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.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

MASLOVA REFUSES TO MARRY.

The jailer who had brought Maslova in sat on a windowsill at some distance from them.

The decisive moment had come for Nekhludoff.  He had been incessantly blaming himself for not having told her the principal thing at the first interview, and was now determined to tell her that he would marry her.  She was sitting at the further side of the table.  Nekhludoff sat down opposite her.  It was light in the room, and Nekhludoff for the first time saw her face quite near.  He distinctly saw the crowsfeet round her eyes, the wrinkles round her mouth, and the swollen eyelids.  He felt more sorry than before.  Leaning over the table so as not to be beard by the jailer—­a man of Jewish type with grizzly whiskers, who sat by the window—­Nekhludoff said: 

“Should this petition come to nothing we shall appeal to the Emperor.  All that is possible shall be done.”