“You are right. You understand.” He laughed suddenly. “They may perhaps call me a Jesuit and sanctimonious hypocrite after the document, ha, ha, ha! Yes?” “Certainly there is sure to be some such opinion. And do you expect to carry out your intention soon?” “To-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, how do I know? But very soon. You are right: I think, indeed, it will in the end happen that I shall publish it unexpectedly, and, indeed, in a revengeful, hateful moment, when I hate them most.” “Answer me one question, but sincerely, to me alone, only to me,” Tikhon said in quite a different voice; “if some one forgave you for this” (Tikhon pointed at the pages), “and not one of those whom you respect or fear, but a stranger, a man whom you will never know, if, reading your terrible confession, he forgave you, in the privacy of his heart—would you feel relieved, or would it be just the same to you?” “I should feel easier,” Stavrogin said in an undertone. “If you forgave me, I should feel very much relieved,” he added, casting his eyes down. “Provided that you forgive me too,” Tikhon murmured in a penetrating voice.[64] Footnote 64: After the words “Tikhon murmured, etc.,” there is struck out: “For what? What have you done to me? Ah, yes, it is the monastic formula!”—“For voluntary and involuntary sin. Every man who commits a sin has already sinned against all, and every man is in some way guilty for another’s sin. There is no solitary sin. As for me I am a great sinner, and perhaps worse than you.” “It is false humility. All these monastic formulas, you know, are not fine in the least. I will tell you the whole truth: I want you to forgive me. And besides you—one or two more, but as for the rest—let the rest rather hate me. But I want this, so that I may bear it with humility....” “And universal pity for you—could you not bear it with the same humility?” “Perhaps I could not.[65] Why do you....”[66] Footnote 65: After “I could not” is struck out: “You understand very finely, but....” Footnote 66: After “Why do you” is struck out: “do this.” “I feel the extent of your sincerity and am, of course, very much to blame, but I am not good at approaching people. I have always felt it a great fault in myself,” Tikhon said sincerely and intimately, looking straight into Stavrogin’s eyes. “I just say this, because I am afraid for you,” he added; “there is an almost impassable abyss before you.” “That I shan’t be able to bear it? Not able to endure[67] their hatred?” Stavrogin gave a start. Footnote 67: After “endure” is struck out: “with humility.” “Not their hatred alone.” “What else?” “Their laughter.” Tikhon half whispered these words, as if it were more than he had strength for. Stavrogin blushed; his face expressed alarm. “I foresaw it,” he said; “I must have appeared to you a very comic character after your reading of my ‘document.’[68] Don’t be uncomfortable. Don’t look disconcerted. I expected it.”