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"No, brother, no buts. And if the ear-rings being found in

Nikolay's hands at the very day and hour of the murder

constitutes an important piece of circumstantial evidence against

him--although the explanation given by him accounts for it, and

therefore it does not tell seriously against him--one must take

into consideration the facts which prove him innocent, especially

as they are facts that cannot be denied. And do you suppose, from

the character of our legal system, that they will accept, or that

they are in a position to accept, this fact--resting simply on a

psychological impossibility--as irrefutable and conclusively

breaking down the circumstantial evidence for the prosecution?

No, they won't accept it, they certainly won't, because they

found the jewel-case and the man tried to hang himself, 'which he

could not have done if he hadn't felt guilty.' That's the point,

that's what excites me, you must understand!"