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10. One of the main arguments is that regardless of the cost of hardware, it is not free. Why
write a program that executes slower than is necessary. Furthermore, the difference between a
well-written efficient program and one that is poorly written can be a factor of two or three. In
many other fields of endeavor, the difference between a good job and a poor job may be 10 or 20
percent. In programming, the difference is much greater.
15. The use of type declaration statements for simple scalar variables may have very little effect
on the readability of programs. If a language has no type declarations at all, it may be an aid to
readability, because regardless of where a variable is seen in the program text, its type can be
determined without looking elsewhere. Unfortunately, most languages that allow implicitly
declared variables also include explicit declarations. In a program in such a language, the
declaration of a variable must be found before the reader can determine the type of that variable
when it is used in the program.
18. The main disadvantage of using paired delimiters for comments is that it results in
diminished reliability. It is easy to inadvertently leave off the final delimiter, which extends the
comment to the end of the next comment, effectively removing code from the program. The
advantage of paired delimiters is that you can comment out areas of a program. The disadvantage
of using only beginning delimiters is that they must be repeated on every line of a block of
comments. This can be tedious and therefore error-prone. The advantage is that you cannot make
the mistake of forgetting the closing delimiter.
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principle, and laugh at the timid reinsman who gives a wide berth to
the vehicle he encounters.
I have had considerable experience now, and I have come to the
conclusion that it is always best to keep on the safe side. It is folly to
incur useless risks; and as a venerable young man of twenty-eight, I
would rather be laughed at for going a good way to avoid even a
possible peril than be applauded for making "a close shave." It is
criminal vanity to run into danger for the sake of the excitement of
such a situation, and people who do it are not really courageous. On
the contrary, it is cowardly in the moral sense, for the person is not
brave enough to face a smile or a word of ridicule.
One or both of these pilots had been trying to make "a close shave,"
where the river was broad enough for them to keep their boats a
quarter of a mile apart. If the loss of the boat and the damage to the
freight had fallen upon them alone, it would have served them right;
but I doubt whether either of them even lost his situation. One boat
was smashed and sunk, the other was not much injured. It was a pity
that the loss could not have been equally divided between the two;
but as it could not be so, of course the captain who had lost his boat
was much the more uncomfortable of the two.
I listened to the profitless discussion till I was tired of it, and
examined the position of the sunken boat. I should have been very
glad to take the job of raising her, if I had not had a mission before
me. Leaving the excited little group on the hurricane-deck, I went
down into the saloon again. The old lady was still seated on her
trunk and mine, and I continued my walk around the steamer. I
wanted to see Mr. A. McGregor again; indeed, I was in search of
him, for I had made up my mind that he was Mr. Ben Waterford,
though I could not see why he was so particular to keep out of my
way. Of course I was not sure that the gentleman was my Chicago
acquaintance. The lack of a beard on the face of Mr. A. McGregor
was an argument against the truth of the supposition; but the form,
and as near as I could judge from a single glance, the features, were
those of Mr. Waterford.
I could not find him. The passengers were continually moving about
the galleries and saloons, and if he was trying to avoid me, he could
easily do so. But why should Mr. Ben Waterford wish to avoid me?
He did not love me, I knew. I could even understand why he should
hate me. If he had met me face to face, abused me and worried me,
kicked me, tripped me up in the dark, or pushed me into the river, I
might have explained his conduct. I had seen him in St. Louis, and
he had greeted me very pleasantly. Now he shunned me, if I was not
mistaken in the person. My best efforts failed to afford me a fair view
of his face. I had become quite interested, not to say excited, about
the matter, and I was determined, if possible, to solve the mystery of
Mr. A. McGregor.
As soon as the steamer alongside had taken on board all the
passengers, and all the baggage that was above water, she started
for Marietta. Those who wished to land at this town, and wait for
another steamer, did so; but most of them continued in the boat to
Parkersburg, where they took the train immediately on their arrival
for Baltimore. As this latter arrangement would enable me to see
Baltimore, I concluded to go with the majority, for I was afraid I might
be detained three or four days on the river. We arrived just in time to
take a night train, and I received a check for my trunk. As soon as
the cars were in motion, I passed through all of them in search of Mr.
A. McGregor. If he was on the train, I should have a chance to see
him where he could not dodge me, and if he proved to be my old
yachting friend, I was determined to speak to him, and ascertain
where he was going.
Mr. A. McGregor was not on the train. I had missed him somewhere,
for in my anxiety for my baggage I had not thought of him till I took
my place in the car. He had either stopped at Marietta, or remained
in Parkersburg. But after all, I was actuated only by curiosity. I had
no special interest either in Mr. A. McGregor or Mr. Ben Waterford.
Whoever he was, if I had not imagined that he wished to avoid me, I
should not have bothered my head about him. However, we had
parted company now, and I was willing to drop the matter, though I
was no wiser than at first.
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juutalaiset vaativat niin äärettömän suuren koron. Minulla on enää
tuskin niin paljon viljaa jäljellä, että voin varustaa tämän talon
leivällä. En olisi ollenkaan pahoillani, vaikka tuo saita Keményn
András haluaisikin ostaa minulta palasen maata».
KAUNIS ILONKA.
Tämä oli vielä aivan nuori mies, joka oli pukeutunut jonkun
ratsurykmentin vapaaehtoisten vormuun. Hän oli pitkä ja solakka, ja
näytti hyvin kauniilta ahtaassa takissaan ja ahtaissa punaisissa
polvihousuissaan, jotka muodostivat kirkkaan väriläikän Ilonkan
valkoisen puvun vierelle. Mutta hänen isänsä oli tuhlannut poikansa
perinnön rajattomaan vieraanvaraisuuteen, vanhanaikainen koti oli
joutunut juutalaisten haltuun ja Madách’it elivät eräässä pienessä
talossa Kecskemét'issä eivätkä voineet kouluttaa poikaansa
valtiomieheksi. Liikkeessä oli huhuja, että poika menee pian
naimisiin erään vieniläisen rikkaan kauppiaan tyttären kanssa.
»Sinun pitää vain ajatella, että olet kauniimpi kuin kukaan muu
tyttö, jonka jossakin voin kohdata. Kun Budapestissä näin jotkut
kauniit kasvot, muistelin vain yhä enemmän sinua».
»Vai niin».
»Miksi»?
RAKKAUDEN IDYLLI.
Tämä päivä oli kenties hauskin, mitä nuo nuoret olivat milloinkaan
keskenään viettäneet. Ilonka unhotti kaiken varovaisuuden ja uhmasi
äidin kaikkein synkimpiäkin katseita antautuen valoisten unelmiensa
suoman onnen valtaan. Kuten lapsi, joka leikkii aivan uudenaikaisen
ja mieltäkiinnittävän lelun kanssa ymmärtämättä ollenkaan sen
haurautta ja muistamatta sen olevan tehdyn vain hetken iloksi, leikki
Ilonkakin tämän uuden tunteen kanssa, jonka nuoren kauniin
upseerin tuliset sanat olivat sytyttäneet hänen sydämeensä.
»Minuunko, äiti»?
»Ah, äiti»!
»Äiti»!
Pieni tyttö raukka, hän oli niin katuva ja surullinen. Hän tiesi kyllä
olevansa hieman syyllinen, mutta hän oli huvitellut niin äärettömästi
tänään. Pari suurta kyyneltä oli jo valahtanut hänen poskilleen, sillä
äiti teki torumisillaan hänet aina onnettomaksi.
Ja äiti aloitti tuon vanhan läksyn, kuinka nuoren jalon tytön pitää
käyttäytyä, kuinka hän ei milloinkaan saa sallia kenenkään nuoren
miehen, ei enemmän toisen kuin toisenkaan, osoittaa
huomaavaisuutta, elleivät hänen vanhempansa ole jo ennakolta
luvanneet hänen tehdä niin, ja kuinka sellainen käyttäytyminen kuin
llonkan tämäniltainen oli epäneitseellistä. Äiti uhkasi, että jollei Ilonka
korjaa erehdystään seuraavana päivänä, saa hän viettää lopun
ajasta, jonka vieraat vielä viipyvät talossa, omissa huoneissaan
yksinään.
UHKAAVA MYRSKY.
»Hän joi varmasti liian paljon äitinne antamaa viiniä ennen työhön
lähtemistään sinä aamuna», sanoi András koettaen nauraa. Mutta
hänen naurunsa kuulosti väkinäiseltä ja luonnottomalta. Kaikki isä
Ambrosiuksen opetukset eivät olleet voineet karkoittaa kokonaan
tuota talonpojille niin ominaista taikauskoisuutta hänen aivoistaan, ja
vaikka András koettikin olla katsomatta Bideskuty’yn päin, kääntyivät
hänen silmänsä kumminkin vaistomaisesti hedelmällisten peltojen ja
hiekkatasankojen yli tuohon mustaan savupatsaaseen, jonka hän
tiesi kohoavan Bideskuty’n uuden myllyn piipusta.