to. It was not for
nothing that I kissed your hand. But the people-must believe that we
know what we are after, while the other side do nothing but 'brandish
their cudgels and beat their own followers.' Ah, if we only had more
time! That's the only trouble, we have no time. We will proclaim
destruction..... Why is it, why is it that idea has such a fascination.
But we must have a little exercise; we must. We'll set fires going....
We'll set legends going. Every scurvy 'group' will be of use. Out of
those very groups I'll pick you out fellows so keen they'll not shrink
from shooting, and be grateful for the honour of a job, too. Well, and
there will be an upheaval! There's going to be such an upset as
the world has never seen before.... Russia will be overwhelmed with
darkness, the earth will weep for its old gods..... Well, then we shall
bring forward... whom?"

"Whom?"

"Ivan the Tsarevitch."

"Who-m?"

"Ivan the Tsarevitch. You! You!"

Stavrogin thought a minute.

"A pretender?" he asked suddenly, looking with intense-surprise at his
frantic companion. "Ah! so that's your plan at last!"

"We shall say that he is 'in hiding,'" Verhovensky said softly, in a
sort of tender whisper, as though he really were drunk indeed. "Do you
know the magic of that phrase, 'he is in hiding'? But he will appear,
he will appear. We'll set a legend going better than the Skoptsis'. He
exists, but no one has seen him. Oh, what a legend one can set going!
And the great thing is it will be a new force at work! And we need that;
that's what they are crying for. What can Socialism do: it's destroyed
the old forces but hasn't brought in any new.. But in this we have a
force, and what a force! Incredible. We only need one lever to lift up
the earth. Everything will rise up!"

"Then have you been seriously reckoning on me?" Stavrogin said with a
malicious smile.

"Why do you laugh, and so spitefully? Don't frighten me. I am like a
little child now. I can be frightened to death by one-smile like that.
Listen. I'll let no one see you, no one. So it-must be. He exists, but
no one has seen him; he is in hiding. And do you know, one might show
you, to one out of a hundred-thousand, for instance. And the rumour will
spread over all the land, 'We've seen him, we've seen him.'

"Ivan Filipovitch the God of Sabaoth, has been seen, too, when he
ascended into heaven in his chariot in the sight of men. They saw
him with their own eyes. And you a