It was when the most pessimistic had settled, say, on a figure of six months, when they had exhausted in advance all the bitterness of those months to come and raised their courage to the level of this trial, stretching themselves to the utmost to endure such suffering over such a long succession of days without weakening, and then, sometimes, a chance meeting with a friend, a view expressed in the newspaper, a fleeting suspicion or a sudden moment of foresight, gave them the idea that, after all, there was no reason why the disease should not last more than six months, perhaps a year, or even longer.
Zeren, ezkorrenek, esate baterako, sei hilabetetan iraungo zuela pentsatzen zutenean, aldez aurretik etortzear zeuden hilabete horien samintasun guztia agortu, euren kemena neurketa honen mailaraino ahalegin handiz bultzatu, azken indarrak halako egun segida amaigabean luzatutako sufrimenduaren mailari ahulduran erori gabe eutsi ziotenean, orduan, agian, bidean topo egindako lagun batek, egunkariren batek azaldutako berriak, uste iheskor edo bat-bateko susmo batek, erakutsiko baitzion honenbestez ez zegoela arrazoirik eritasunak sei hilabetetik gora ez irauteko, edo urtebete agian, edo baita gehiago ere.