Book 1 Chapter 9 The Trial - The Prisoners Questioned

When he had finished his speech, the president turned to the male
prisoner.

"Simeon Kartinkin, rise."

Simeon jumped up, his lips continuing to move nervously and
inaudibly.

"Your name?"

"Simon Petrov Kartinkin," he said, rapidly, with a cracked voice,
having evidently prepared the answer.

"What class do you belong to?"

"Peasant."

"What government, district, and parish?"

"Toula Government, Krapivinskia district, Koupianovski parish,
the village Borki."

"Your age?"

"Thirty-three; born in the year one thousand eight--"

"What religion?"

"Of the Russian religion, orthodox."

"Married?"

"Oh, no, sir."

"Your occupation?"

"I had a place in the Hotel Mauritania."

"Have you ever been tried before?"

"I never got tried before, because, as we used to live
formerly--"

"So you never were tried before?"

"God forbid, never."

"Have you received a copy of the indictment?"

"I have."

"Sit down."

"Euphemia Ivanovna Botchkova," said the president, turning to the
next prisoner.

But Simon continued standing in front of Botchkova.

"Kartinkin, sit down!" Kartinkin continued standing.

"Kartinkin, sit down!" But Kartinkin sat down only when the
usher, with his head on one side, and with preternaturally
wide-open eyes, ran up, and said, in a tragic whisper, "Sit down,
sit down!"

Kartinkin sat down as hurriedly as he had risen, wrapping his
cloak round him, and again began moving his lips silently.

"Your name?" asked the president, with a weary sigh at being
obliged to repeat the same questions, without looking at the
prisoner, but glancing over a paper that lay before him. The
president was so used to his task that, in order to get quicker
through it all, he did two things at a time.