Nikolay turned pale or, at least, so it seemed to Liputin.
"You have a very peculiar way of looking at things, anyhow," Nikolay went on, "but as for Agafya, I understand, of course, that you simply sent her to be rude to me." "I couldn't challenge you to a duel, could I ?" "Oh, no, of course! I seem to have heard that you're not fond of duels...." "Why borrow from the French ?" said Liputin, doubling up again.
"You're for nationalism, then ?" Liputin shrank into himself more than ever.
"Bah, bah! What do I see ?" cried Nicolas, noticing a volume of Considerant in the most conspicuous place on the table.

"You don't mean to say you're a Fourierist! I'm afraid you must be! And isn't this too borrowing from the French ?" he laughed, tapping the book with his finger.
"No, that's not taken from the French," Liputin cried with positive fury, jumping up from his chair.

"That is taken from the universal language of humanity, not simply from the French.

From the language of the universal social republic and harmony of mankind, let me tell you! Not simply from the French!" "Foo! hang it all! There's no such language!" laughed Nikolay.
Sometimes a trifle will catch the attention and exclusively absorb it for a time.

Most of what I have to tell of young Stavrogin will come later.