If you have walked into a museum recently --- whether you did so to attend an art exhibition or to escape from the police --- you may have noticed a type of painting known as a triptych.

Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make -- bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake -- if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble.

There is no worse sound in the world than someone who cannot play the violin but insists on doing so anyway.

Mr. Poe meant well, but a jar of mustard probably also means well and would do a better job of keeping the Baudelaires out of danger.