He thought himself dying, and thought it hard to die without one to look kindly upon him, 他觉得自己快死了，但是他不想就这么轻易死掉，因为还没有人好好地照看过他，

　　without the words of comfort that might soothe his passage to another world. 也没有人说过一些安慰他的话，让他安心去另一个世界。

　　He fancied his bed surrounded by fiendish faces, grinning at his sufferings, and taunting his inability to summon power to disperse them. 他幻想着自己的床周围都是恶魔般的脸孔，他们对他的不幸遭遇进行冷嘲热讽，他无力驱散这些邪恶的面孔。

　　At length the apparition faded away, and the patient sunk into an exhausted slumber. 最终那些面孔消失了，他很快陷入了疲惫的沉睡中。

　　He awoke unrefreshed; it was the fifth day he had lain there neglected. 他醒来时，觉得一点精神都没有；他已经在这里躺了五天五夜，但就是没有人来看他。

　　His mouth was parched; he turned over, and feebly stretched out his hand toward the earthen pitcher, from which, since the first day of his illness, he had quenched his thirst. 他的嘴干得难受，翻了一下身，无力地伸手去够盛水的瓦罐，从生病第一天起他就用水罐里的水来止渴。

　　Alas! it was empty! Samuel lay for a few moments thinking what he should do. 天啊，瓦罐里已经没有水了！萨缪尔躺在那儿愣怔了好一会儿，琢磨怎样才能止渴。

　　He knew he must die of want if he remained there alone; but to whom could he apply for aid? 他清楚自己要是再一个人躺下去的话，必然死于饥渴。但是，谁会来搭救他呢？

　　An idea seemed, at last, to strike him. 最后，他想到一个主意。

　　He arose slowly, and with difficulty, from the bed, went to the other side of the room, and took up the picture he had painted last. 他费了好大力气，慢慢爬起身，挪到房间的另一侧，举起他最后画完的那幅画。

　　He resolved to carry it to the shop of a salesman, and hoped to obtain for it sufficient to furnish him with the necessaries of life for a week longer. 他下定决心要把这幅画拿到画商的店里，盼望能换回足以维持他一周生计的生活必需品。