I have a new habit here - if I read the text and see an unfamiliar word, I look into the dictionary. Now I’m reading Moscow-Coffee, and I’ve learned more about syphilis than I would like.
XHH: and just dampened "hard and soft chancre".
Previously, when I read this book, I did not know the meaning of these words, and in context, the words seemed to me filled with a romantic meaning.
Conclusion: Knowledge multiplies sorrow