“You take too dark a view of things, Philip Philippovich,” said the handsome bitten one. “They have changed quite a lot lately.” “My dear friend, you know me, don’t you? I am a man of facts, a man of observation. I am an enemy of unfounded hypotheses. And this is well known not only in Russia, but also in Europe. If I say something, you may be sure it is based on certain facts, from which I have drawn conclusions. And here are the facts for you: the coat rack and the stand for galoshes in our house.”
