Book 2 Chapter 22 An Old Friend

"Oh! Maslova's case," said Selenin, suddenly remembering it. "The
appeal had no grounds whatever."

"It is not the appeal; it's the woman who is innocent, and is
being punished."

Selenin sighed. "That may well be, but----"

"Not _may be_, but is."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was on the jury. I know how we made the mistake."

Selenin became thoughtful. "You should have made a statement at
the time," he said.

"I did make the statement."

"It should have been put down in an official report. If this had
been added to the petition for the appeal--"

"Yes, but still, as it is, the verdict is evidently absurd."

"The Senate has no right to say so. If the Senate took upon
itself to repeal the decision of the law courts according to its
own views as to the justice of the decisions in themselves, the
verdict of the jury would lose all its meaning, not to mention
that the Senate would have no basis to go upon, and would run the
risk of infringing justice rather than upholding it," said
Selenin, calling to mind the case that had just been heard.

"All I know is that this woman is quite innocent, and that the
last hope of saving her from an unmerited punishment is gone. The
grossest injustice has been confirmed by the highest court."

"It has not been confirmed. The Senate did not and cannot enter
into the merits of the case in itself," said Selenin. Always busy
and rarely going out into society, he had evidently heard nothing
of Nekhludoff's romance. Nekhludoff noticed it, and made up his
mind that it was best to say nothing about his special relations
with Maslova.