The Nail

⁠​​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌⁠PEDRO DE ALARÇON

I

The thing which is most ardently desired by a man who steps into a stagecoach, bent upon a long journey, is that his companions may be agreeable, that they may have the same tastes, possibly the same vices, be well educated and know enough not to be too familiar.

When I opened the door of the coach I felt fearful of encountering an old woman suffering with the asthma, an ugly one w