e
substance of it.

"What is it that surprises you?"

"Everything. I can understand the orderly who acted under orders, but
the assistant prosecutor who drew the indictment is an educated man----"

"That is the mistake. We are used to think that the prosecuting
officers--the court officers generally--are a kind of new, liberal
men. And so they were at one time, but not now. The only thing that
concerns these officers is to draw their salaries on the 20th of every
month. Their principles begin and end with their desire to get more.
They will arrest, try and convict anybody----. I am always telling these
court officers that I never look upon them without gratitude,"
continued the lawyer, "because it is due to their kindness that I, you
and all of us are not in jail. To deprive any one of us of all civil
rights and send him to Siberia is the easiest thing imaginable."

"But if everything depends on the pleasure of the prosecutor, who can
enforce the law or not, then what is the use of the courts?"

The lawyer laughed merrily.

"That is the question you are raising. Well, my dear sir, that is
philosophy. However, we can discuss that. Come to my house next
Saturday. You will find there scholars, litterateurs, artists. We will
have a talk on social questions," said the lawyer, pronouncing the
words "social questions" with ironical pathos. "Are you acquainted
with my wife? Call on Saturday."

"I will try," answered Nekhludoff, feeling that he was saying an
untruth; that if there was anything he would try hard to do it was not
to be present at the lawyer's amid the scholars, litterateurs and
artists.

The laughter with which the lawyer met Nekhludoff's remark concerning
the uselessness of courts if the prosecutors can do what they please,
and the intonation with which he pronounced the words "philosophy" and
"social questions," showed how utterly unlike himself were the lawyer
and the people of his circle, both in character and in views of life.

CHAPTER VII.

It was late and the distance to the prison was long, so Nekhludoff
hired a trap. On one of the streets the driver, who was a middle-aged
man with an intelligent and good-natured face, turned to Nekhludoff
and pointed to an immense building going up.

"What a huge building there is going up!" he said with pride, as if he
had a part in the building of it.

It was really a huge structure, built in a complex, unusual style. A
scaffolding of heavy pine