“How do you know that I am capable of thinking out the plan?”

“People have talked about you to me, and here I’ve heard⁠ ⁠… I know that you are very clever and⁠ ⁠… are working for the cause⁠ ⁠… and think a great deal. Pyotr Stepanovitch Verhovensky spoke about you in Switzerland,” she added hurriedly. “He’s a very clever man, isn’t he?”

Shatov stole a fleeting, momentary glance at her, but dropped his eyes again.

“Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch told me a great deal about you, too.”

Shatov suddenly turned red.

“But here are the newspapers.” Liza hurriedly picked up from a chair a bundle of newspapers that lay tied up ready. “I’ve tried to mark the facts here for selection, to sort them, and I have put the papers together⁠ ⁠… you will see.”

Shatov took the bundle.