I devoted a considerable amount of attention to the subject at one time, and was getting on, as I thought, fairly well; but the old hands told me that I should never be any real good at it, and advised me to give it up.
Una volta dedicai parecchia attenzione a questo argomento; e avevo fatto, come credevo, qualche progresso; ma i vecchi pratici mi dissero che non ci sarei mai riuscito, e mi consigliarono a rinunziarvi.