“No, perhaps I am not going to give up the common cause. You must understand that …”
“What, would you join the quintet if I proposed it to you?” Verhovensky boomed suddenly, and he laid down the scissors.
Every one seemed startled. The mysterious man had revealed himself too freely. He had even spoken openly of the “quintet.”
“Every one feels himself to be an honest man and will not shirk his part in the common cause”—the lame man tried to wriggle out of it—“but …”
“No, this is not a question which allows of a but,” Verhovensky interrupted harshly and peremptorily. “I tell you, gentlemen, I must have a direct answer. I quite understand that, having come here and having called you together myself, I am bound to give you explanations” (again an unexpected revelation), “but I can give you none till I know what is your attitude to the subject. To cut the matter short—for we can’t go on talking for another thirty years as people have done for the last thirty—I ask you which you prefer: the slow way, which consists in the composition of socialistic romances and the academic ordering of the destinies of humanity a thousand years hence, while despotism will swallow the savoury morsels which would almost fly into your mouths of themselves if you’d take a little trouble; or do you, whatever it may imply, prefer a quicker way which will at last untie your hands, and will let humanity make its own social organisation in freedom and in action, not on paper? They shout ‘a hundred million heads’; that may be only a metaphor; but why be afraid of it if, with the slow day-dream on paper, despotism in the course of some hundred years will devour not a hundred but five hundred million heads? Take note too that an incurable invalid will not be cured whatever prescriptions are written for him on paper. On the contrary, if there is delay, he will grow so corrupt that he will infect us too and contaminate all the fresh forces which one might still reckon upon now, so that we shall all at last come to grief together. I thoroughly agree that it’s extremely agreeable to chatter liberally and eloquently, but action is a little trying.… However, I am no hand at talking; I came here with communications, and so I beg all the honourable company not to vote, but simply and directly to state which you prefer: walking at a snail’s pace in the marsh, or putting on full steam to get across it?”
“I am certainly for crossing at full steam!” cried the schoolboy in an ecstasy.
“So am I,” Lyamshin chimed in.
“There can be no doubt about the choice,” muttered an officer, followed by another, then by someone else. What struck them all most was that Verhovensky had come “with communications” and had himself just promised to speak.
“Gentlemen, I see that almost all decide for the policy of the manifestoes,” he said, looking round at the company.
“All, all!” cried the majority of voices.
“I confess I am rather in favour of a more humane policy,” said the major, “but as all are on the other side, I go with all the rest.”
“It appears, then, that even you are not opposed to it,” said Verhovensky, addressing the lame man.
“I am not exactly …” said the latter, turning rather red, “but if I do agree with the rest now, it’s simply not to break up—”
“You are all like that! Ready to argue for six months to practise your Liberal eloquence and in the end you vote the same as the rest! Gentlemen, consider though, is it true that you are all ready?”
(Ready for what? The question was vague, but very alluring.)
“All are, of course!” voices were heard. But all were looking at one another.
“But afterwards perhaps you will resent having agreed so quickly? That’s almost always the way with you.”
The company was excited in various ways, greatly excited. The lame man flew at him.
“Allow me to observe, however, that answers to such questions are conditional. Even if we have given our decision, you must note that questions put in such a strange way …”
“In what strange way?”
“In a way such questions are not asked.”
“Teach me how, please. But do you know, I felt sure you’d be the first to take offence.”
“You’ve extracted from us an answer as to our readiness for immediate action; but what right had you to do so? By what authority do you ask such questions?”
“You should have thought of asking that question sooner! Why did you answer? You agree and then you go back on it!”
“But to my mind the irresponsibility of your principal question suggests to me that you have no authority, no right, and only asked from personal curiosity.”
“What do you mean? What do you mean?” cried Verhovensky, apparently beginning to be much alarmed.
“Why, that the initiation of new members into anything you like is done, anyway, tête-à-tête and not in the company of twenty people one doesn’t know!” blurted out the lame man. He had said all that was in his mind because he was too irritated to restrain himself. Verhovensky turned to the general company with a capitally simulated look of alarm.
“Gentlemen, I deem it my duty to declare that all this is folly, and that our conversation has gone too far. I have so far initiated no one, and no one has the right to say of me that I initiate members. We were simply discussing our opinions. That’s so, isn’t it? But whether that’s so or not, you alarm me very much.” He turned to the lame man again. “I had no idea that it was unsafe here to speak of such practically innocent matters except tête-à-tête. Are you afraid of informers? Can there possibly be an informer among us here?”
The excitement became tremendous; all began talking.
“Gentlemen, if that is so,” Verhovensky went on, “I have compromised myself more than anyone, and so I will ask you to answer one question, if you care to, of course. You are all perfectly free.”
“What question? What question?” every one clamoured.
“A question that will make it clear whether we are to remain together, or take up our hats and go our several ways without speaking.”
“The question! The question!”
“If any one of us knew of a proposed political murder, would he, in view of all the consequences, go to give information, or would he stay at home and await events? Opinions may differ on this point. The answer to the question will tell us clearly whether we are to separate, or to remain together and for far longer than this one evening. Let me appeal to you first.” He turned to the lame man.
“Why to me first?”
“Because you began it all. Be so good as not to prevaricate; it won’t help you to be cunning. But please yourself, it’s for you to decide.”
“Excuse me, but such a question is positively insulting.”
“No, can’t you be more exact than that?”
“I’ve never been an agent of the Secret Police,” replied the latter, wriggling more than ever.
“Be so good as to be more definite, don’t keep us waiting.”
The lame man was so furious that he left off answering. Without a word he glared wrathfully from under his spectacles at his tormentor.
“Yes or no? Would you inform or not?” cried Verhovensky.
“Of course I wouldn’t,” the lame man shouted twice as loudly.
“And no one would, of course not!” cried many voices.
“Allow me to appeal to you, Mr. Major. Would you inform or not?” Verhovensky went on. “And note that I appeal to you on purpose.”
“I won’t inform.”
“But if you knew that someone meant to rob and murder someone else, an ordinary mortal, then you would inform and give warning?”
“Yes, of course; but that’s a private affair, while the other would be a political treachery. I’ve never been an agent of the Secret Police.”
“And no one here has,” voices cried again. “It’s an unnecessary question. Every one will make the same answer. There are no informers here.”
“What is that gentleman getting up for?” cried the girl-student.
“That’s Shatov. What are you getting up for?” cried the lady of the house.
Shatov did, in fact, stand up. He was holding his cap in his hand and looking at Verhovensky. Apparently he wanted to say something to him, but was hesitating. His face was pale and wrathful, but he controlled himself. He did not say one word, but in silence walked towards the door.
“Shatov, this won’t make things better for you!” Verhovensky called after him enigmatically.
“But it will for you, since you are a spy and a scoundrel!” Shatov shouted to him from the door, and he went out.
Shouts and exclamations again.
“That’s what comes of a test,” cried a voice.
“It’s been of use,” cried another.
“Hasn’t it been of use too late?” observed a third.
“Who invited him? Who let him in? Who is he? Who is Shatov? Will he inform, or won’t he?” There was a shower of questions.
“If he were an informer he would have kept up appearances instead of cursing it all and going away,” observed someone.
“See, Stavrogin is getting up too. Stavrogin has not answered the question either,” cried the girl-student.
Stavrogin did actually stand up, and at the other end of the table Kirillov rose at the same time.
“Excuse me, Mr. Stavrogin,” Madame Virginsky addressed him sharply, “we all answered the question, while you are going away without a word.”
“I see no
