He turned terribly pale; suddenly he brought his fist down on the table with all his might. "If after that confession you don't leave Lizaveta Nikolaevna alone, if you make her unhappy, I'll kill you with my stick like a dog in a ditch!" He jumped up and walked quickly out of the room. Pyotr Stepanovitch, running in, found his host in a most unexpected frame of mind. "Ah, that's you!" Stavrogin laughed loudly; his laughter seemed to be provoked simply by the appearance of Pyotr Stepanovitch as he ran in with such impulsive curiosity. "Were you listening at the door? Wait a bit. What have you come about? I promised you something, didn't I? Ah, bah! I remember, to meet 'our fellows.' Let us go. I am delighted. You couldn't have thought of anything more appropriate." He snatched up his hat and they both went at once out of the house. "Are you laughing beforehand at the prospect of seeing 'our fellows'?" chirped gaily Pyotr Stepanovitch, dodging round him with obsequious alacrity, at one moment trying to walk beside his companion on the narrow brick pavement and at the next running right into the mud of the road; for Stavrogin walked in the middle of the pavement without observing that he left no room for anyone else. "I am not laughing at all," he answered loudly and gaily; "on the contrary, I am sure that you have the most serious set of people there." "'Surly dullards,' as you once deigned to express it." "Nothing is more amusing sometimes than a surly dullard." "Ah, you mean Mavriky Nikolaevitch? I am convinced he came to give up his betrothed to you, eh? I egged him on to do it, indirectly, would you believe it? And if he doesn't give her up, we'll take her, anyway, won't we--eh?" Pyotr Stepanovitch knew no doubt that he was running some risk in venturing on such sallies, but when he was excited he preferred to risk anything rather than to remain in uncertainty. Stavrogin only laughed. "You still reckon you'll help me?" he asked. "If you call me. But you know there's one way, and the best one." "Do I know your way?" "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."