in the ink-pot, as some author said."

"Well, now, your case, or rather the case in which you are
interested," he continued; "was badly conducted. There are no good
grounds for appeal, but, of course, we can make an attempt. This is
what I have written."

He took a sheet of paper, and quickly swallowing some uninteresting,
formal words, and emphasizing others, he began to read:

"To the Department of Cassation, etc., etc., Katherine, etc. Petition.
By the decision, etc., of the etc., rendered, etc., a certain Maslova
was found guilty of taking the life, by poisoning, of a certain
merchant Smelkoff, and in pursuance of Chapter 1,454 of the Code, was
sentenced to etc., with hard labor, etc."

He stopped, evidently listening with pleasure to his own composition,
although from constant use he knew the forms by heart.

"'This sentence is the result of grave errors,' he continued with
emphasis, 'and ought to be reversed for the following reasons:
First, the reading in the indictment of the description of the
entrails of Smelkoff was interrupted by the justiciary at the very
beginning.'--One."

"But the prosecutor demanded its reading," Nekhludoff said with
surprise.

"That is immaterial; the defense could have demanded the same thing."