pointments with his wife (what abomination!). Or I will work on my
picture, which will, evidently, never be finished, for I had no
business to occupy myself with such trifles. And I can do neither of
these things now," he said to himself, happy at the inward change
which he felt.

"First of all," he thought, "I must see the lawyer, and then--then see
her in jail--the convict of yesterday--and tell her everything."

And when he thought how he would see her, confess his guilt before
her, how he would declare to her that he would do everything in his
power, marry her in order to wipe out his guilt, he became
enraptured, and tears filled his eyes.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Arriving at the court-house, Nekhludoff met the usher in the corridor
and asked him where the prisoners already sentenced were kept, and
from whom permission could be obtained to see them. The usher told him
that the prisoners were kept in various places, and that before final
judgment the public prosecutor was the only person from whom
permission to see them could be obtained. "The prosecutor has not
arrived yet; when he does I will let you know, and will escort you
myself to him after the session. And now, please to walk into the
court. The session is commencing."

Nekhludoff thanked the usher, who seemed to him particularly pitiful
to-day, and went into the jury-room.

As Nekhludoff was approaching the jury-room his fellow jurors were
coming out, repairing to the court-room. The merchant was as cheerful,
had lunched as well as yesterday, and greeted Nekhludoff like an old
friend. The loud laughter and familiarity of Peter Gerasimovitch did
not give rise to-day in Nekhludoff of the unpleasant sensation of
yesterday.

Nekhludoff wished to tell all the jurymen of his relations to the
woman whom they had convicted yesterday. "It would have been proper,"
he thought, "yesterday to rise in court and publicly confess my
guilt." But when with the other jurymen he entered the court-room and
witnessed the same procedure, the same "Hear ye! Hear ye!" the three
judges in high collars on the elevation, the silence, the seating of
the jury on high-backed chairs, the gendarmes, the priest--he felt
that, though it was necessary to do it, he would not have been able
even yesterday to break this solemnity.

They went through the same preliminaries, except the swearing in of
the jury and the justiciary's speech to them.

A case of burglary was before the court.