The Bad Beginning

Sometimes, just saying that you hate something, and having someone agree with you, can make you feel better about a terrible situation.

He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over

I am writing to you from the London branch of the Herpetological Society, where I am trying to find out what happened to the reptile collection of Dr. Montgomery Montgomery following the tragic events that occurred while the Baudelaire orphans were in his care.

“Like most people,” Violet said, “I am right handed. But I signed the document with my left hand.”

“I'm sorry your invention didn't work,” Klaus said sadly.

“The invention worked fine,” Violet said, rubbing her sore shoulder.

so high up,” he said. “You must have been terrified.”

“It was very scary,” she admitted, “but not as scary as the thought of marrying Count Olaf.”

don't know, boss. Yes, boss. Yes, boss, of course I understand she's yours. Yes, boss.”

and a blurry photograph, taken a very long time ago, of a woman whose name is Beatrice.

The particular knot she was using was called the Devil's Tongue.

“Casing the joint” means observing a particular location in order to formulate a plan. For instance, if you are a bank robber—although I hope you aren't—you might go to the bank a few days before you planned to rob it. Perhaps wearing a disguise, you would look around the bank and observe security guards, cameras, and other obstacles, so you could plan how to avoid capture or death during your burglary.