![]() ![]() The isvostchik who drove Nekhludoff said, "Quite alot of people are dying in the prison every day, some kind ofdisease having sprung up among them, so that as many as twentywere buried in one day." ![]() The strictness of the inspector was chiefly due to the fact thatan epidemic of typhus had broken out in the prison, owing totwice the number of persons that it was intended for beingcrowded in it. He thought that thecopy of the document he had received would suffice, so when heleft the postoffice he told the isvostchik to drive him to theprison. "It will all clear itself up later on," hethought "I must not think about it now, but convey the glad newsto her as soon as possible, and set her free. And, besides, whatof her relations to Simonson? What was the meaning of her wordsyesterday? If she consented to a union with Simonson, would it bewell? He could not unravel all these questions, and gave upthinking about it. While she was a convict, marriage with hercould only be fictitious, and would have had no meaning exceptthat he would have been in a position to alleviate her condition.And now there was nothing to prevent their living together, andNekhludoff had not prepared himself for that. ![]() Itwas true that the new position she was in brought newcomplications with it. This was joyful and important news all that Nekhludoff couldhave hoped for Katusha, and for himself also, had happened. The only things heagreed to do were to communicate to Maslova that a mitigation hadarrived for her, and to promise that he would not detain her anhour after the order from his chief to liberate her would arrive.He would also give no news of Kryltzoff, saying he could not eventell if there was such a prisoner and so Nekhludoff, havingaccomplished next to nothing, got into his trap and drove back tohis hotel. Hedecidedly refused to let Nekhludoff come inside the prison walls.He only smiled contemptuously at Nekhludoff's naive conclusion,that the copy he had received would suffice to set Maslova free,and declared that a direct order from his own superiors would beneeded before any one could be set at liberty. That may be so, but I do not allow it," and his tone implied,"You city gentlemen may think to surprise and perplex us, but wein Eastern Siberia also know what the law is, and may even teachit you." The copy of a document straight from the Emperor's ownoffice did not have any effect on the prison inspector either. Did you get my note? Will you do it?" Mary Pavlovna asked. ![]()
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