As the critical faculty, on the universal application of which he prided himself, was, in reality, completely lacking, that refinement of good breeding which consists in assuring some one whom you are obliging in any way, without expecting to be believed, that it is really yourself that is obliged to him, was wasted on Cottard, who took everything that he heard in its literal sense.
Gauza guztien gainean ongi baino hobeki hornitua zegoela uste zuèn zentzu kritikoa benetan erabat ments zitzaionez gero, jendetasunaren fintasun-gailur hori, norberak beste norbaiti mesede bat egiten dionean, mesedearen zorduna norbait hori ez baizik eta norbera dela baieztatzean datzana (jakina, beste norbait horrek zinez sinetsiko ez duelako esperantzan), alfer-alferrikako keinua zen Cottard doktorearekin, dena hitzez hitz hartzen baitzuen. Mme.