“No, what he did was to boast he’d caught him. By the way, allow me to trouble you with a question though, for indeed I think I have the right to one now. Tell me, have you caught your hare?”

“Don’t dare to ask me in such words! Ask differently, quite differently.” Shatov suddenly began trembling all over.

“Certainly I’ll ask differently.” Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch looked coldly at him. “I only wanted to know, do you believe in God, yourself?”

“I believe in Russia.⁠ ⁠… I believe in her orthodoxy.⁠ ⁠… I believe in the body of Christ.⁠ ⁠… I believe that the new advent will take place in Russia.⁠ ⁠… I believe⁠ ⁠…” Shatov muttered frantically.

“And in God? In God?”

“I⁠ ⁠… I will believe in God.”