Мертві душі
Chapter 4
Buttheprincipalpointis,thatIproposetodecidethesematters,notbyformaldocumentaryprocess,butbythemoresummaryprocessofcourt-martial,andthatIhope,whenthecircumstanceshavebeenlaidbeforehisImperialMajesty,toreceivefromhimauthoritytoadoptthecoursewhichIhavementioned.ForIconceivethatwhenithasbecomeimpossibletoresolveacasebycivilmeans,andsomeofthenecessarydocumentshavebeenburnt,andattemptshavebeenmade(boththroughtheadductionofanexcessoffalseandextraneousevidenceandthroughtheframingoffictitiousreports)tocloudanalreadysufficientlyobscureinvestigationwithanaddedmeasureofcomplexity,—whenallthesecircumstanceshavearisen,Iconceivethattheonlypossibletribunaltodealwiththemisamilitarytribunal.ButonthatpointIshouldlikeyouropinion.”
ThePrincepausedforamomentortwo,asthoughawaitingareply;butnonecame,seeingthateverymanhadhiseyesbentuponthefloor,andmanyoftheaudiencehadturnedwhiteintheface.
“Then,”hewenton,“ImaysaythatIamawarealsoofamatterwhichthosewhohavecarrieditthroughbelievetolieonlywithinthecognisanceofthemselves.Theparticularsofthatmatterwillnotbesetforthindocumentaryform,butonlythroughprocessofmyselfactingasplaintiffandpetitioner,andproducingnonebutocularevidence.”
Amongthethrongoftchinovnikssomeonegaveastart,andtherebycausedothersofthemoreapprehensivesorttofalltotremblingintheirshoes.
