nekhludoff again visits maslova.
nekhludoff had to wait in the hall for a long time. when he had arrived at the prison and rung at the entrance door, he handed the permission of the procureur to the jailer on duty who met him.
"no, no," the jailer on duty said hurriedly, "the inspector is engaged."
"in the office?" asked nekhludoff.
"no, here in the interviewing-room.".
"why, is it a visiting day to-day?"
"no; it's special business."
"i should like to see him. what am i to do?" said nekhludoff.
"when the inspector comes out you'll tell him--wait a bit," said the jailer.
at this moment a sergeant-major, with a smooth, shiny face and moustaches impregnated with tobacco smoke, came out of a side door, with the gold cords of his uniform glistening, and addressed the jailer in a severe tone.
"what do you mean by letting any one in here? the office. . . ."
"i was told the inspector was here," said nekhludoff, surprised at the agitation he noticed in the sergeant-major's manner.
at this moment the inner door opened, and petrov came out, heated and perspiring.
"he'll remember it," he muttered, turning to the sergeant major. the latter pointed at nekhludoff by a look, and petrov knitted his brows and went out through a door at the back.
"who will remember it? why do they all seem so confused? why did the sergeant-major make a sign to him?" nekhludoff thought.
the sergeant-major, again addressing nekhludoff, said: "you cannot meet here; please step across to the office." and nekhludoff was about to comply when the inspector came out of the door at the back, looking even more confused than his subordinates, and sighing continually. when he saw nekhludoff he turned to the jailer.
"fedotoff, have maslova, cell 5, women's ward, taken to the office."
"will you come this way, please," he said, turning to nekhludoff. they ascended a steep staircase and entered a little room with one window, a writing-table, and a few chairs in it. the inspector sat down.
"mine are heavy, heavy duties," he remarked, again addressing nekhludoff, and took out a cigarette.
"you are tired, evidently," said nekhludoff.
"tired of the whole of the service--the duties are very trying. one tries to lighten their lot and only makes it worse; my only thought is how to get away. heavy, heavy duties!"
nekhludoff did not know what the inspector's particular difficulties were, but he saw that to-day he was in a peculiarly dejected and hopeless condition, calling for pity.
"yes, i should think the duties were heavy for a kind-hearted man," he said. "why do you serve in this capacity?"
"i have a family."
"but, if it is so hard--"
"well, still you know it is possible to be of use in some measure; i soften down all i can. another in my place would conduct the affairs quite differently. why, we have more than 2,000 persons here. and what persons! one must know how to manage them. it is easier said than done, you know. after all, they are also men; one cannot help pitying them." the inspector began telling nekhludoff of a fight that had lately taken place among the convicts, which had ended by one man being killed.
the story was interrupted by the entrance of maslova, who was accompanied by a jailer.
nekhludoff saw her through the doorway before she had noticed the inspector. she was following the warder briskly, smiling and tossing her head. when she saw the inspector she suddenly changed, and gazed at him with a frightened look; but, quickly recovering, she addressed nekhludoff boldly and gaily.
"how d'you do?" she said, drawling out her words, and resurrection smilingly took his hand and shook it vigorously, not like the first time.
"here, i've brought you a petition to sign," said nekhludoff, rather surprised by the boldness with which she greeted him to-day.
"the advocate has written out a petition which you will have to sign, and then we shall send it to petersburg."
"all right! that can be done. anything you like," she said, with a wink and a smile.
and nekhludoff drew a folded paper from his pocket and went up to the table.
"may she sign it here?" asked nekhludoff, turning to the inspector.
"it's all right, it's all right! sit down. here's a pen; you can write?" said the inspector.
"i could at one time," she said; and, after arranging her skirt and the sleeves of her jacket, she sat down at the table, smiled awkwardly, took the pen with her small, energetic hand, and glanced at nekhludoff with a laugh.
nekhludoff told her what to write and pointed out the place where to sign.
sighing deeply as she dipped her pen into the ink, and carefully shaking some drops off the pen, she wrote her name.
"is it all?" she asked, looking from nekhludoff to the inspector, and putting the pen now on the inkstand, now on the papers.
"i have a few words to tell you," nekhludoff said, taking the pen from her.
"all right; tell me," she said. and suddenly, as if remembering something, or feeling sleepy, she grew serious.
the inspector rose and left the room, and nekhludoff remained with her.
聂赫留朵夫在监狱的门廊里已等了好久。
他来到监狱，在大门口打了打铃，然后把检察官的许可证交给值班的看守。
“您要找谁？”
“探望女犯玛丝洛娃。”
“现在不行。典狱长正忙着呢。”
“他在办公室里吗？”聂赫留朵夫问。
“不，他在这里，在探望室里，”看守回答，聂赫留朵夫觉得他的神色有点慌张。
“难道今天是探监的日子吗？”
“不，今天有一件特殊的事，”他说。
“怎么才能见到他呢？”
“回头他出来，您自己对他说吧。您先等一会儿。”
这时，司务长从边门出来。他穿一身丝绦亮闪闪的制服，容光焕发，小胡子上满是烟草味，厉声对看守说：
“怎么把人带到这儿来？……带到办公室去……”
“他们对我说，典狱长在这儿，”聂赫留朵夫说，看到司务长也有点紧张，不禁感到纳闷。
这时候，里边一扇门开了，彼得罗夫神情激动，满头大汗，走了出来。
“这下子他会记住了，”他转身对司务长说。
司务长向他使了个眼色，意思是说聂赫留朵夫在这儿，彼得罗夫就不再作声，皱起眉头，从后门走掉了。
“谁会记住？为什么他们都这样慌慌张张？为什么司务长对他使了个眼色？”聂赫留朵夫心里琢磨着。
“不能在这儿等，您请到办公室去吧，”司务长又对聂赫留朵夫说。聂赫留朵夫刚要出去，典狱长正好从后门进来，神色比他的部下更加慌张。他不住叹气，一看见聂赫留朵夫，就转身对看守说：
“费陀托夫，把五号女牢的玛丝洛娃带到办公室去。”
“您请到这里来，”他对聂赫留朵夫说。他们沿着陡峭的楼梯走到一个小房间里，里面只有一扇窗，放着一张写字台和几把椅子。典狱长坐下来。
“这差使真苦，真苦，”他对聂赫留朵夫说，掏出一支很粗的香烟来。
“您看样子累了，”聂赫留朵夫说。
“这差使我干腻了，实在太痛苦了。我想减轻些他们的苦难，结果反而更糟。我真想早点离开，这差使真苦，真苦哇。”
聂赫留朵夫不知道什么事使典狱长感到特别苦，但他看出典狱长今天情绪非常沮丧，惹人怜悯。
“是的，我看您是很苦的，”他说。“可您何必担任这种差使呢？”
“我没有财产，可是得养家活口。”
“您既然觉得苦……”
“嗯，老实跟您说，我还是尽我的力做些好事，来减轻他们的痛苦。要是换了别人，决不会这么办的。您看，这儿有两千多人，都是些什么样的人，真是谈何容易！得懂得怎么对付他们。他们也是人，也惹人可怜。可又不能放纵他们。”
典狱长讲起不久前发生过的一件事。几个男犯打架，结果弄出人命来了。
这当儿，看守领着玛丝洛娃进来，把他的话打断了。
玛丝洛娃走到门口，还没有看见典狱长，聂赫留朵夫却看见她了。她脸色红红的，精神抖擞地跟着看守走来，摇头晃脑，不住地微笑着。她一看见典狱长，脸上现出惊惶的神色盯住他，但立刻镇定下来，大胆而快乐地向聂赫留朵夫打招呼。
“您好！”她拖长声音说，脸上挂着微笑，使劲握了握他的手，这跟上次大不一样。
“喏，我给您带来了状子，您来签个字，”聂赫留朵夫说，对她今天见到他时表现出来的那副活泼样子，感到有点奇怪。
“律师写了个状子，您签个字，我们就把它送到彼得堡去。”
“行，签个字也行。干什么都行，”她眯缝着一只眼睛，笑嘻嘻地说。
聂赫留朵夫从口袋里掏出一张折拢的纸，走到桌子旁边。
“可以在这里签字吗？”聂赫留朵夫问典狱长。
“你到这儿来，坐下，”典狱长说，“给你笔。你识字吗？”
“以前识过，”她说，微笑着理理裙子和上衣袖子，坐到桌子旁边，用她有力的小手笨拙地握住笔，笑起来，又瞟了聂赫留朵夫一眼。
他指点她该怎么签，签在什么地方。
她拿起笔，用心在墨水缸里蘸了蘸，抖掉一滴墨水，写上自己的名字。
“没有别的事了？”她问，忽而望望聂赫留朵夫，忽而望望典狱长，随后把笔插在墨水缸里，接着又放在纸上。
“我有些话要跟您说，”聂赫留朵夫接过她手里的笔，说。
“好，您说吧，”她说，忽然象是想起了什么心事或者想睡觉，脸色变得严肃了。
典狱长站起来，走了出去，屋子里剩下聂赫留朵夫和玛丝洛娃两个人。