It's only a personal incident.

It's no hindrance to the 'cause,' not the slightest!" Stray guests visited our circle too; a Jew, called Lyamshin, and a Captain Kartusov came.

An old gentleman of inquiring mind used to come at one time, but he died.

Liputin brought an exiled Polish priest called Slontsevsky, and for a time we received him on principle, but afterwards we didn't keep it up.
IX At one time it was reported about the town that our little circle was a hotbed of nihilism, profligacy, and godlessness, and the rumour gained more and more strength.

And yet we did nothing but indulge in the most harmless, agreeable, typically Russian, light-hearted liberal chatter.
"The higher liberalism" and the "higher liberal," that is, a liberal without any definite aim, is only possible in Russia.
Stepan Trofimovitch, like every witty man, needed a listener, and, besides that, he needed the consciousness that he was fulfilling the lofty duty of disseminating ideas.