THE TRIAL--THE INDICTMENT¹.

The indictment ran as follows: On the 17th of January, 18--, in the lodging-house Mauritania, occurred the sudden death of the Second Guild² merchant, Therapont Emilianovich Smelkoff, of Kourgan.

The local police doctor of the fourth district certified³ that death was due to rupture⁴ of the heart, owing to the excessive use of alcoholic⁵ liquids. The body of the said Smelkoff was interred⁶. After several days had elapsed, the merchant Timokhin, a fellow-townsman and companion of the said Smelkoff, returned from St. Petersburg, and hearing the circumstances that accompanied the death of the latter, notified his suspicions that the death was caused by poison, given with intent to rob the said Smelkoff of his money. This suspicion was corroborated⁷ on inquiry⁸, which proved:

1. That shortly before his death the said Smelkoff had received the sum of 3,800 roubles from the bank. When an inventory⁹ of the property of the deceased was made, only 312 roubles and 16 copecks were found.

2. The whole day and night preceding his death the said Smelkoff spent with Lubka (alias Katerina Maslova) at her home and in the lodging-house Mauritania, which she also visited at the said Smelkoff's request during his absence, to get some money, which she took out of his portmanteau in the presence of the servants of the lodging-house Mauritania, Euphemia Botchkova and Simeon Kartinkin, with a key given her by the said Smelkoff. In the portmanteau opened by the said Maslova, the said Botchkova and Kartinkin saw packets of 100-rouble bank-notes.

3. On the said Smelkoff's return to the lodging-house Mauritania, together with Lubka, the latter, in accordance with the attendant Kartinkin's advice, gave the said Smelkoff some white powder given to her by the said Kartinkin, dissolved in brandy.

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1 indictment
n.起诉；诉状
参考例句：
He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。 They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

2 guild
n.行会，同业公会，协会
参考例句：
He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。 You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

3 certified
a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的
参考例句：
Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。 The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

4 rupture
n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂
参考例句：
I can rupture a rule for a friend.我可以为朋友破一次例。 The rupture of a blood vessel usually cause the mark of a bruise.血管的突然破裂往往会造成外伤的痕迹。

5 alcoholic
adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者
参考例句：
The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。 Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

6 interred
v.埋，葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. 玛丽·居里的遗体被移出葬在先贤祠中。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The body was interred at the cemetery. 遗体埋葬在公墓里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 corroborated
v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 )
参考例句：
The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。 Experiments have corroborated her predictions. 实验证实了她的预言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 inquiry
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。 The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

9 inventory
n.详细目录，存货清单
参考例句：
Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。 We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

10 alleged
a.被指控的，嫌疑的
参考例句：
It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。 alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 intestines
n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句 The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

12 narcotic
n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的
参考例句：
Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。 No medical worker is allowed to prescribe any narcotic drug for herself.医务人员不得为自己开处方使用麻醉药品。

13 earnings
n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得
参考例句：
That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。 Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

14 scarlet
n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的
参考例句：
The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。 The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

15 usher
n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员
参考例句：
The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。 They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

16 lodgers
n.房客，租住者( lodger的名词复数 )
参考例句：
He takes in lodgers. 他招收房客。 来自《简明英汉词典》 A good proportion of my lodgers is connected with the theaters. 住客里面有不少人是跟戏院子有往来的。 来自辞典例句

17 jointly
ad.联合地，共同地
参考例句：
Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。 She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

18 thereby
adv.因此，从而
参考例句：
I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。 He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

19 penal
adj.刑罚的；刑法上的
参考例句：
I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。 He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。