"Fyodor Mikhailovich Smokovnikov, chairman of the state chamber, a man of incorruptible honesty—proud of that, and at the same time gloomy liberal, not only free-thinking, but also hating any manifestation of religiosity, which he considered a leftover of superstition—returned from the chamber in the worst possible mood. The governor wrote him a terribly stupid note, which allowed one to assume that Fyodor Mikhailovich had acted dishonestly. Fyodor Mikhailovich became very enraged and immediately wrote a spirited, sharp reply…"