С. А. Матвеев

It is a most extraordinary thing, but when I read a medicine advertisement I usually come to the conclusion that I am suffering from the disease that was described. One day I went to the British Museum to read about hay fever 1, I fancy I had it 2. I took the book, and read all I needed; and then I idly turned the leaves, and began to study diseases, generally. Immediately I understood that I had some fearful, devastating illness. I sat for a while, frozen with horror; and then, in despair, I again turned over the pages. I came to typhoid fever 3 – read the symptoms – discovered that I had typhoid fever, must have had it for months without knowing it – wondered what else I had got; turned up St. Vitus’s Dance 4 – found, as I expected, that I had that too, – and so started alphabetically. I had every malady they wrote about! The only malady I had not got was housemaid’s knee 5

We sailed from Amsterdam. A storm tore up by the roots many trees of enormous bulk and height, in an island where we lay at anchor to take in wood and water

He could smell opium and he smiled with pleasure

“Will she last out the night 1 , I wonder?”

Near the further end a passage led to the chemical laboratory

accelerated its cooling

“My daughter span five, five skeins today.

ever-increasing pressure will become at last

There I was struck on the shoulder 3  by a bullet, which shattered the bone

Тот, кто не прилагает ни малейших усилий, не смеет завидовать таланту. Неумехи даже не представляют, сколько времени и сил тратят умехи, чтобы добиться цели.