Home > Work > The Two Mrs. Abbotts (Miss Buncle, #3)
1 " She realized, for the first time, how very important fire was. We lost sight of the meaning of fire when it was easy to produce. Fire was one of Heaven’s best gifts to man. Fire was life. "
― D.E. Stevenson , The Two Mrs. Abbotts (Miss Buncle, #3)
2 " Well, you asked me,” said Ash. “I mean—well—you asked me, didn’t you? I wouldn’t have read them but there wasn’t anything else to read—it was in hospital, you see.” “Most people like my books,” said Miss Walters faintly. “Most people are saps,” said Ash. "
3 " At first Sarah Walker had been amused, for she was interested in people and had a sharp eye for anything funny or unusual, but after a bit her sense of humor had become blunted by exhaustion. If Sarah had known the journey was going to be so awful she would have hesitated before accepting the invitation to lecture at this meeting, but she had not known (from Silverstream to Wandlebury did not look far on the map). It was only when John came home and she asked him to look out her trains that she discovered what she had let herself in for. "
4 " Jerry hesitated. She said, “But Rudge, you ought to go—if they want you, I mean.” “Not me,” replied Rudge, taking another mouthful of sausage. “Why should I go? It ain’t my war. I never wanted war with the Germans.” “Nobody wanted war!” cried Jerry. “Why did they ’ave it then? They won’t get me for cannon fodder,” said Rudge with a grin. "
5 " I wish you wouldn’t gad about the country like this,” said John with a sigh. “But I’m quite strong now!” “Stronger than you were,” amended John. “It’s my war work,” Sarah pointed out. “I don’t enjoy tearing around the country giving Red Cross lectures—but I don’t suppose soldiers enjoy fighting or munitions workers enjoy standing all day long, filing nuts and screws. "
6 " What is it?” asked Miss Marks at last. “Is it serious?” “Of course it’s serious,” replied Dr. Wrench. “You don’t have pain without a cause. Pain is simply nature’s way of warning us that something has gone wrong.” “Very serious?” asked Miss Marks anxiously. "
7 " didn’t want it,” he said. “It didn’t matter to me if ’itler took Poland. What’s Poland to me? Why didn’t we let ’im ’ave Poland if that’s what ’e wanted.” “Poland was just the beginning. He would have swallowed Poland first and then he’d have come for us—one at a time, that was his idea. "
8 " Sarah had expected to be slightly bored at the Wandlebury Ladies’ Bazaar, but she had forgotten that it was impossible to be bored with Barbara at your side. Barbara was a sort of magnet, she attracted funny little incidents as a magnet attracts steel, and, this being so, Sarah began to enjoy herself in a slightly malicious way. She noticed that, although Barbara’s manner was more assured, she was still nervous when it behooved her to speak to people she did not like. It was therefore quite easy to discern which of her neighbors she liked and trusted and which she did not. "
9 " After having completed this somewhat curious transaction Sarah was assailed by a qualm of conscience (for the money was to go to charity, was it not) but she soothed it away by telling herself that she would give Barbara thirty shillings for the vases and so make everything right. I can’t take them home, of course, she thought with a shudder as she looked at them, tucked under Barbara’s arm. I shall have to get rid of them somehow—perhaps I could leave them in the train. "
10 " In fact Jerry had done everything to make Mrs. Boles stay at Ganthorne Cottage, everything short of binding the woman hand and foot and locking her in the toolshed, so it really was extremely odd that her conscience should keep on bothering her like this. I suppose it’s because I’m glad they’re going, thought Jerry. I am glad, of course, but I can’t help being glad… "
11 " She was thinking how odd it was that children grew up so quickly and grown-up people remained much the same. It was only yesterday (or so it seemed to Dorcas) that she had carried Simon upstairs in her arms. Now he could run up the stairs much faster than she could. Tomorrow, or soon after, he would have grown too big to play bears—he would not need her anymore. "
