"Why are you chattering, Liputin; it's stupid. What for?" Alexey Nilitch turned again instantly. "Why be so modest and conceal the generous impulses of one's soul; that is, of your soul? I'm not speaking of my own." "How stupid it is... and quite unnecessary. Lebyadkin's stupid and quite worthless--and no use to the cause, and... utterly mischievous. Why do you keep babbling all sorts of things? I'm going." "Oh, what a pity!" cried Liputin with a candid smile, "or I'd have amused you with another little story, Stepan Trofimovitch. I came, indeed, on purpose to tell you, though I dare say you've heard it already. Well, till another time, Alexey Nilitch is in such a hurry. Good-bye for the present. The story concerns Varvara Petrovna. She amused me the day before yesterday; she sent for me on purpose. It's simply killing. Good-bye." But at this Stepan Trofimovitch absolutely would not let him go. He seized him by the shoulders, turned him sharply back into the room, and sat him down in a chair. Liputin was positively scared. "Why, to be sure," he began, looking warily at Stepan Trofimovitch from his chair, "she suddenly sent for me and asked me 'confidentially' my private opinion, whether Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch is mad or in his right mind. Isn't that astonishing?" "You're out of your mind!" muttered Stepan Trofimovitch, and suddenly, as though he were beside himself: "Liputin, you know perfectly well that you only came here to tell me something insulting of that sort and... something worse!" In a flash, I recalled his conjecture that Liputin knew not only more than we did about our affair, but something else which we should never know. "Upon my word, Stepan Trofimovitch," muttered Liputin, seeming greatly alarmed, "upon my word..." "Hold your tongue and begin! I beg you, Mr. Kirillov, to come back too, and be present. I earnestly beg you! Sit down, and you, Liputin, begin directly, simply and without any excuses." "If I had only known it would upset you so much I wouldn't have begun at all. And of course I thought you knew all about it from Varvara Petrovna herself." "You didn't think that at all. Begin, begin, I tell you." "Only do me the favour to sit down yourself, or how can I sit here when you are running about before me in such excitement. I can't speak coherently." Stepan Trofimovitch restrained himself and sank impressively into an easy chair. The engineer stared gloomily at the floor. Liputin looked at them with intense enjoyment, "How am I to begin?... I'm too overwhelmed...." VI