第345页 / 共1294页

"Oh, I see you are excited! Wait a bit. I forgot to ask you; what

proof is there that the box came from the old woman?"

"That's been proved," said Razumihin with apparent reluctance,

frowning. "Koch recognised the jewel-case and gave the name of

the owner, who proved conclusively that it was his."

"That's bad. Now another point. Did anyone see Nikolay at the

time that Koch and Pestryakov were going upstairs at first, and

is there no evidence about that?"

"Nobody did see him," Razumihin answered with vexation. "That's

the worst of it. Even Koch and Pestryakov did not notice them on

their way upstairs, though, indeed, their evidence could not have

been worth much. They said they saw the flat was open, and that

there must be work going on in it, but they took no special

notice and could not remember whether there actually were men at

work in it."