“What, what did you say?”
“I said, on trouve toujours plus de moines que de raison, and as I thoroughly …”
“I’m sure that’s not your saying. You must have taken it from somewhere.”
“It was Pascal said that.”
“Just as I thought … it’s not your own. Why don’t you ever say anything like that yourself, so shortly and to the point, instead of dragging things out to such a length? That’s much better than what you said just now about administrative ardour …”
“Ma foi, chère …” why? In the first place probably because I’m not a Pascal after all, et puis … secondly, we Russians never can say anything in our own language.… We never have said anything hitherto, at any rate.…”
“H’m! That’s not true, perhaps. Anyway, you’d better make a note of such phrases, and remember them, you know, in case yo
