Page 1119 - the-brothers-karamazov

moment that the facts began to group themselves round a
single point, and the whole horrible and bloody crime was
gradually revealed. Everyone, perhaps, felt from the first
that the case was beyond dispute, that there was no doubt
about it, that there could be really no discussion, and that
the defence was only a matter of form, and that the prisoner
was guilty, obviously and conclusively guilty. I imagine that
even the ladies, who were so impatiently longing for the ac-
quittal of the interesting prisoner, were at the same time,
without exception, convinced of his guilt. What’s more, I
believe they would have been mortified if his guilt had not
been so firmly established, as that would have lessened the
effect of the closing scene of the criminal’s acquittal. That
he would be acquitted, all the ladies, strange to say, were
firmly persuaded up to the very last moment. ‘He is guilty,
but he will be acquitted, from motives of humanity, in ac-
cordance with the new ideas, the new sentiments that had
come into fashion,’ and so on, and so on. And that was why
they had crowded into the court so impatiently. The men
were more interested in the contest between the prosecu-
tor and the famous Fetyukovitch. All were wondering and
asking themselves what could even a talent like Fetyukov-
itch’s make of such a desperate case; and so they followed
his achievements, step by step, with concentrated attention.
But Fetyukovitch remained an enigma to all up to the
very end, up to his speech. Persons of experience suspected
that he had some design, that he was working towards some
object, but it was almost impossible to guess what it was.
His confidence and self-reliance were unmistakable, howev-

111 The Brothers Karamazov