to speak with restraint; to understate; to downplay; to put it mildly; to say the least
then; and then; and; if so; because then; if that's the case
bog; marsh; swamp; quandary; dire situation from which one cannot extricate oneself; imbroglio
otherworldliness; detachment from the real world; lack of worldly sense
going on ahead; forestalling; anticipating; arrival before another
likes and dislikes; pickiness (about food); choosiness; fussiness; tastes; preferences
to stare in wonder; to be amazed
forever; for good; eternally; as long as one likes; indefinitely; no matter what
My goodness!; Good lord!; Holy cow!
drumming (noise); beating; rapidly; quickly; continuously; one after the other
seriousness; earnestness; truth; sanctity
exaggerated; overblown; pretentious
to lament; to grieve; to regret; to deplore
to join (hands); to take (each other's hands); to scramble for; to struggle for; to pay attention to; to take notice of
stairs; stairway; staircase
protest; refutation; pleading
as (much) as possible; as (much) as one can; wherever practicable; if possible
continually; continuously; incessantly; without interruption
with hesitation; haltingly; falteringly; reluctantly
to grasp back; to squeeze back; to grab back
holding out a little longer
favorite; favourite; habitually used
recommendation; advice; suggestion; encouragement
... being the case; (precisely) because ...; as might be expected from ...
in a crowd; in droves; crawling (of insects); swarming; dragging (e.g. along the ground); trailing
to compose; to put together
the dead; ghost; person who is obsessed (with money, power, etc.); person with a blind lust (for)
to leave a trail; to leave traces; to have a lasting effect
grazing; skimming; almost touching; barely; just; narrowly
disaster; calamity; misfortune; trouble; woes
scattered; separated; dispersed