Oh no, that's a secret for the time. Only remember, a secret has its
price."

"I know what it costs," Stavrogin muttered to himself, but he restrained
himself and was silent.

"What it costs? What did you say?" Pyotr Stepanovitch was startled.

"I said, 'Damn you and your secret!' You'd better be telling me who will
be there. I know that we are going to a name-day party, but who will be
there?"

"Oh, all sorts! Even Kirillov."

"All members of circles?"

"Hang it all, you are in a hurry! There's not one circle formed yet."

"How did you manage to distribute so many manifestoes then?"

"Where we are going only four are members of the circle. The others on
probation are spying on one another with jealous eagerness, and bring
reports to me. They are a trustworthy set. It's all material which
we must organise, and then we must clear out. But you wrote the rules
yourself, there's no need to explain."

"Are things going badly then? Is there a hitch?"

"Going? Couldn't be better. It will amuse you: the first thing which has
a tremendous effect is giving them titles. Nothing has more influence
than a title. I invent ranks and duties on purpose; I have secretaries,
secret spies, treasurers, presidents, registrars, their assistants--they
like it awfully, it's taken capitally. Then, the next force is
sentimentalism, of course. You know, amongst us socialism spreads
principally through sentimentalism. But the trouble is these lieutenants
who bite; sometimes you put your foot in it. Then come the out-and-out
rogues; well, they are a good sort, if you like, and sometimes very
useful; but they waste a lot of one's time, they want incessant looking
after. And the most important force of all--the cement that holds
everything together--is their being ashamed of having an opinion
of their own. That is a force! And whose work is it, whose precious
achievement is it, that not one idea of their own is left in their
heads! They think originality a disgrace."

"If so, why do you take so much trouble?"

"Why, if people lie simply gaping at every one, how can you resist
annexing them? Can you seriously refuse to believe in the possibility
of success? Yes, you have the faith, but one wants will. It's just with
people like this that success is possible. I tell you I could make them
go through fire; one has only to din it into them that they are not
advanced enough. The fools reproach me that I have taken in every one
here over the c