101
" My God, said Francis Crawford in English, smiling cordially and shaking his hand. 'Caffa and purled lace and pinking, and a butt on him like one of Shah Mahmút th Ghaznêrides' elephants. How is Marthe?' To his escort, he added blandly, in French, 'Forgive me. Mr Blyth and I are old acquaintances.' 'Don't apologize. M. le Prévôt speaks English,' said Jerott coldly. 'So he does,' said Lymond thoughtfully. 'Remind me to tell him that the Shah Mahmut the Gaznêrides kept very small elephants. "
― Dorothy Dunnett , Checkmate (The Lymond Chronicles, #6)
118
" Scorpio,’ Lymond said, ‘does not caper. He stings. We are damned, as the man says, of nature: so conceaved and borne as a serpent is a serpent, and a tode a tode, and a snake a snake by nature …’ He looked at her again, a little wryly. ‘And you, I suppose, are the Crab. It doesn’t matter. If you want to bite, bite. "
― Dorothy Dunnett , Checkmate (The Lymond Chronicles, #6)