traitors. Have you run a
mile and a half to tell me that?"

"Pyotr Stepanovitch, Pyotr Stepanovitch, perhaps we shall never meet
again!"

"What's put that into your head?"

"Only tell me one thing."

"Well, what? Though I want you to take yourself off."

"One question, but answer it truly: are we the only quintet in the
world, or is it true that there are hundreds of others? It's a question
of the utmost importance to me, Pyotr Stepanovitch."

"I see that from the frantic state you are in. But do you know, Liputin,
you are more dangerous than Lyamshin?"

"I know, I know; but the answer, your answer!"

"You are a stupid fellow! I should have thought it could make no
difference to you now whether it's the only quintet or one of a
thousand."

"That means it's the only one! I was sure of i