COLLECTED SHORT STORIES VOLUME 1 by W. Somerset Maugham
It has thirty stories. The first story is RAIN and the last one is THE YELLOW STREAK. I cannot remember when I started reading the first story. Around midnight, about nine hours ago, I finished reading the last story of the book and found that the number of the last page was 536.
I noticed that Maugham used some expressions often that I had not been familiar with until I started reading his novels last year. For example, he often used āpresentlyā to convey the meaning of āafter a whileā; āa trifleā, āa littleā.
(Edited)
ā,ā ā ā;ā
ātoā ā āwithā
āPresentlyā used to convey āafter a whileā is normal, as well as āat the momentā and āfor the time beingā. But I canāt recall 'it used for āa trifleā or āa littleā - got any examples?
āPerfection is a trifle dull. It is not the least of lifeās ironies that this, which we all aim at, is better not quite achieved. ā
ā W. Somerset Maugham
Ah, I thought you saw the word "presentlyā used somewhere to mean ātrifleā or āa littleā - and I was asking if you had an example of that usage.
As for āa trifle dullā - yes, that means a little boring, though I donāt commonly use it in writing or speech. Iām very familiar with such phrases from a lifetime of reading, same as everyone else who grew up with British English,
Maugham is right about perfection being a trifle dull ! 
Happily enough, I have read through only the first volume and am now reading the first story of the second volume. The title of the story is THE VESSEL OF WRATH.
Seriously Yutaka, many of us Iām certain envy the level youāve reached in a foreign language. I think I can only dream of reaching your equivalent level in my Japanese and Chinese - but I wonāt give up! Of course, thatās not to say that Iām interested in dull perfection ( Ķ”Ā° ĶŹ Ķ”Ā°)