"well, he plumped out that i had about a month left me; it might be a little more, he said, under favourable circumstances, but it might also be considerably less. according to his opinion i might die quite suddenly tomorrow, for instance there had been such cases. only a day or two since a young lady at colomna who suffered from consumption, and was about on a par with myself in the march of the disease, was going out to market to buy provisions, when she suddenly felt faint, lay down on the sofa, gasped once, and died.