Stories 4 through 6 Summary

Story 1: The Malefactor

A peasant fisherman named Denis Grigoriev is appearing before the magistrate. He is being brought up before the court by a witness who saw him taking a bolt from the train track. The magistrate tells him of his offense but Denis is having a difficult time understanding why what he did is so terrible. Denis is a fisherman and admits taking the bolt, but for good reason. He needs the weight of the bolt to sink his bait. If he does not have a good weighted sinker, his bait will not reach the most desirable catch. The magistrate informs him that another railroad bolt was found on a search of his house. Denis readily admits taking bolts but never thought taking bolts could cause derailment of a train, as the magistrate claims. Denis and his brothers have been...