ARMAND: Why don’t we talk about me instead of Émile? Now that’s he got those damn presents back, will he still be able to intervene?
OLGHINA: He has no need to … not at this point, anyway. Émile’s intuition is infallible, and he’s already understood everything. He was right to take those gifts away, but he exaggerated their value. As for their trade value, since perhaps he considered selling them, I gave him quite a moderate estimate, in fact one that was wholly inapplicable. This is what disappointed him and made him rein in his speechifying.
ARMAND: Now you’re the one who’s prolonging his presence here with us. I know I was wrong to leave him an opening – and he didn’t hesitate in exploiting it so he could sneak in his poisonous wisdom.
OLGHINA: I had a curious impression, which is th
