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21 " Houses, trees and fields of flax once flourished here. Summers had been blue with flowers. Now it was a shallow sea of stinking grey from end to end. And this is where you fought the war. "
― Timothy Findley , The Wars
22 " I've never met—have you?—a truly sophisticated man. World-weary and discreet—of course. But never sophisticated. "
23 " So far, you have read of the deaths of 557,017 people – one of whom was killed by a streetcar, one of whom died of bronchitis and one of whom died in a barn with her rabbits. "
24 " Go, he said; in peace. And sing with the whales. "
25 " Rodwell wandered into No Man's Land and put a bullet through his ears. On Sunday, Robert sat on his bed in the old hotel at Bailleul and read what Rodwell had written. To my daughter, Laurine;Love your mother. Make your prayers against despair. I am alive in everything I touch. Touch these pages and you have me in your fingertips. We survive in one another. Everything lives forever. Believe it. Nothing dies. I am your father always. "
26 " He took his aim. His arm wavered. His eyes burned with sweat. Why didn't someone come and jump on his back and make him stop?He fired.A chair fell over in his mind. "
27 " You begin to arrange your research in bundles - letters - photos - telegrams. This is that last thing you see before you put on your overcoat:Robert and Rowena with Meg: Rowena seated astride the pony – Robert holding her in place. On the back is written: 'Look! You can see our breath!' And you can. "
28 " What you have to accept at the outset is this: many men have died like Robert Ross, obscured by violence. Lawrence was hurled against a wall—Scott entombed in ice and wind—Mallory blasted on the face of Everest. Lost. We're told Euripides was killed by dogs—and this is all we know. The flesh was torn and scattered—eaten. Ross was consumed by fire. These are like statements: 'pay attention!' People can only be found in what they do. "