A gentleman was sitting quietly in a first-class compartment¹. Two ladies got in. One of them saw that the window was open and she shut it before sitting down.

"Open it again," said the second lady, "I'll die of suffocation²（窒息，闷死） if there is no fresh air."

"I won't open it," said the first lady, "I'll die of cold if the window is open."

A querrel started, and it continued until the gentleman spoke³:

"Let's have the window shut until this lady has died of suffocation, and then we can have it open until this lady has died of cold. After that it will be nice and quiet in here again."