HEYER QUOTES
Here, our favourite quotes from Heyer novels. Have a favourite that isn’t listed here? Let us know at patronesses (at) heyersociety (dot) com.
THE BLACK MOTH (1921)
If he confined his patriotism to drinking success to Prince Charlie’s campaign, who shall blame him?
— The Black Moth, Chapter I
“I shall have a run of luck soon – a man can’t always lose. Then I shall be able to repay you, but, of course, I shan’t. It’ll all go at the next table. I know!”
— The Black Moth, Chapter IV
“We Belmanoirs are all half-mad,” replied Tracy sweetly, “but I think in my case it is merely concentrated evil.”
— The Black Moth, Chapter VII
“I’ll see what can be done for your protegé, Molly. But don’t be forgetting he tried to kill the only husband you have!”
— The Black Moth, Chapter IX
“I’m afraid I always cheat,” she confessed. “I had no idea it was so wicked, although Auntie gets very cross and vows she will not play with me.”
— The Black Moth, Chapter XIV
Bit by bit my lord discovered that he was very much in love with Diana. At first his heart gave a great bound, and then seemed to stop with a sickening thud.
— The Black Moth, Chapter XIV
“If your passion is love, ’tis a strange one that puts yourself first. I would not give a snap of a finger for it! You want this girl, not for her happiness, but for your own pleasure. That is not the love I once told you would save you from yourself. When it comes, you will count yourself as naught; you will realise your own insignificance, and above all, be ready to make any sacrifice for her sake. Yes, even to the point of losing her!”
— The Black Moth, Chapter XIX
“I do not like your name, sir,” she answered.
“There was no thought of pleasing you when I was christened,” he quoted lazily.
“Hardly, sir,” she said. “You might be my father.”
— The Black Moth, Chapter XXV
THE GREAT ROXHYTHE (1922)
“I see, sir, that you know my name. May I not have the honour of yours?”
His lordship’s brows rose.
“I am Roxhythe,” he said, with faint surprise. The naïve egotism passed over Christopher’s head. He stood transfixed in an amazement that plainly showed itself on his face. He recovered, and bowed again.
“I am indeed honoured,” he said.
Roxhythe’s lip quivered.
“On the contrary,” he replied. “The honour is mine.”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book I, Chapter I
“I tell you, he is a devil. You might be bound to him with chains, and he would give you the slip. He is not a man. He is a devil.”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book I, Chapter VII
The King was naturally above reproach. Equally above reproach was Roxhythe.
— The Great Roxhythe, Book II, Chapter I
“You cannot hope to understand the workings of the game; one must be bred up in it. You may not condemn that which you do not understand.”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book II, Chapter IX
“Nothing is so alluring as the ‘ought not’, beloved.”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book II, Chapter V
“A good riddance to his dourness,” said Charles. “Davy, Davy, I have missed you so sorely I swear I’ll never send you from me again!”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book I, Chapter IX
“You know, I am very glad I did not marry you,” she told him.
“So am I,” said my lord. “We should have quarrelled. ‘Tis ever the way when both have wit. I suppose you never quarrel with Jasper?”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book II, Chapter III
“’Tis always the same. You may be never so angry with him when he is absent, but the moment you see him—pouf! The anger is gone!”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book II, Chapter VII
“In a good cause you were invaluable. But you are inconsistent. Like the wind, you veer first one way in your policy, and then the other.”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book IV, Chapter III
“You did your best to break my heart—and now you reveal yourself to me — callous, ruthless! It—hurts damnably, my lord.”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book IV, Chapter V
“Since I have been with—Roxhythe—he has had all my love. He has it still. There will never be another in his place. I’m a weak fool—but—oh, Lady Frances, I want him so much!”
— The Great Roxhythe, Book IV, Chapter VI
There were a score of men who liked him for his easy wit; a score of men whom he had not harmed.
— The Great Roxhythe, Book V, Chapter VIII
POWDER AND PATCH (1923)
AKA THE TRANSFORMATION OF PHILIP JETTAN
A rakish youth, says the Jettan adage.
Marriage for love, and a staid old age
— Powder and Patch, Chapter I
“Marriage is so damned final! ‘Tisn’t as though you could live together for a month or so before ye made up your minds. I doubt the girl would not consent to that.”
“And if she did consent, one would not desire to wed her.”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter I
No powder, no curls, unpolished nails, and an unpainted face—guiltless, too, of even the smallest patch—it was, thought Cleone, enough to make one weep. Nevertheless, she did not weep, because, for one thing, it would have made her eyes red, and another, it would be of very little use.
— Powder and Patch, Chapter II
“Don’t interrupt my peroration, lad. They think you a noble—what was the word you used?—clodhopper. ‘Tis marvellously apt.”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter V
With Philip’s departure had come a void which only could be filled by Philip’s return.
— Powder and Patch, Chapter V
The supreme torture was to come. He discovered that it required the united energies of the three men to coax him into his coat. When at last it was on he assured them it would split across the shoulders if her so much as moved a finger.
“Forget it, little fool!”
“Forget it?” cried Philip.” How can I forget it when it prevents my moving?”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter VI
“Oh, Philippe, thou art a rogue.”
“So I have been told. Presumably because I am innocent of the slightest indiscretion. Curious. No one dubs you rogue who so fully merit the title. But I, whose reputation is spotless, am necessarily a wicked one and a deceiver. I shall write a sonnet on the subject.”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter VII
“I’ll not listen to your verse on an empty stomach,” declared the Vicomte. “Belike I shall appreciate it when in my cups.”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter VIII
“Mistress Cleone, may I present one who is newly come from Paris, and is, he swears, struck dumb by your beauty? Mr. Jettan, of whom we all know some naughty tales!”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter XII
“James, sit down! You should know by now the sight of anyone on their feet fatigues me, silly boy!”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter XIV
“You’re only a man! You’ve not our gifts! I can tell you! Why, a woman can think of a hundred different things at once, all them contradictory!”
— Powder and Patch, Chapter XVI
INSTEAD OF THE THORN (1923)
“My dear good child,” he said, polishing his eyeglasses on a large silk handkerchief, “for heaven’s sake cultivate some independence of thought! Don’t repeat your aunt’s views; let’s hear your own. They’re the only ones that are worth having from you.”
Elizabeth thought he could not have heard Aunt Anne say that it was unbecoming for a child of her age to air her opinions.
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 1
“When I see all these modern young minxes with their cigarettes and their backless gowns, I realize what a complete success Elizabeth’s upbringing has been.”
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 3
Stephen was silent; he did not want Cynthia to know how fascinated by Elizabeth he had been; he was fond of Cynthia, she was his pal, but she had a way of being sarcastic when you were not in the mood for sarcasm.
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 4
“You know, he rules my life, which is sometimes tiresome. That’s the worst of a dog—yes, and the best too—if you’re really and truly fond of them you can’t stir without them, and then where are you?”
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 9
“There’s so much I want to say, and I can’t say it without sounding like a third-rate novel. I’d like to say all the things that I thought I should never say. I want to tell you that your eyes are like pansies, all velvety and soft, but I know quite well from the solemn look on your face that you’ll think I’m just phrase-making.”
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 9
She did not know Stephen. She realized that now, and thought that the love that survived seeing a man unwashed and unshaven before breakfast must be great indeed.
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 12
“Rather outspoken, of course,” he said. “Personally I like to hear a spade called a spade, though.”
“Undoubtedly,” Cynthia replied, “but it is not always necessary to call it a ‘bloody shovel.”’
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 17
“When you had a man with you these disturbances did not happen, or if they did you had nothing to do with them.”
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 21
“I should have thought you’d have run a mile sooner than meet her.”
“Oh, no, Cynny, not at my age and certainly not in this skirt.”
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 23
“I’ve come to the conclusion that reticence—is rather dangerous.”
— Instead of the Thorn, Chapter 28
SIMON THE COLDHEART (1925)
“I have never approached my goal through the back door, my lord, nor ever will. I march straight.”
— Simon the Coldheart, Book I, Chapter I
“What I have I hold!” Fulk roared at him once, pointing to the device on his shield.
“I have not, but still I hold,” Simon retorted.
— Simon the Coldheart, Book I, Chapter II
“My lord, it is my set purpose that I will take no honour, no power, no wealth, no title, that I have not earned by my own endeavour. I like not thine easy road, but all these things I will acquire, either by toil, by skill, or by valour.”
— Simon the Coldheart, Book I, Chapter IV
“A murrain be on him! And when I came to him, what did I do? I did bow in all politeness, yet stiffly withal to show him I’d not brook his surliness.”
“I did hear ye did bow so low that your head came below your knees.”
— Simon the Coldheart, Book I, Chapter IX
“I observe thy folly,” he said, “and know mine own wisdom. That is happiness.”
— Simon the Coldheart, Book II, Chapter XXI
THESE OLD SHADES (1926)
“Dear Edward has given Fanny a chocolate-coloured coach with pale blue cushions. The wheat is picked out in blue.” He held the sheet at arm’s length. “It seems strange, but no doubt Fanny is right. I have not been in England for such a time… Ah, I beg her pardon. You will be relieved to hear, my dear Hugh, that the wheat still grows as it ever did. The wheels are picked out in blue.”
— These Old Shades, Chapter VI
“Your conversation is always so edifying, Rupert. Yet I believe we can dispense with it.”
— These Old Shades, Chapter XXIII
“Voyons, I have made you all laugh!” she said. “And I meant to make you laugh. I am a wit, enfin!”
— These Old Shades, Chapter XXIV
HELEN (1928)
“I don’t want her to be able to pass senseless examinations, or to waste her time over subjects that won’t do her a bit of good.”
— Helen, Part I, Chapter VI, I
“Don’t think that life’s sordid and cruel just because we’re going through a sort of horrible nightmare. It’ll pass.”
— Helen, Part II, Chapter V, VI
Do you ever write in the impassioned night-hours?”
Her long fingers closed on the arm of the chair. “Yes, I’ve done that,” she said. “When it’s so still your thoughts seem to crowd round you, and your pen won’t move fast enough to keep up with them.”
— Helen, Part III, Chapter III, II
“I hate marriage and most other man-made rules, too. But they don’t amount to a row of beans, my hatred or my beliefs […] I hate marriage,” he repeated. “I hate all Forms and Rules and Restrictions. But I believe in Love. And I love you.”
— Helen, Part III, Chapter IV, V
“Oh, loud and sustained cheers!” she said. “You’re just in time for tea, Helen, and I was going to eat it dismally alone.”
— Helen, Part III, Chapter VII, VI
“I’m a bit scared of these modern girls,” said Richard. “They take my breath away.”
— Helen, Part III, Chapter V, IV
THE MASQUERADERS (1928)
Robin folded pious hands. “’I believe my sense of propriety is offended’,” he quoted maliciously.
The shot glanced off her armour. “You’ve none, child, rest assured.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter III
“Not twice in five hundred years is my like seen.”
“The world has still something to be thankful for.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XI
“But where is my son? Where is the beautiful Miss Merriot?”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XIV
“Oh, cursed bad news, my boy. That old aunt of his from whom he has expectations has rallied, and they say she’ll last another ten years. Poor old Devereux, y’know! Must try and raise his spirits.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XIII
“I have never met the man who had vision large enough to appreciate my genius,” he said simply. “Perhaps it was not to be expected.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XIX
“I’ll see the colour of your money, my lord.”
My lord folded the paper. He was still smiling. “It would disappoint you, my friend. It is just the same colour as everyone else’s.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XX
“I have made up my mind that my son must inherit an Earldom at the least. I shall once more contrive. Do not doubt that I shall contrive! I am a great man, Thérèse: I realise it at last. I am a very great man.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XXXII
“Have you limitations, my lord?” asked Sir Anthony.
My lord looked at him seriously. “I do not know,” he said, with a revealing simplicity. “I have never yet discovered them.”
— The Masqueraders, Chapter XXIII
PASTEL (1929)
The truth was, Life was a giant practical joke played on humanity by some malign genius, and all that vague talk of expiation, preparation, was man’s pathetic attempt to find an answer to the riddle that had none.
— Pastel, Chapter 9
“You aren’t anyone much if you are a spinster.”
— Pastel, Chapter 12
She had never had Oliver, never could have had him, and she shut a door in her mind on that disastrous episode. But though she might resolutely refuse to dwell on this last miserable year, she could not altogether banish the hurt, or be unaffected by its results. For her Oliver spelled Romance, very fleeting but very sweet. That was over: there could be no more Romance, and never another hero from Asgard. There remained the second best things – the dull, and the satisfactory.
— Pastel, Chapter 12
“When people get married they expect too much of each other, and they get most frightfully peeved when things don’t pan out according to the beautiful plans they made.”
— Pastel, Chapter 19
She might desire spasmodically not to be ordinary but there were times when she took pride in it.
— Pastel, Chapter 21
It was a mistake to think that the thing of which one dreamed was better than the thing which one had. You could always find points in the dream that excelled corresponding points in the reality.
— Pastel, Chapter 21
“The Man speaks,” said Anne ironically. “So naturally Woman is held responsible for all the evils of the present time.”
— Pastel, Chapter 23
BEAUVALLET (1929)
“My Lady Disdain! Give you a thousand good-morrows!”
— Beauvallet, Chapter III
“There is an old chronicle writ by one Alan, afterwards Earl of Montlice, wherein we learn that Simon, the first Baron of Beauvallet, took as his motto these words: ‘I have not but still I hold.’” His voice rang out, and died again.
“Well, señor?” faltered Dominica.
“I have you not yet, but be sure I hold you.”
— Beauvallet, Chapter IV
“What I swear I will do that I shall certainly do, though the sun die and the moon fall and the earth be wholly overset!”
— Beauvallet, Chapter IV
“Is he as mad as they say? They tell us, who have had dealings with him, that he is a man with black hair who laughs.”
White teeth gleamed for a moment. “Yes, he laughs, senor,” said Sir Nicholas. A chuckle came, they little knew how audacious. “I dare swear if he stood in this room surrounded by his enemies at this moment, he would still laugh. It is a habit with him.”
— Beauvallet, Chapter IX
“Senor, Don Diego is somewhere at hand. Pray send for him.”
“I have already had that pleasure, madame. I met your son upon the Mentidero yesterday.”
“Ah, then you will not want to see him again.”
— Beauvallet, Chapter X
“Resolutions are made to be broken only.”
— Beauvallet, Chapter XI
BARREN CORN (1930)
“I find that sisters are worse than no good.”
— Barren Corn, Chapter 1
“That hidebound attitude infuriates me! Because Laura can’t show a line of ancestors all more or less disreputable she is not to be thought a fit bride for me. Good God! does the accident of her birth make her nature less sweet?”
— Barren Corn, Chapter 4
“I may be wrong; I don’t pretend to be infallible. But it seems to me that never were two people so badly matched. There’s an immense gulf between you.”
— Barren Corn, Chapter 5
“If I had known there was you in the world, waiting for me, I – I would have waited, too.”
— Barren Corn, Chapter 7
The taught lesson was useless.
— Barren Corn, Chapter 8
“This was the Might Have Been; in the contemplation of it bitterness grew up, insidious and deadly.”
— Barren Corn, Chapter 11
“She began to think that perhaps from the very first she had cheated herself. He had never loved her as she understood love. Surely, surely, real love endured, and was not hurt by difficulties.”
— Barren Corn, Chapter 28
THE CONQUEROR (1931)
“You don’t understand. Perhaps you have not seen him. He has that look in his face which draws me. A man might put his whole trust in him and not fear to be betrayed.”
— The Conqueror, Part I, Chapter I
“Prowess in arms was the surest road to a Norman heart, and feats beyond their imaginings William showed them.”
— The Conqueror, Part I, Chapter V
“I do not know if I love her. I only know that she is mine. Mine, by the Rood, to hold in my arms if I will, locking my mouth to hers, or to break – yea, to hurt, to crush if that should be my will.”
— The Conqueror, Part II, Chapter I
“I must die, but I will leave behind me a name that will endure, and a people made safe through mine endeavour.”
— The Conqueror, Part IV, Chapter III
“If only I could be as they are, seeing one end alone worth striving for, not torturing my soul with thinking of what might have been, nor finding that my happiness tastes bitter on my lips after all because the price I had to pay for it was too heavy, and tore my heart in twain!”
— The Conqueror, Part V, Chapter I
FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK (1932)
“A very quaint old house. I was talking to Mrs. Bowers and she said you could lose yourself in the cellars.”
“That’s nothing,” said Charles, getting up. “I lost myself getting from our room to my dressing-room. Of course it would simplify matters if we locked a few of the empty rooms, but I agree it would take away from the sporting element.”
— Footsteps in the Dark, Chapter 1
“I see there has been fresh trouble in China. I feel one has so much to be thankful for in not being Chinese.”
— Footsteps in the Dark, Chapter 6
People in love became sloppy, she thought, and they were a nuisance to all their friends, which was a pity.
— Footsteps in the Dark, Chapter 9
DEVIL'S CUB (1932)
“This is my cousin, by the way. I dare say you know of him. He is very wicked and kills people in duels.”
— Devil’s Cub, Chapter I
“I am not in a heat at all,” Léonie said with great precision. “I am of a coolness quite remarkable, and I would like to kill that woman.”
— Devil’s Cub, Chapter XI
The landlord was trying to explain that there were a great many English people in his house, all fighting duels or having hysterics.
— Devil’s Cub, Chapter XVI
“I comfort myself with the reflection that your wife will possibly be able to curb your desire—I admit, a natural one for the most part—to exterminate your fellows.”
— Devil’s Cub, Chapter XIX
God knew she would ask nothing better than to be his wife, but she had sense enough to know that nothing but unhappiness could result from it. If he had loved her, if she had been of his world, approved by his family – but it was useless to speculate on the impossible.
— Devil’s Cub, Chapter XIII
WHY SHOOT A BUTLER? (1933)
Wolf was Felicity’s Alsatian. When fetched from the stables he evinced his satisfaction by bounding around his mistress and barking madly for the first hundred yards of their walk. Exercising him was not, as Frank knew from experience, all joy, as he was not in the least amenable to discipline, had to be caught and held at the approach of any motor vehicle, and had a habit of plunging unadvisedly into quarrels with others of the canine race.
— Why Shoot a Butler, Chapter 2
“I can think of a lot of people who might get shot – gangsters and cabinet ministers, and all that push – but not butlers. After all, why shoot a butler? Where’s the point?”
— Why Shoot a Butler, Chapter 2
“Among the most soughtafter guests for this season’s house parties is Mr. Anthony Corkran, whose ready tact and savoir-faire make him so universally popular.”
— Why Shoot a Butler, Chapter 6
“All the same,” said Felicity irrepressibly, “we’ve never had so much excitement here before. It’ll be frightfully dull when it’s all over. I mean, just think of the past fortnight! We’ve had three deaths and two burglaries. I call that pretty good for a place like this.”
— Why Shoot a Butler?, Chapter 15
“Bill was sniffing suspiciously at Tucker’s ankles. Tucker made propitiating noises and wondered why the young lady couldn’t have had a nice little Pekingese. He advanced a nervous hand towards Bill, assuring him that he was a good dog. Bill was more interested in trying to assert whether he was a good man. He came to the conclusion that no steps need at the moment be taken to evict the constable and went off again to continue operations in the back garden.
— Why Shoot a Butler?, Chapter 16
THE CONVENIENT MARRIAGE (1934)
“God love yer, do ye take me for a mill ken?” demanded the visitor, affronted. “Lordy, them as is on the rattling lay don’t take to slumming kens!” With which lofty but somewhat obscure remark he took himself down the steps…
— The Convenient Marriage, Chapter VII
Glamour might still have clung to a rakehell who abducted noble damsels, but no glamour remained about a man who had been pushed into a pond in full ball-dress.
— The Convenient Marriage, Chapter XIV
“The Viscount stepped into the room. “Came to see if you was dead,” he said. “Laid Pom odds you weren’t.”
Lethbridge passed his hand across his eyes. “I’m not,” he replied in a faint voice.
“No. I’m sorry,” said the Viscount simply. He wandered over to the table and sat down. “Horry said she killed you, Pom said So she might, I said No. Nonsense.”
Lethbridge still holding a hand to his aching head tried to pull himself together. “Did you?” he said. His eyes ran over his self invited guest. “I see. Let me assure you once more that I am very much alive.”
“Well I wish you’d put your wig on,” complained the Viscount. “What I want to know is why did Horry hit you on the head with a poker?”
Lethbridge gingerly felt his bruised scalp. “With a poker was it? Pray ask her, though I doubt if she will tell you.”
“You shouldn’t keep the front door open,” said the Viscount. “What’s to stop people coming in and hitting you over the head? It’s preposterous.”
“I wish you’d go home,” said Lethbridge wearily.
— The Convenient Marriage, Chapter XV
THE UNFINISHED CLUE (1934)
“For me this is an affair extremely terrible. It is known that the General – whom, however, I forgive, for I am a very good Christian, I assure you – has been most cruel to me. Certainly the police must ask themselves if it is not I who have stabbed the General.”
— The Unfinished Clue, Chapter 6
“When a woman powders her nose, Inspector, she loses count of time. My own estimate would be a moment or two; almost any man, I feel, would probably say, ages.”
— The Unfinished Clue, Chapter 9
“Really, I don’t know what the world is coming to if I am to be suspected of staring in at windows!”
— The Unfinished Clue, Chapter 13
DEATH IN THE STOCKS (1935)
“I do want to know who did kill Arnold. I’ve often said I’d like to, but I never did, somehow.”
— Death in the Stocks, Chapter 2
“Don’t you talk like that, Master Kenneth! How would you like to have a knife stuck in you? Nasty, underhand way of killing anyone, that’s what I call it.”
“I don’t see it at all,” objected Kenneth. “It’s no worse than shooting a person, and far more sensible. Shooting’s noisy, for one thing, and, for another, you leave a bullet in your man, and it gets traced to you. Whereas a knife doesn’t leave anything behind, and is easy to get rid of.”
– Death in the Stocks, Chapter 4
“I never in my life met a fellow with a worse heart, or a worse temper, or worse manners, or more obstinate, pig-headed—”
— Death in the Stocks, Chapter 7
“What’s the use of Arnold’s being murdered if we’re saddled with Roger?”
— Death in the Stocks, Chapter 13
REGENCY BUCK (1935)
“Ah, ma’am, but it is Mr Brummell’s folly which is the making of him. If he did not stare duchesses out of countenance, and nod over his shoulder to princes he would be forgotten in a week. And if the world is so silly as to admire his absurdities – you and I may know better – but what does that signify?”
– Regency Buck, Chapter V
“There is always a thought of marriage between a single female and a personable gentleman, if not in his mind, quite certainly in hers.”
— Regency Buck, Chapter VII
“Sense and Sensibility! Well, after Midnight Bells and Horrid Mysteries that has a pleasant ring, don’t you agree?”
— Regency Buck, Chapter IX
BEHOLD, HERE'S POISON (1936)
“The society of my relatives can only be enjoyed with frequent intervals.”
— Behold, Here’s Poison, Chapter 8
“You forget yourself, Randall. I am not going to stand here and see my husband insulted by your ill-bred notions of what is funny.”
“Oh, I wasn’t insulting him,” said Randall. “Why shouldn’t he have a mistress? I am inclined to think that in his place – as your spouse, my dear Aunt Gertrude – I should have several.”
– Behold, Here’s Poison, Chapter 6
“The police don’t like people to vanish. It isn’t seemly.”
— Behold, Here’s Poison, Chapter 12
THE TALISMAN RING (1936)
Sir Tristram was contemplating with grim misgiving the prospect of encountering vivacity at the breakfast-table for the rest of his life.
— The Talisman Ring, Chapter II
“I may have said that I wanted to have an adventure,” replied Miss Thane. “But I never said that I wanted to be murdered in my bed.”
— The Talisman Ring, Chapter XII
“Unfortunately, you, Sir Tristram, knowing nothing of me, and being possessed of a tyrannical disposition – I beg your pardon?”
“I did not speak,” replied Sir Tristram, eyeing her frostily.
Miss Thane met his look with one of limpid innocence. “Oh, I quite thought you did!”
“I choked,” explained Sir Tristram. “Pray continue! You had reached my tyrannical disposition.”
— The Talisman Ring, Chapter VI
“How cross you are!” marvelled Miss Thane. “I suppose when one reaches middle age it is difficult to sympathize with the follies of youth.”
Sir Tristram had walked over to the other side of the room to pick up his coat and hat, but this was too much for him, and he turned and said with undue emphasis: “It may interest you to know, ma’am, that I am one-and-thirty years old, and not yet in my dotage!”
“Why, of course not!” said Miss Thane soothingly. “You have only entered upon what one may call the sober time of life. Let me help you to put on your coat!”
“Thank you,” said Sir Tristram. “Perhaps you would also like to give me the support of your arm as far as to the door?”
— The Talisman Ring, Chapter VIII
“Mr Lavenham just asked if you were still importuning Eustacie to marry you.”
“Why should I be doing anything of the sort?’
“On account of her being an heiress,’ explained Sarah.
Sir Tristram said dryly: “Of course. I should have thought of that. I trust neither of you will hesitate to vilify my character whenever it seems expedient to you to do so.”
“No, of course we shall not,” Miss Thane assured him.
“But you do not mind, mon cousin, do you?”
“On the contrary, I am becoming quite accustomed to it. But I am afraid even your imagination must fail soon. I have been in swift succession a tyrant, a thief and a murderer, and now a fortune-hunter. There is really nothing left.”
— The Talisman Ring, Chapter VI
THEY FOUND HIM DEAD (1937)
“I say, Miss Allison, do you know what?”
“No, what?”
“Well, it suddenly occurred to me that I shouldn’t be at all surprised if somebody got murdered here tonight.”
Miss Allison was slightly taken aback, but Jim, accustomed to the morbid processes of his relative’s mind, said promptly: “Nor should I. What’s more, I know who’ll be the corpse.”
— They Found Him Dead, Chapter 1
“I expect you’re one of those lucky people who don’t feel things very deeply.”
— They Found Him Dead, Chapter 4
“It makes my head go round. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Not as told by you,” agreed Hannasyde.
— They Found Him Dead, Chapter 11
“I never let myself get prejudiced. All I say is, that he’s a nasty, slimy, double-faced tick who’d murder his own grandmother if he saw a bit of money to be got out of it.”
— They Found Him Dead, Chapter 14
AN INFAMOUS ARMY (1937)
“There does seem to be something about Bab which drives sensible men distracted. Dreadful, isn’t it?”
“I think it is.”
“Yes, so do I,” said Georgiana regretfully. “I wish I had it.”
— An Infamous Army, Chapter II
“It is the oddest thing, but if you were to ask me, what does he look like? how does he speak? I couldn’t tell you. I think he is handsome; I suppose him to be good company, because it doesn’t bore me to be with him. I can’t say, he is handsome, he is witty, or he is clever. I can only say, he is Charles.”
— An Infamous Army, Chapter IX
“Consider! In spite of all of my adventures I was never till now in danger of falling into the hands of the French. It is something quite out of the common way, and therefore enchanting!”
— An Infamous Army, Chapter XVIII
“I wish you extremely happy.”
“How kind you are! I do not deserve to be happy.”
“You are very unlikely to be,” said Barbara, somewhat dryly. “George will make you a damnable husband.”
— An Infamous Army, Chapter XX
A BLUNT INSTRUMENT (1938)
“You don’t seem to be much upset,” she said.
“You didn’t see me an hour ago,” replied Neville. “I even lost my poise.”
— A Blunt Instrument, Chapter 2
“He made a somewhat obscure reference to forward hearts and perverse tongues which I took to mean you.”
“He did, did he? Ah well, the only wonder to me is he didn’t call me a hissing and an abomination. I daresay he will yet. I don’t mind him reciting his pieces, though it isn’t strictly in accordance with discipline, as long as he doesn’t take it into his silly head I’ve got to be saved. I’ve been saved once, and that’s enough for me. Too much!”
— A Blunt Instrument, Chapter 6
“In my experience, the human mind, when under the influence of fear, rushes round in frantic circles.”
— A Blunt Instrument, Chapter 8
ROYAL ESCAPE (1939)
“Remember how precious to your people is your life!”
“It is a deal more precious to me than to my people, from what I can discover,” said the King.
— Royal Escape, Chapter VIII
“Sire, I cannot conceal from you my great uneasiness.”
The King laughed. “No, Harry, you cannot indeed!”
— Royal Escape, Chapter XIV
NO WIND OF BLAME (1939)
“I don’t know why it is, but when people get Changed they never seem to be as nice as they were before.”
— No Wind of Blame, Chapter 2
“Don’t you dare suggest such a thing!” said Ermyntrude, quite horrified. “Why, her father would turn in his grave – well, as a matter of fact, he was cremated, but what I mean is, if he hadn’t been he would have.”
— No Wind of Blame, Chapter 3
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we discovered it was all part of some colossal plot, and wholly tortuous and incredible.”
“Then the sooner you get rid of that idea the better!”
She looked at him through the sweep of her lashes. “Fusty!” she said gently.
Hugh was annoyed. “I’m not in the least fusty, but—”
“And dusty, and rolled up with those disgusting mothballs.”
“Ducky, don’t be rude!” said Ermyntrude, quite shocked.
“Well, he reminds me of greenfly, and blight, and frost in May, and old clothes, and—”
“Anything else?” inquired Hugh, with an edge to his voice.
“Yes, lots of things. Cabbages, and fire-extinguishers, and—”
“Would you by any chance like to know what you remind me of?” said Hugh, descending ignobly to a tu quoque! form of argument.
“No, thank you,” said Vicky sweetly.
— No Wind of Blame, Chapter 4
“I decided that if you’ve got a dissolute secret which is practically bound to come to light, you’d much better be the one to mention it.”
— No Wind of Blame, Chapter 7
“I don’t mind arresting you, just to oblige,” offered the Inspector. “I’m never one to spoil another person’s big scene, and I haven’t anything particular on this morning.”
— No Wind of Blame, Chapter 15
THE SPANISH BRIDE (1940)
Death was too common an occurrence on the Peninsula for a man’s friends to grieve long over his loss.
— The Spanish Bride, Chapter I
‘Do you think I am a bad wife?’
‘I don’t know. I never had another.’
— The Spanish Bride, Chapter 2
THE CORINTHIAN (1940)
“Strange,” mused Sir Richard, “that one’s duty should invariably be so disagreeable.”
— The Corinthian, Chapter I
“Rid yourself of the notion that I cherish any villainous designs upon your person,” he said. “I imagine I might well be your father. How old are you?”
“I am turned seventeen.”
“Well, I am nearly thirty,” said Sir Richard.
Miss Creed worked this out. “You couldn’t possibly be my father!”
“I am far too drunk to solve arithmetical problems. Let it suffice that I have not the slightest intention of making love to you.”
— The Corinthian, Chapter II
“Do you mean that I don’t behave as a delicately bred female should?”
“That is one way of putting it, certainly.”
“It is the way Aunt Almeria puts it.”
“She would, of course.”
— The Corinthian, Chapter IV
It was said in haut-ton circles that the two deadliest weapons against all forms of pretension were Mr Brummell’s lifted eyebrow, and Sir Richard Wyndham’s quizzing-glass.
— The Corinthian, Chapter VI
“Well, I always knew country life would never do for me,” remarked Cedric, “but damme, I never realized one half of it till now! Not nine o’clock, and the better part of the county paying morning calls! Horrible, Ricky, horrible!”
— The Corinthian, Chapter XIV
ENVIOUS CASCA (1941)
“If I’ve succeeded in making you think, I shall be satisfied.”
“A noble ideal,” commented Stephen. “But you shouldn’t say it as though you thought it unattainable. Not polite.”
— Envious Casca, Chapter IV
“We feel a blank in our lives already, don’t we? Perhaps I more than anyone. To go to bed without that good night to Nat! It will be long before I can accustom myself to it.”
Mottisfont and Roydon both suffered the Englishman’s inevitable reaction to such indecent pathos. Mottisfont reddened, and coughed; Roydon stared at his feet, and muttered “Quite!”
— Envious Casca, Chapter 8
“This Roydon fellow seems to have read the thing aloud to him yesterday afternoon, and Nat lost his temper over it, and there was a general sort of row. Well, I’m a fair-minded man, and, after all, you can’t be surprised, can you? I mean, coming down to stay with a man, and then reading stuff aloud to him! Never heard of such a thing!”
— Envious Casca, Chapter 9
“He means well, Inspector.”
“Yes, that’s a vice that makes more trouble than any other.”
— Envious Casca, Chapter 11
“It isn’t human nature to dote on a young chap who does nothing but hand you out offensive remarks on a plate.”
— Envious Casca, Chapter 15
FARO'S DAUGHTER (1941)
“But what is the use of teaching people lessons? Besides, I cannot conceive what he is to learn from such behaviour!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter V
“I may be one of faro’s daughters, but I’ll not entrap any unfortunate young man into marrying me, even if my refusal means a debtors’ prison!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter VI
Miss Grantham’s sense of humour got the better of her at this point, and, tottering towards a chair, she sank into it, exclaiming in tragic accents: “Oh Heavens! I am betrayed!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter XIV
“I wish I had never laid eyes on you! You are rude, and stupid, and I was never so plagued by anyone in my life!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter XII
“Why, you contemptible little worm, if you had a spark of pride or courage you would be calling me out, not offering to set me free! Your sister is worth a dozen of you! And she’s a Jade!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter XII
“I do not wish to speak ill of your Mama, Phoebe, but she is an odious, mercenary, cheating wretch!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter XIV
“That settles it, then!”
Miss Laxton heaved a huge sigh. “I knew you would know what to do!”
“Well, it is to be hoped he does,” said Lady Bellingham, with some asperity. “If I had known that all you wanted was to hear someone say that settles it, I would have said it myself, for I am sure it is easy enough to say, and doesn’t signify in the least!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter XIV
“Nothing can ruin the chances of an heiress of making a good match!”
— Faro’s Daughter, Chapter XVI
PENHALLOW (1942)
“Damned young puppy!” growled Ingram. “You want kicking more than anyone I ever met!”
“Oh, no, really not!” Aubrey assured him earnestly. “I’ve got a perfectly charming nature. It’s just my manner that you object to. I do sympathize with you! I find all of you more than a little trying, so I know exactly how you feel!”
— Penhallow, Chapter 11
“No, no I wouldn’t annoy him for the world!” Aubrey said. “I do think he was quite pleased to see his little Aubrey, don’t you? I have always regarded myself as the feminine influence in the family and quite definitely beneficent.”
— Penhallow, Chapter 12
FRIDAY'S CHILD (1944)
“Hero,” said Ferdy, frowning. ‘Look at it which way you like, it don’t make sense. For one thing, a hero ain’t a female, and for another it ain’t a ‘name.’ At least,” he added cautiously, “it ain’t one I’ve ever heard of. Ten to one you’ve made one of your muffs, Sherry!”
“Oh no, I truly am called Hero!” the lady assured him. “It’s out of Shakespeare.”
“Oh, out of Shakespeare, is it?” said Ferdy. “That accounts for my not having heard it before.”
“You’re out of Shakespeare too,” said Hero, helping herself liberally from a dish of green peas.
“I am?” Ferdy exclaimed, much struck.
“Yes, in the Tempest, I think.”
“Well, if that don’t beat all!” Ferdy said, looking around at his friends. “She says I’m out of Shakespeare! Must tell my father that. Shouldn’t think he knows.”
— Friday’s Child, Chapter V
“Tell you what, Sherry: if I had a wife, which I’m deuced glad I haven’t, I’d rather have one like your Kitten than all the Incomparables put together.”
“You would?” said Sherry, staring at him.
“I would,” said Mr. Ringwood firmly.
“Well, I don’t know but what I wouldn’t, too,” said Sherry, cheerfully unconscious of having, by these simple words, bereft his friend of all power of coherent speech.
— Friday’s Child, Chapter X
“Sherry!” Mr Ringwood said warningly. “For God’s sake, dear boy, remember where you are! You can’t choke George to death here!”
— Friday’s Child, Chapter XII
“You know what I think? Fate! That’s what it is: fate! There’s a thing that comes after a fellow: got a name, but I forgot what it is. Creeps up behind him, and puts him in the basket when he ain’t expecting it.”
— Friday’s Child, Chapter XXI
“It is in the nature of nine men out of ten that what may be theirs for the picking up they are much inclined to despise, and what seems to be out of reach they instantly and fervently desire.”
— Friday’s Child, Chapter XXIII
THE RELUCTANT WIDOW (1946)
“But I do not want to be a widow!” declared Elinor.
“I am afraid it is too late in the day to alter that.” said Carlyon.
“Besides, if you had known my cousin better you would have wanted to be a widow,” Nicky assured her.
— The Reluctant Widow, Chapter V
Bouncer, recognizing a well-wisher, got up, and thrust his cold, wet nose under her hand, assuming as he did so the soulful expression of a dog who takes but a benevolent interest in cats, livestock, and stray visitors.
— The Reluctant Widow, Chapter IX
“Ned! if you don’t tell me, it will be quite shameful of you! You always know everything!”
“Yes, Nicky, but you think I know everything because I never tell you anything I am not quite certain of.”
— The Reluctant Widow, Chapter XVI
THE FOUNDLING (1948)
“It is high time you realised that you are of age, and may do as you please. Now, be off, and don’t neglect to change your stockings!”
— The Foundling, Chapter I
He wondered what it would have been like not to have been born in the purple, but to have been some quite unimportant person – not of too lowly a degree, of course, for that would certainly have been uncomfortable. He might have been obliged to live in Thatch End Cottages, for instance, with a leaking roof; or have been snapped up by the press gang; or even, perhaps (since he had always been undersized), have become the slave of a chimney-sweep. It was undoubtedly better to be the seventh Duke of Sale than a sweep’s apprentice, but he was much inclined to think that to have been plain Mr Dash, of Nowhere in Particular, would have been preferable to either of these callings.
— The Foundling, Chapter III
“I should have nothing to do but jump in the river, and that would not answer, because I am a pretty strong swimmer, and I daresay I shouldn’t drown at all!”
— The Foundling, Chapter VI
“I like very few people nowadays; in fact, the number of persons whom I cordially dislike increases almost hourly.”
— The Foundling, Chapter XXV
“I don’t reckon myself a mean shot, but I would think twice before I engaged in pistol-play with Sale. And you won’t hit him you know. He is such a little fellow, and you are such a damnably bad shot!”
— The Foundling, Chapter XXVI
ARABELLA (1949)
She contrived, without precisely making so vulgar a boast, to convey the impression that she was escaping from courtships so persistent as to amount to persecution; and Mr Beaumaris, listening with intense pleasure said that London was the very place for anyone desirous of escaping attention.
— Arabella, Chapter III
Nothing he wore was designed to attract attention, but he made every other man in the room look either a trifle overdressed or a trifle shabby.
— Arabella, Chapter VI
He soon discovered that what Arabella lacked in inches she more than made up for in spirit.”
— Arabella, Chapter VIII
“I have the greatest dislike of having my face licked, and must request you to refrain. Quiet, Ulysses! quiet! I am grateful to you for your solicitude, but you must perceive that I am in the enjoyment of my customary good health.”
— Arabella, Chapter XV
THE GRAND SOPHY (1950)
“Let me tell you, my dear Cousin, that I should be better pleased if you would refrain from meddling in the affairs of my family!”
“Now, that,” said Sophy, “I am very glad to know, because if ever I should desire to please you I shall know just how to set about it. I daresay I shan’t, but one likes to be prepared for any event, however unlikely.”
— The Grand Sophy, Chapter IV
“I shall be much obliged to you, cousin, if you will refrain from telling my sisters that she has a face like a horse!”
“But, Charles, no blame attaches to Miss Wraxton! She cannot help it, and that, I assure you, I have always pointed out to your sisters!”
“I consider Miss Wraxton’s countenance particularly well-bred!”
“Yes, indeed, but you have quite misunderstood the matter! I meant a particularly well-bred horse!”
— The Grand Sophy, Chapter IX
“Your fate is writ clear; you will be murdered. I cannot conceive how it comes about that you were not murdered long since!”
“How odd! Charles himself once said that to me, or something like it!”
“There is nothing odd in it; any sensible man must say it!”
— The Grand Sophy, Chapter XVI
DUPLICATE DEATH (1951)
“Daresay the chap led his partner a heart after he’d signalled he wanted a club. Well, I’ve got no sympathy for him!”
— Duplicate Death, Chapter 7
“Look here, I don’t mind you making two and two five, but when you start making it six you’re going too far, Sandy!”
— Duplicate Death, Chapter 11
“It’s my belief,” said Hemingway severely, “that when you cough that nasty Gaelic of yours at me you’re just handing me out a slice of damned cheek, banking on me not understanding a word of it! One of these days I’ll learn the language, and then you’ll precious soon find yourself reduced to the ranks, my lad!”
— Duplicate Death, Chapter 12
THE QUIET GENTLEMAN (1951)
“She holds views, which are thought to be very advanced, on Female Education.”
“And have you been reared according to these views?” enquired Gervase, in some misgiving.
“No, for Mama has been so fully occupied in prescribing for the education of females in general that naturally she has had little time to spare for her own children.”
— The Quiet Gentleman, Chapter III
“Phantom! Let me assure you that we have nothing of the sort at Stanyon! I should not countenance it; I do not approve of the supernatural.”
— The Quiet Gentleman, Chapter VIII
“Made me think, Ger! Made me add two and two together!”
“But, Lucy, you know you cannot add two and two together!” expostulated Gervase.
— The Quiet Gentleman, Chapter XVIII
“You were not acquainted with my father, Mr Morville. I have often been sorry that you were not, for you would have been excessively pleased with one another. My father was a great reader, though not, of course, during the hunting-season.”
— The Quiet Gentleman, Chapter XIX
COTILLION (1953)
“Good thing to be a Countess. Don’t see it myself, but that’s what my mother says. Must know, because she’s a Countess. Seems to like it pretty well. No good Freddy’s offering. Only be a Viscount. That’s better than a Baron, but George don’t count in any case. Can’t think why he came.”
— Cotillion, Chapter IV
“Told you I’d hit on something! Came to me with the cheese-cakes.”
“What a tribute to the cook!” said his father.
— Cotillion, Chapter VII
“This British Museum they talk so much about! You know what, sir? It’s a dashed take-in! Ought to do something about it.”
— Cotillion, Chapter XI
“How the deuce would you know the right way to go on if you was never taught anything but the wrong way?”
— Cotillion, Chapter XVI
“If Hugh says it, I’ll draw his cork. Do you think I should do that, Kitty?”
“Well, I don’t precisely know what it means, but I daresay it would be an excellent thing to do.”
— Cotillion, Chapter XIX
“Stands to reason if you’re in it I must be too.”
— Cotillion, Chapter XX
DETECTION UNLIMITED (1953)
“How much is known in the village?” asked Charles.
“Oh, much more than the truth! That is why I came. I want to know what really happened. Now, don’t tell me it was an accident! That was the first rumour that reached the Red Lion, but nothing would induce me to lend it an ear. Of course Sampson Warrenby was murdered! He is recognisable as a character created only to be murdered.”
— Detection Unlimited, Chapter 4
“I didn’t know one end of a Peke from another when I came to Thornden, and I could set up as a judge of them now, which will probably come in useful when I’m retired.”
— Detection Unlimited, Chapter 7
“That’s right: you can’t learn too early how to pass the buck if you want to get on in life.”
— Detection Unlimited, Chapter 9
THE TOLL-GATE (1954)
“You use too much thieves’ cant for my taste!”
“Ah!” said Stogumber, stooping to pick up his stick. “And you understand too much of it for mine, big ’un!”
— The Toll-Gate, Chapter X
“You’ve never been in a scrape yet but what it came about by accident. The thing is, no one else has these accidents.”
— The Toll-Gate, Chapter XIII
“By Jupiter!” he said softly. “That’s something to have seen, Chirk!”
“What are they?” asked Chirk, staring upwards. “They look like icicles to me, and the lord knows it’s cold enough.”
“Not icicles: stalactites. They’re formed by the dripping of water — thousands of years of it! I told you this would be a capital go!”
“I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed myself more,” said Chirk sardonically.
— The Toll-Gate, Chapter XVII
“Officer!” cried Mr. Willitoft. “I call on you to witness that this fellow has offered me violence.”
“Well, you hadn’t better,” responded Stogumber. “I never heard him offer you no violence! Nice thing if a cove can’t take his coat off without a silly nodcock calling on us Runners to stop him!”
— The Toll-Gate, Chapter XVIII
BATH TANGLE (1955)
“When I choose to be witty I like to receive just acknowledgement.”
— Bath Tangle, Chapter IV
It seemed to him that Serena brought light into a sunless room, and it never occurred to him that anyone could find it too strong.
— Bath Tangle, Chapter X
“There is no knowing what people will talk of. But you can’t — surely you can’t expect me to pay the least heed to what they may choose to say of me?”
— Bath Tangle, Chapter X
“Be damned to these periods of yours! If you would play-act less, I might believe you more!”
— Bath Tangle, Chapter XVII
“I know you for what you are, you enchanting termagant! And what you are I can’t exist without! I saw him worshipping you, poor devil, and shutting his eyes to your imperfections! I pitied him, but I held him in contempt as well, because what is most admirable in you he liked the least!”
— Bath Tangle, Chapter XXIII
SPRIG MUSLIN (1956)
“It wouldn’t be comfortable, not to be acquainted with myself.”
— Sprig Muslin, Chapter II
“Oh, you mustn’t blame Trotton!” said Sir Gareth. “Consider how difficult is his position! He is obliged to obey my orders, you see.”
“He is not obliged to assist you in kidnapping people!” she retorted.
“I engaged him on the strict understanding,” said Sir Gareth firmly, “that that would form an important part of his duties.”
— Sprig Muslin, Chapter IV
“It seems to me that if you never do anything that is not quite proper and decorous you will have the wretchedest life, without any adventures, or romance, or anything!”
— Sprig Muslin, Chapter V
“Sir, are you her guardian, or are you not?” she demanded.
“No,” he replied, his voice grave, but his eyes dancing. “I am an abductor. I met her only yesterday, and that by chance, snatched her up into my curricle, and bore her off in spite of all her protests to a gloomy mansion in the heart of the country. I need scarcely tell you that she contrived to make her escape from the mansion while I slept. However, it takes a good deal to daunt a thorough-going villain, so you won’t be surprised that here I am, having hunted her down remorselessly. I am now about to carry her off to my castle. This, by the way, is perched on a precipitous rock, and, besides being in an uncomfortable state of neglect and decay, is inhabited only by ghosts and sinster retainers of mine. From this fortress, after undergoing a number of extremely alarming adventures, she will, I have little doubt, be rescued by a noble youth of handsome though poverty-stricken aspect. I expect he will kill me, after which it will be found that he is the wronged heir to a vast property – probably mine – and all will end happily.”
— Sprig Muslin, Chapter X
“Do you know, Hester, in all these years I have held you in esteem and regard, yet I never knew you until we were pitchforked into this fantastic imbroglio? Certainly Amanda is wonderful! I must be eternally grateful to her!”
— Sprig Muslin, Chapter XV
APRIL LADY (1957)
“I collect you don’t mean to be so obliging as to escort us, which doesn’t surprise me above a very little, because of all imaginable persons I think brothers to be by far the most disagreeable!”
— April Lady, Chapter II
“Mr Fancot,” said Nell, almost overcome by mortification, “I am persuaded I have no need to beg you not to tell anyone why Dysart tried to hold me up tonight!”
“I shouldn’t dream of it!” Mr Fancot assured her earnestly. “Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me! Well, it stands to reason they couldn’t, because, now I come to think of it, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” she repeated incredulously.
“Forgot to ask him,” he explained. “Well, I mean to say – no business of mine! Dy said, Come and help me to hold up m’sister’s carriage! and I said, Done! or some such thing. Nothing else I could say. Dashed inquisitive to be asking him why, you know!”
— April Lady, Chapter IV
“You must think I’m a gudgeon!”
“Oh, I do!”
— April Lady, Chapter IV
To hear Papa, in the bosom of his family, one would suppose that modesty and discretion were the two virtues he considered most indispensable in a female. But there had been nothing in Papa’s career to suggest this: indeed far otherwise!
— April Lady, Chapter V
“Yes, and that puts me in mind of another thing I have to say to you! Why the devil don’t you take better care of Nell? Did you get her out of a silly scrape? No, you didn’t! I did! All you did was put it into her head you thought she had only married you for your fortune, when anyone but a gudgeon must have known she’s too big a pea-goose to have enough sense to do anything of the kind.”
— April Lady, Chapter XIV
“Here’s this curst fellow, Hethersett, got in with us! Help me to throw him out, will you?”
“No, no, can’t do that!’ said Mr Fancot, who was filled with a large tolerance. “Very good sort of a man! Didn’t know I’d invited him, but very glad he came.”
“You didn’t invite him! Nobody invited him!” said the Viscount.
“Must have,” said Mr Fancot. “Wouldn’t have come if I hadn’t. Polite to a point! Happy to take a glass of wine with him.”
— April Lady, Chapter XIV
“I wish that I could find the words to express to your ladyship the sense of obligation I feel. But when I consider the circumstances, and what cause you have had (the whole truth not being known to you) to think me infamous, I am rendered tongue-tied.”
“Not noticeably,” said Cardross dryly.
— April Lady, Chapter XV
SYLVESTER (1957)
“In any event, I could hardly have remained, when his lordship was suddenly called away, could I?’
“No, your grace. Particularly seeing as how you wasn’t wishful to.”
— Sylvester, Chapter VII
“The charm of your society, my Sparrow, lies in not knowing what you will say next – though one rapidly learns to expect the worst!”
— Sylvester, Chapter XI
It was strange how the dullest party could be enjoyed because there was one person present whose eyes could be met for the fraction of a second, in wordless appreciation of a joke unshared by others: almost as strange as the insipidity of parties at which that person was not present.
— Sylvester, Chapter XVI
“We Raynes do not like to be carried!”
— Sylvester, Chapter XXII
“If all this is designed to make me relinquish my claim on Edmund—”
“Good God, no!” exclaimed Sir Nugent, blenching. “You mistake, Duke! Only too happy to restore him to you! You know what I think?”
“No, and I don’t wish to!”
“He’s like some fellow in the Bible,” said Sir Nugent, ignoring this savage interpolation. “Or was it a pig? Well, it don’t signify. What I mean is, he’s possessed of a devil.”
— Sylvester, Chapter XXIII
“Oh, yes, she’s unusual!” he said bitterly. “She blurts out whatever may come into her head; she tumbles from one outrageous escapade into another; she’s happier grooming horses and hobnobbing with stable-hands than going to parties; she’s impertinent; you daren’t catch her eye for fear she should start to giggle; she hasn’t any accomplishments; I never saw anyone with less dignity; she’s abominable, and damnably hot at hand, frank to a fault, and – a darling!”
— Sylvester, Chapter XXVII
VENETIA (1958)
“Perhaps you have friends already who laugh when you do,” she said diffidently. “I haven’t, and it’s important, I think – more important than sympathy in affliction, which you might easily find in someone you positively disliked.”
“But to share a sense of the ridiculous prohibits dislike – yes, that’s true. And rare!”
— Venetia, Chapter IV
“I don’t think I am green. It’s true I only know what I’ve read in books, but I’ve read a great many books.”
—Venetia, Chapter VI
“I never met a rake before, or thought much about it, but I should suppose that a man could scarcely become one – well, not a very successful one, at all events – if he were not naturally engaging.”
— Venetia, Chapter X
“One of the advantages of having led a sequestered life,” said Damerel, smiling, “is that you’ve not until now encountered the sort of woman who can’t refrain from quarreling with all who cross her path. She is for ever suffering slights, and is so unfortunate as to make friends only with such ill-natured persons as soon or late treat her abominably! No quarrel is ever of her seeking; she is the most amiable of created beings, and the most long-suffering. It is her confiding disposition which renders her a prey to the malevolent, who, from no cause whatsoever, invariably impose upon her, or offer her such intolerable insult that she is obliged to cut the connection.”
— Venetia, Chapter XII
“As soon as one promises not to do something, it becomes the one thing above all others that one most wishes to do.”
— Venetia, Chapter XXI
“There is nothing so mortifying as to fall in love with someone who does not share one’s sentiments.”
— Venetia, Chapter XVII
THE UNKNOWN AJAX (1959)
“You must never marry. Don’t, I do earnestly beg of you, allow yourself to be taken in by any lure thrown out to you! You cannot hope to find a lady who will like you better than you like yourself.”
— The Unknown Ajax, Chapter III
“I don’t ask you – fribble!” snapped his lordship, rounding on him, with the speed of a whiplash. “You may keep your tongue between your teeth!”
“Yes, sir – happy to!” uttered Claud, dismayed. “No wish to offend you! Thought you might like to be set right!”
“Thought I might like to be set right?”
“No, no! Spoke without thinking!” said Claud hastily. “I know you don’t!”
— The Unknown Ajax, Chapter XVII
She then turned, and looked round the room, with all the lofty contempt natural to the descendant of eleven Earls, all of whom, if not otherwise distinguished, had been remarkable for the high-handed and very successful way with which they had dealt with inferior persons, and overridden all opposition to their domestic decrees. No one saw these august personages range themselves at Lady Aurelia’s back, but (as her appreciative elder son afterwards asserted) no one could doubt that they had all of them hurried to the support of so worthy a daughter.
— The Unknown Ajax, Chapter XXI
“It’s wonderful, the harm I do every time I try to do good!”
— The Unknown Ajax, Chapter XXVII
A CIVIL CONTRACT (1961)
“Dear boy, you have done just as you ought – just as we knew you would! My heart aches for you. But don’t despair! I am persuaded you will come about! Recollect what the poet says! I’m not sure which poet, but very likely it was Shakespeare, because it generally is, though why I can’t imagine!”
— A Civil Contract, Chapter II
“It is my Duty, so of course I don’t expect to enjoy it.”
— A Civil Contract, Chapter XII
Friendship might hold no place in a girl’s dreams, but dreams were insubstantial; escapes from reality into the glorious impossible. To consider the likely future was not to dream: it was to look forward; the essence of a dream was to ignore probability and one knew it, even at the height of fancy, when one imagined oneself the beloved of a slim young officer, whose eyes, weary with suffering, held so much kindness, and whose smile was so charming. No thought of friendship had entered plain, plebeian Jenny Chawleigh’s quite hopeless dream; but friendship was not to be despised after all: it was a warm thing, perhaps more durable than love, though falling such a long way short of love.
— A Civil Contract, Chapter XIX
It was only in epic tragedies that gloom was unrelieved. In real life tragedy and comedy were so intermingled that when one was most wretched ridiculous things happened to make one laugh in spite of oneself.
— A Civil Contract, Chapter XXI
THE NONESUCH (1962)
She decided that her wisest course would be to put him out of her mind. After reaching this conclusion she lay thinking about him until at last she fell asleep.
— The Nonesuch, Chapter VIII
The Rector, coming into the room and learning what was the subject under discussion, said that since the world began each generation had condemned the manners and customs of the next.
—The Nonesuch, Chapter IX
Tiffany never consciously deviated from the truth, but since she saw everything only as it affected herself the truth was apt to become somewhat distorted.
— The Nonesuch, Chapter X
“I am well aware, of course, that men are odd, even the best of them.”
— The Nonesuch, Chapter XIV
“Don’t you think that you might perhaps bring yourself to give marriage a thought? It’s quite easy, you know! Only consider for how many more years than you I never gave it a thought. And then I met you, and loved you, and found that I was thinking of very little else!”
— The Nonesuch, Chapter XVI
“That’s the worst – and sometimes the best – of country-life: intense interest in one’s neighbours!”
— The Nonesuch, Chapter XVI
FALSE COLOURS (1963)
“I assure you, the instant you begin to practise economy you will find yourself spending far more than ever you did before you embarked on such a ruinous course!”
— False Colours, Chapter I
“One is for ever hearing of persons who have lost their fortunes at gaming, but one never hears of anyone who has won a fortune. It seems very odd to me. Where do all the lost fortunes go to?”
— False Colours, Chapter II
“It is dreadfully tedious to be obliged to listen to poetry, even when it has been composed in one’s honour.”
— False Colours, Chapter V
“When one owes one’s milliner a vast amount of money the only thing to be done is to order several more hats from her.”
— False Colours, Chapter VIII
“I yield to none in my devotion to Mama, but a more caper-witted creature I hope I may never encounter!”
— False Colours, Chapter XIII
“If,” said the Dowager, after a pregnant silence, “I had ever dared to speak so to my grandmother, I should have been soundly whipped and confined to my bedchamber on bread-and-water for a sennight!”
The gravity vanished from Cressy’s face. “No, would you, Ma’am? How very brave your parents must have been!”
— False Colours, Chapter XX
FREDERICA (1965)
“Do you forget that I am your sister?”
“No; I’ve never been granted the opportunity to forget it.”
— Frederica, Chapter I
“Nothing makes one so cross as knowing one is in the wrong, does it?”
— Frederica, Chapter VII
“I can understand that that must be very comfortable, for if you don’t care for anybody or anything you can’t be cast into dejection, or become sick with apprehension, or even get into high fidgets. On the other hand, I shouldn’t think you could ever be aux anges either. It wouldn’t do for me: it would be too flat!”
— Frederica, Chapter VII
“A good butler may be trusted to smell out a commoner in the twinkling of a bedpost!”
— Frederica, Chapter IX
“I perceive — not that I ever doubted it! — that you will leave me nothing to do, which, as you know, is always my goal.”
—Frederica, Chapter X
“You will find it another dead bore, I daresay!”
“Possibly, but I shall be upheld by a feeling of virtue.”
“Ah, but the novelty of that will soon wear off!” she pointed out.
The sardonic expression vanished. “Very good, Frederica!”
— Frederica, Chapter XII
“And don’t you say that it is very kind and obliging of him, sir, like Jessamy, because if you don’t like a person, you don’t wish to be obliged to him!”
— Frederica, Chapter XVII
BLACK SHEEP (1966)
“I should suppose, wouldn’t you, that a libertine must be engaging?”
— Black Sheep, Chapter I
“The melancholy truth is that one’s first love very rarely bears the least resemblance to one’s last, and most enduring love. He is the man one marries, and with whom one lives happily ever after!”
— Black Sheep, Chapter II
“My – sufficiently wide experience of you, Mr Calverleigh, warns me that you are about to say something outrageous!”
“No, I assure you! Nothing derogatory! Charming girls, all of them! Only I don’t want to kiss them!”
She gave a startled gasp. “You don’t want – Well, upon my word! And if you mean me to understand from that–”
“I do,” he said, smiling down at her. “I should dearly love to kiss you – here and now!”
— Black Sheep, Chapter VI
“I wish I had ordered a hot brick to be provided.”
“Thank you, but there was not the least need to do so: I don’t feel at all cold.”
“I daresay icebergs don’t feel cold either, but I do!”
— Black Sheep, Chapter IX
COUSIN KATE (1968)
“My lady is kindness itself — to those she likes.”
— Cousin Kate, Chapter III
“A gabble-monger!”
“Why, yes, my dear, but gabble-mongers have this to be said in their favour: they provide their own entertainment!”
— Cousin Kate, Chapter V
“Has anyone ever told you, Cousin Kate, that you are wholly entrancing?”
“Since you ask me, sir,” she replied with great calm, “yes — several persons.”
“And yet you are still unmarried!”
“Very true! It is a mortifying reflection,” she said, mournfully shaking her head.
“Cousin Kate, you are a rogue!”
— Cousin Kate, Chapter VIII
“They say you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead — though why you shouldn’t I’m sure I don’t know! — so I’d best keep my lip buttoned, for speak good of her I could not!”
— Cousin Kate, Chapter XX
CHARITY GIRL (1970)
“I know that one ought not to criticize one’s father, but I can’t help feeling that it was just a little thoughtless of him to abandon me.”
— Charity Girl, Chapter III
“The truth is that you are too romantical, my friend, and should have lived when gentlemen of your cut used to ride out to rescue some damsel in distress. What a vast number of them there seem to have been, by the way! While as for the dragons and giants and ogres who held the damsels in thrall, when you consider how many of them were slain by the rescuing knights, you must be forced to the conclusion that the country was positively infested with them!”
— Charity Girl, Chapter VII
“One should always try to look on the brightside. It has ever been my rule. You would be astonished, I daresay, how often the worst disasters do have a brighter aspect.”
— Charity Girl, Chapter XV
LADY OF QUALITY (1972)
“Manna, too! I’ve never been able to discover what kind of food that was, but I am persuaded I shouldn’t like it, even if I were starving, and it was suddenly dropped on me, which I think extremely unlikely.”
— Lady of Quality, Chapter I
“There is a worse tyranny than that of ill-treatment. It is the tyranny of tears, vapours, appeals to feelings of affection and of gratitude!”
— Lady of Quality, Chapter V
“Has anyone ever got the better of you in a verbal encounter?” he asked.
“No, but it must be remembered that I have not until today had much opportunity to engage in verbal encounters. The gentlemen I have previously been acquainted with have all been distinguished by propriety of manners and conduct!”
“That must have made ’em sad bores!” he commented.
She could not help thinking that that was one accusation which could not be levelled against him, but she did not say so.
— Lady of Quality, Chapter V
“She suffers from a mysterious complaint, undiscoverable, but apparently past cure. One of its strangest symptoms is to put her quite out of frame whenever she finds herself asked to do anything she doesn’t wish to do.”
— Lady of Quality, Chapter VI
“She ought, of course, to have been strangled at birth, but perhaps her parents were lacking in foresight.”
— Lady of Quality, Chapter IX
MY LORD JOHN (1975)
COMING SOON