"May I look in?" asked Nekhludoff.
       "Oh, certainly," answered the assistant, smiling, and turned to the jailer with some question.
       Nekhludoff looked into one of the little holes, and saw a tall young man pacing up and down the cell. When the man heard some one at the door he looked up with a frown, but continued walking up and down.
       Nekhludoff looked into another hole. His eye met another large eye looking out of the hole at him, and he quickly stepped aside. In the third cell he saw a very small man asleep on the bed, covered, head and all, with his prison cloak. In the fourth a broad-faced man was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head low down. At the sound of footsteps this man raised his head and looked up. His face, especially his large eyes, bore the expression of hopeless dejection. One could see that it did not even interest him to know who was looking into his cell. Whoever it might be, he evidently hoped for nothing good from him. Nekhludoff was seized with dread, and went to Menshoff's cell, No. 21, without stopping to look through any more holes. The jailer unlocked the door and opened it. A young man, with long neck, well-developed muscles, a small head, and kind, round eyes, stood by the bed, hastily putting on his cloak, and looking at the newcomers with a frightened face. Nekhludoff was specially struck by the kind, round eyes that were throwing frightened and inquiring glances in turns at him, at the jailer, and at the assistant, and back again.
       "Here's a gentleman wants to inquire into your affair."
       "Thank you kindly."
       "Yes, I was told about you," Nekhludoff said, going through the cell up to the dirty grated window, "and I should like to hear all about it from yourself."
       Menshoff also came up to the window, and at once started telling his story, at first looking shyly at the inspector's assistant, but growing gradually bolder. When the assistant left the cell and went into the corridor to give some order the man grew quite bold. The story was told with the accent and in the manner common to a most ordinary good peasant lad. To hear it told by a prisoner dressed in this degrading clothing, and inside a prison, seemed very strange to Nekhludoff. Nekhludoff listened, and at the same time kept looking around him--at the low bedstead with its straw mattress, the window and the dirty, damp wall, and the piteous face and form of this unfortunate, disfigured peasant in his prison cloak and shoes, and he felt sadder and sadder, and would have liked not to believe what this good-natured fellow was saying. It seemed too dreadful to think that men could do such a thing as to take a man, dress him in convict clothes, and put him in this horrible place without any reason only because he himself had been injured. And yet the thought that this seemingly true story, told with such a good-natured expression on the face, might be an invention and a lie was still more dreadful. This was the story: The village public-house keeper had enticed the young fellow's wife. He tried to get justice by all sorts of means. But everywhere the public-house keeper managed to bribe the officials, and was acquitted. Once, he took his wife back by force, but she ran away next day. Then he came to demand her back, but, though he saw her when he came in, the public-house keeper told him she was not there, and ordered him to go away. He would not go, so the public-house keeper and his servant beat him so that they drew blood. The next day a fire broke out in the public-house, and the young man and his mother were accused of having set the house on fire. He had not set it on fire, but was visiting a friend at the time.
       "And it is true that you did not set it on fire?"
       "It never entered my head to do it, sir. It must be my enemy that did it himself. They say he had only just insured it. Then they said it was mother and I that did it, and that we had threatened him. It is true I once did go for him, my heart couldn't stand it any longer."
       "Can this be true?"
       "God is my witness it is true. Oh, sir, be so good--" and Nekhludoff had some difficulty to prevent him from bowing down to the ground. "You see I am perishing without any reason." His face quivered and he turned up the sleeve of his cloak and began to cry, wiping the tears with the sleeve of his dirty shirt.
       "Are you ready?" asked the assistant.
       "Yes. Well, cheer up. We will consult a good lawyer, and will do what we can," said Nekhludoff, and went out. Menshoff stood close to the door, so that the jailer knocked him in shutting it, and while the jailer was locking it he remained looking out through the little hole.

book i
   Chapter I. Maslova in Prison.
   Chapter II. Maslova's Early Life.
   Chapter III. Nekhludoff.
   Chapter IV. Missy.
   Chapter V. The Jurymen.
   Chapter VI. The Judges.
   Chapter VII. The Officials of the Court.
   Chapter VIII. Swearing in the Jury.
   Chapter IX. The Trial--the Prisoners Questioned.
   Chapter X. The Trial--the Indictment.
   Chapter XI. The Trial--Maslova Cross-Examined.
   Chapter XII. Twelve Years Before.
   Chapter XIII. Life in the Army.
   Chapter XIV. The Second Meeting with Maslova.
   Chapter XV. The Early Mass.
   Chapter XVI. The First Step.
   Chapter XVII. Nekhludoff and Katusha.
   Chapter XVIII. Afterwards.
   Chapter XIX. The Trial--Resumption.
   Chapter XX. . The Trial--the Medical Report.
   Chapter XXI. The Trial--the Prosecutor and the Advocates.
   Chapter XXII. The Trial--the Summing Up.
   Chapter XXIII. The Trial--the Verdict.
   Chapter XXIV. The Trial--the Sentence.
   Chapter XXV. Nekhludoff Consults an Advocate.
   Chapter XXVI. The House of Korchagin.
   Chapter XXVII. Missy's Mother.
   Chapter XXVIII. The Awakening.
   Chapter XXIX. Maslova in Prison.
   Chapter XXX. The Cell.
   Chapter XXXI. The Prisoners.
   Chapter XXXII. A Prison Quarrel.
   Chapter XXXIII. The Leaven at Work--Nekhludoff's Domestic Changes.
   Chapter XXXIV. The Absurdity of Law--Reflections of a Juryman.
   Chapter XXXV. The Procureur--Nekhludoff Refuses to Serve.
   Chapter XXXVI. Nekhludoff Endeavours to Visit Maslova.
   Chapter XXXVII. Maslova Recalls the Past.
   Chapter XXXVIII. Sunday in Prison--Preparing for Mass.
   Chapter XXXIX. The Prison Church--Blind Leaders of the Blind.
   Chapter XL. The Husks of Religion.
   Chapter XLI. Visiting Day--the Men's Ward.
   Chapter XLII. Visiting Day--the Women's Ward.
   Chapter XLIII. Nekhludoff Visits Maslova.
   Chapter XLIV. Maslova's View of Life.
   Chapter XLV. Fanarin, the Advocate--the Petition.
   Chapter XLVI. A Prison Flogging.
   Chapter XLVII. Nekhludoff Again Visits Maslova.
   Chapter XLVIII. Maslova Refuses to Marry.
   Chapter XLIX. Vera Doukhova.
   Chapter L. The Vice-Governor of the Prison.
   Chapter LI. The Cells.
   Chapter LII. No. 21.
   Chapter LIII. Victims of Government.
   Chapter LIV. Prisoners and Friends.
   Chapter LV. Vera Doukhova Explains.
   Chapter LVI. Nekhludoff and the Prisoners.
   Chapter LVII. The Vice-Governor's "At-Home".
   Chapter LVIII. The Vice-Governor Suspicious.
   Chapter LIX. Nekhludoff's Third Interview with Maslova in Prison.
book ii
   Chapter I. Property in Land.
   Chapter II. Efforts at Land Restoration.
   Chapter III. Old Associations.
   Chapter IV. The Peasants' Lot.
   Chapter V. Maslova's Aunt.
   Chapter VI. Reflections of a Landlord.
   Chapter VII. The Disinherited.
   Chapter VIII. God's Peace in the Heart.
   Chapter IX. The Land Settlement.
   Chapter X. Nekhludoff Returns to Town.
   Chapter XI. An Advocate's Views on Judges and Prosecutors.
   Chapter XII. Why the Peasants Flock to Town.
   Chapter XIII. Nurse Maslova.
   Chapter XIV. An Aristocratic Circle.
   Chapter XV. An Average Statesman.
   Chapter XVI. An Up-to-Date Senator.
   Chapter XVII. Countess Katerina Ivanovna's Dinner Party.
   Chapter XVIII. Officialdom.
   Chapter XIX. An Old General of Repute.
   Chapter XX. Maslova's Appeal.
   Chapter XXI. The Appeal Dismissed.
   Chapter XXII. An Old Friend.
   Chapter XXIII. The Public Prosecutor.
   Chapter XXIV. Mariette Tempts Nekhludoff.
   Chapter XXV. Lydia Shoustova's Home.
   Chapter XXVI. Lydia's Aunt.
   Chapter XXVII. The State Church and the People.
   Chapter XXVIII. The Meaning of Mariette's Attraction.
   Chapter XXIX. For Her Sake and for God's.
   Chapter XXX. The Astonishing Institution Called Criminal Law.
   Chapter XXXI. Nekhludoff's Sister and Her Husband.
   Chapter XXXII. Nekhludoff's Anarchism.
   Chapter XXXIII. The Aim of the Law.
   Chapter XXXIV. The Prisoners Start for Siberia.
   Chapter XXXV. Not Men but Strange and Terrible Creatures?
   Chapter XXXVI. The Tender Mercies of the Lord.
   Chapter XXXVII. Spilled Like Water on the Ground.
   Chapter XXXVIII. The Convict Train.
   Chapter XXXIX. Brother and Sister.
   Chapter XL. The Fundamental Law of Human Life.
   Chapter XLI. Taras's Story.
   Chapter XLII. Le Vrai Grand Monde.
book iii
   Chapter I. Maslova Makes New Friends.
   Chapter II. An Incident of the March.
   Chapter III. Mary Pavlovna.
   Chapter IV. Simonson.
   Chapter V. The Political Prisoners.
   Chapter VI. Kryltzoff's Story.
   Chapter VII. Nekhludoff Seeks an Interview with Maslova.
   Chapter VIII. Nekhludoff and the Officer.
   Chapter IX. The Political Prisoners.
   Chapter X. Makar Devkin.
   Chapter XI. Maslova and her Companions.
   Chapter XII. Nabatoff and Markel.
   Chapter XIII. Love Affairs of the Exiles.
   Chapter XIV. Conversations in Prison.
   Chapter XV. Novodvoroff.
   Chapter XVI. Simonson Speaks to Nekhludoff.
   Chapter XVII. "I Have Nothing More to Say."
   Chapter XVIII. Neveroff's Fate.
   Chapter XIX. Why is it Done?
   Chapter XX. The Journey Resumed.
   Chapter XXI. "Just a Worthless Tramp."
   Chapter XXII. Nekhludoff Sees the General.
   Chapter XXIII. The Sentence Commuted.
   Chapter XXIV. The General's Household.
   Chapter XXV. Maslova's Decision.
   Chapter XXVI. The English Visitor.
   Chapter XXVII. Kryltzoff at Rest.
   Chapter XXVIII. A New Life Dawns for Nekhludoff.