He had so often had that, and it had always proved to be too thin a sheet of ice to stand upon in the hour of trial.

That kind of self-esteem was a plant which had too often been trodden under Mrs.Holman's heel to be able to bloom now as a fragrant, full-blown flower within him.
The outcome of his reflections was a sudden twist and a violent jerk, by which he hoped to escape from his inconvenient companion, the sole result, however, being that he immediately had a constable at each arm.
When brought up for examination before the police superintendent, a dark, unwilling defiance glowed in his face, and the sharp glance--too sharp for a lad of his age--did not prepossess any one in his favour.
Silla?
He had not been with any Silla on Saturday.
It would never occur to him to betray her, and it was only when he was confronted with her and her mother, and heard that she had confessed, that he admitted it.
Silla continued to maintain, in a voice choked with tears, that he had not taken the money, but this proved nothing either for or against him.
On the other hand what had more weight were the facts that had been elucidated on ransacking and examining the room in which he lodged--he lived in a garret at glazier Olsen's with three other apprentices--for they all agreed in saying that on the Saturday in question he had come home late, after they were asleep, and had gone out again very early on the Sunday morning.
The assertion of the accused that this was to renew the search for the lost money down by the yard did not seem very credible.

But it was impossible to get any nearer to him.
A hardened young rascal.

This was his foster-mother's testimony too.
Nikolai stood with his cap in his hand, looking down at the floor.

He had a habit of drawing the skin of his forehead up and down when he was meditating.