Book 2 Chapter 37 Spilled Like Water on the Ground

The trap passed the fireman who stood sentinel at the entrance,
[the headquarters of the fire brigade and the police stations are
generally together in Moscow] drove into the yard of the police
station, and stopped at one of the doors. In the yard several
firemen with their sleeves tucked up were washing some kind of
cart and talking loudly. When the trap stopped, several policemen
surrounded it, and taking the lifeless body of the convict under
the arms, took him out of the trap, which creaked under him. The
policeman who had brought the body got down, shook his numbed
arm, took off his cap, and crossed himself. The body was carried
through the door and up the stairs. Nekhludoff followed. In the
small, dirty room where the body was taken there stood four beds.
On two of them sat a couple of sick men in dressing-gowns, one
with a crooked mouth, whose neck was bandaged, the other one in
consumption. Two of the beds were empty; the convict was laid on
one of them. A little man, with glistening eyes and continually
moving brows, with only his underclothes and stockings on, came
up with quick, soft steps, looked at the convict and then at
Nekhludoff, and burst into loud laughter. This was a madman who
was being kept in the police hospital.

"They wish to frighten me, but no, they won't succeed," he said.

The policemen who carried the corpse were followed by a police
officer and a medical assistant. The medical assistant came up to
the body and touched the freckled hand, already growing cold,
which, though still soft, was deadly pale. He held it for a
moment, and then let it go. It fell lifelessly on the stomach of
the dead man.