»Hands up!« shouted the superintendent, holding his revolver tighter in his damp hand.
But the man neither raised his arms nor made any answer.
»Search him!« the superintendent ordered.
»There's nothing to search! I took his revolver away. Oh, my God!« Liuba cried, her teeth chattering with fear. She had nothing on but a crumpled chemise; among the others, all wrapped in their cloaks, the two, man and woman, both half naked, roused feelings of shame, disgust, and contempt.
They searched his clothing, ransacked the carpet, peered into the corners, into the cupboard, and found nothing.
»I took his revolver from him,« Liuba thoughtlessly insisted.
»Silence Liubka!« the superintendent shouted. He knew the girl well, had spent two or three nights with her. He believed her; but his relief was so unexpected that out of sheer pleasure he wanted to shout and command and show his authority.
»I shall not say. I shall not answer any questions at all.«
»All right, sir, all right,« the superintendent replied ironically, but somewhat abashed. Then he looked again at the naked hairy feet and at the girl shuddering in the corner, and suddenly became suspicious.
»Is this the right man?« he said, taking a detective aside. »Something seems....«
The detective went and stared closely in the man's face, then nodded his head decisively.
»Yes. It's he. He's only shaved his beard. You can recognise him by his cheekbones.«
»And look at the eyes, too. I could pick him out of a thousand by his eyes.«
He took a long look at the unfinished proof photograph of a man, very handsome, wonderfully pure and young, with a long bushy Russian beard. The expression on the face was the same. Not grim, but very calm and bright. The cheekbones were not markedly prominent.
»You see! His cheekbones don't stand out like....«
»They are concealed by the beard, but if you feel under it with the eye....«
»It may be, but.... Is he a hard drinker?«
The detective, tall and thin, with a yellow face and sparse beard, himself a hard drinker, smiled patronizingly.
»I know there isn't but still....« The superintendent approached the man. »Listen! Were you an accomplice in the murder of N----?« It was a very important and well known name.