More Amelia Peabody quotes
Mar. 30th, 2005 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieSome of my fave quotes from the Amelia Peabody series
QUOTES
Next day I penned a courteous note to Mrs. Albion thanking her for her delightful party. It was somewhat hypocritical, as Emerson was quick to point out, but in my opinion a certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary in maintaining the social amenities. If everyone said exactly what he or she thought of everyone else, there would be no social amenities.
"The Golden One"
He had sometimes wondered whether Emerson would interrupt an interesting excavation long enough to interfere if he saw his son being strangled or battered - and then reproached himself for his doubts. Emerson would remove the attacker, knock him unconscious, inquire, "All right, are you, my boy?" and go back to work.
Ramses ruminating on his father in Ape Who Guards the Balance
Nefret, all he knows about me is the story we were at such pains to cultivate last year. We can hardly complain if it succeeded in convincing people I was - what I pretended to be.
"Coward, slacker, pacifist." She spit the words out. "It's not fair!"
"If refusing to engage in the indiscriminate slaughter of people who've never done me any harm is being a pacifist, that's what I am."
Ramses and Nefret in "Lord of the Silent"
"......What the devil are we looking for anyway? A signpost, labeled 'THIS WAY TO LOST TOMB'?"
I always allow Emerson his little touches of sarcasm, which give him the illusion that he is being witty.
Amelia in "Lord of the Silent"
Father, promise you won't start shouting at him. And Mother, you won't be rude to Margaret, will you?
Both of them looked at her (Nefret) in shocked surprise. "I am never rude," said his mother stiffly, "I never shout," his father shouted.
Lord of the Silent. Hee
Raising Ramses had converted me to a belief in guardian angels; only supernatural intervention could explain how he had got to his present age without killing himself or being murdered by one of the innumerable people he had offended. In my opinion what he required was to be civilized, not encouraged to develop uncivilized skills at which he was only too adept.
Amelia in Seeing a Large Cat
High-minded individuals are more dangerous than criminals. They can always find hypocritical excuses for committing acts of violence.
Amelia in Seeing a Large Cat
"No one has ever questioned out little fiction about the kindly missionaries," I said uneasily - for the true story of Nefret's first thirteen years was one I had taken pains to conceal.
"He did not question it. He only wanted to make certain I was still a virgin."
David caught his breath. Ramses blinked. My glass fell from my hand, spilling its contents across the tablecloth. Nefret gave me a rueful smile. "Oh dear, I forgot. That is one of the words I am not supposed to use, except in church. He put it more delicately, I assure you."
Seeing a Large Cat
"Where the devil did you get that?" he asked in surprise. Mistletoe was not indigenous to Egypt.
He steadied the ladder as she scrambled down. "In Germany. The berries kept falling off, so I put pins through them. It should be inaugurated, don't you think?" Standing on tiptoe, she pulled his head down and kissed him on the mouth.
As a rule he managed to avoid those generous, agonizing, sisterly kisses. This time she was so quick he hadn't time to move, or even turn his head. Knowing it meant nothing to her, he did his best not to respond, but when she stepped back her eyes were puzzled and her cheeks a little pinker than usual.
Ramses and Nefret in "Falcon at the Portal"
"You know how he feels about buying from dealers. I admire his principles, just like I admire the principles of pacifism, but I fear they are equally impractical. In the one case you wind up dead. In the other, you lose valuable historical documents to idle collectors who take them home and forget about them."
From "The Ape who Guards the Balance"
Well, you are not to go there," I declared. "Nor David."
I did not forbid Nefret to go, because it would never had occurred to me that she would. Autopsies and mangled bodies, yes; the adobes of hardened criminals, certainly; but a house of illicit affection...
I cannot imagine how I could have been so dense.
Amelia reflecting in "Ape who Guards the Balance"
Nefret. The memory of that night, the only night they had been together, was imprinted in every cell of his body, so much a part of him that he couldn't touch another woman without thinking of her.
Aahhhh, Ramses angst. From "He Shall Thunder in the Sky"
"I wouldn't want you to crrrush me in your arms and overpower me every day of the week! But now and then it makes for an interesting change."
Nefret in "Lord of the Silent"
You look very nice. Is that a new frock?"
"I haven't worn it before. Do you like it?"
"Not very much," said Ramses, before I could reply. "Is that the latest in evening dress? You look like a lampshade."
"I" is Amelia. The questioner is Nefret. Ramses snark from He Shall Thunder in the Sky. For a man in love he says naaaasty things.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"We were friends once. Before..."
"And still are, I hope. Really Nefret, must you make a scene? I find this very fatiguing."
I did not hear what she said, but it had the effect of finally breaking through his icy and infuriating self control. He took her by the arm. She twisted neatly away and stood glaring at him, her breast rising and falling.
"You taught me that one," she said.
"So I did. Here is one I did not teach you."
His movement was so quick I saw only the result. One arm held her pressed to his side, her body arched like a bow in his hard grasp. Putting his hand under her chin, he tilted her head back and brought his mouth down on hers.
He went on kissing her for quite a long time.
Meeep, finally! Ramses and Nefret in "He Shall Thunder in the Sky"
QUOTES
Next day I penned a courteous note to Mrs. Albion thanking her for her delightful party. It was somewhat hypocritical, as Emerson was quick to point out, but in my opinion a certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary in maintaining the social amenities. If everyone said exactly what he or she thought of everyone else, there would be no social amenities.
"The Golden One"
He had sometimes wondered whether Emerson would interrupt an interesting excavation long enough to interfere if he saw his son being strangled or battered - and then reproached himself for his doubts. Emerson would remove the attacker, knock him unconscious, inquire, "All right, are you, my boy?" and go back to work.
Ramses ruminating on his father in Ape Who Guards the Balance
Nefret, all he knows about me is the story we were at such pains to cultivate last year. We can hardly complain if it succeeded in convincing people I was - what I pretended to be.
"Coward, slacker, pacifist." She spit the words out. "It's not fair!"
"If refusing to engage in the indiscriminate slaughter of people who've never done me any harm is being a pacifist, that's what I am."
Ramses and Nefret in "Lord of the Silent"
"......What the devil are we looking for anyway? A signpost, labeled 'THIS WAY TO LOST TOMB'?"
I always allow Emerson his little touches of sarcasm, which give him the illusion that he is being witty.
Amelia in "Lord of the Silent"
Father, promise you won't start shouting at him. And Mother, you won't be rude to Margaret, will you?
Both of them looked at her (Nefret) in shocked surprise. "I am never rude," said his mother stiffly, "I never shout," his father shouted.
Lord of the Silent. Hee
Raising Ramses had converted me to a belief in guardian angels; only supernatural intervention could explain how he had got to his present age without killing himself or being murdered by one of the innumerable people he had offended. In my opinion what he required was to be civilized, not encouraged to develop uncivilized skills at which he was only too adept.
Amelia in Seeing a Large Cat
High-minded individuals are more dangerous than criminals. They can always find hypocritical excuses for committing acts of violence.
Amelia in Seeing a Large Cat
"No one has ever questioned out little fiction about the kindly missionaries," I said uneasily - for the true story of Nefret's first thirteen years was one I had taken pains to conceal.
"He did not question it. He only wanted to make certain I was still a virgin."
David caught his breath. Ramses blinked. My glass fell from my hand, spilling its contents across the tablecloth. Nefret gave me a rueful smile. "Oh dear, I forgot. That is one of the words I am not supposed to use, except in church. He put it more delicately, I assure you."
Seeing a Large Cat
"Where the devil did you get that?" he asked in surprise. Mistletoe was not indigenous to Egypt.
He steadied the ladder as she scrambled down. "In Germany. The berries kept falling off, so I put pins through them. It should be inaugurated, don't you think?" Standing on tiptoe, she pulled his head down and kissed him on the mouth.
As a rule he managed to avoid those generous, agonizing, sisterly kisses. This time she was so quick he hadn't time to move, or even turn his head. Knowing it meant nothing to her, he did his best not to respond, but when she stepped back her eyes were puzzled and her cheeks a little pinker than usual.
Ramses and Nefret in "Falcon at the Portal"
"You know how he feels about buying from dealers. I admire his principles, just like I admire the principles of pacifism, but I fear they are equally impractical. In the one case you wind up dead. In the other, you lose valuable historical documents to idle collectors who take them home and forget about them."
From "The Ape who Guards the Balance"
Well, you are not to go there," I declared. "Nor David."
I did not forbid Nefret to go, because it would never had occurred to me that she would. Autopsies and mangled bodies, yes; the adobes of hardened criminals, certainly; but a house of illicit affection...
I cannot imagine how I could have been so dense.
Amelia reflecting in "Ape who Guards the Balance"
Nefret. The memory of that night, the only night they had been together, was imprinted in every cell of his body, so much a part of him that he couldn't touch another woman without thinking of her.
Aahhhh, Ramses angst. From "He Shall Thunder in the Sky"
"I wouldn't want you to crrrush me in your arms and overpower me every day of the week! But now and then it makes for an interesting change."
Nefret in "Lord of the Silent"
You look very nice. Is that a new frock?"
"I haven't worn it before. Do you like it?"
"Not very much," said Ramses, before I could reply. "Is that the latest in evening dress? You look like a lampshade."
"I" is Amelia. The questioner is Nefret. Ramses snark from He Shall Thunder in the Sky. For a man in love he says naaaasty things.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"We were friends once. Before..."
"And still are, I hope. Really Nefret, must you make a scene? I find this very fatiguing."
I did not hear what she said, but it had the effect of finally breaking through his icy and infuriating self control. He took her by the arm. She twisted neatly away and stood glaring at him, her breast rising and falling.
"You taught me that one," she said.
"So I did. Here is one I did not teach you."
His movement was so quick I saw only the result. One arm held her pressed to his side, her body arched like a bow in his hard grasp. Putting his hand under her chin, he tilted her head back and brought his mouth down on hers.
He went on kissing her for quite a long time.
Meeep, finally! Ramses and Nefret in "He Shall Thunder in the Sky"
