Depart by Alexander Herzen. Short summary

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Herzen asked the chairman of the Criminal Chamber to reconsider the case of his countryman. The old man took into account the «mitigating circumstances» and reduced the sentence. He admitted that he hated such cases.

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Herzen was on his way from the village to Moscow and stopped in one district town. The writer was sought out by a peasant woman from his native land. She asked to help her husband, who had been sitting in the jail for six months, waiting for punishment.

Herzen knew the chairman of the Criminal Chamber and asked him to consider the case of a peasant, taking into account the «facilitating circumstances. The old man agreed, reviewed the case and reduced the convict’s sentence.

He confessed that he hated «extenuating circumstances,» because anyone could be acquitted because of them. He used to suffer a lot when he had to consider such cases, but over the years he stopped paying attention to «circumstances.