Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 0I had.’
‘Will you be so good then as to tell us how you came here
and what you have done since you arrived?’
‘Oh! you might ask the people here about that. But I’ll tell
you if you like.’
He proceeded to do so, but we won’t repeat his story. He
told it dryly and curtly. Of the raptures of his love he said
nothing, but told them that he abandoned his determina-
tion to shoot himself, owing to ‘new factors in the case.’ He
told the story without going into motives or details. And
this time the lawyers did not worry him much. It was ob-
vious that there was no essential point of interest to them
here.
‘We shall verify all that. We will come back to it dur-
ing the examination of the witnesses, which will, of course,
take place in your presence,’ said Nikolay Parfenovitch in
conclusion. ‘And now allow me to request you to lay on the
table everything in your possession, especially all the mon-
ey you still have about you.’
‘My money, gentlemen? Certainly. I understand that that
is necessary. I’m surprised, indeed, that you haven’t in-
quired about it before. It’s true I couldn’t get away anywhere.
I’m sitting here where I can be seen. But here’s my money
— count it — take it. That’s all, I think.’
He turned it all out of his pockets; even the small change
— two pieces of twenty copecks — he pulled out of his waist-
coat pocket. They counted the money, which amounted to
eight hundred and thirty-six roubles, and forty copecks.
‘And is that all?’ asked the investigating lawyer.