Little as he valued Golenishchev's capacity to understand art, unimportant as was his remark about the truth of Pilate's official expression while what was important remained unmentioned, and offensive as this trivial (it might have seemed to him) remark before anything had been said about what was most important Mikhaylov was delighted with it.
Per quanto mediocre egli stimasse la possibilità di intendere l’arte di Golenišcev, per quanto inconsistente fosse quella giusta osservazione sulla vera espressione di Pilato come burocrate, per quanto increscioso dovesse riuscirgli il vedere espressa per prima un’osservazione così inconsistente, mentre non si diceva nulla delle cose importanti, Michajlov fu entusiasta di quella osservazione.