Lizzie

“He had never imagined so clearly the consequences of mailing a letter—the impossibility of retrieving it from the iron mouth of the box; the inevitability if its steady progress through the postal system; the passing from bag to bag and postman to postman until a lone man in a van pulls up to the door and pushes a small pile through the letterbox. It seemed suddenly horrible that one's words could not be taken back, one's thoughts allowed none of the remediation of speaking face to face.”
― Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

“Life does often get in the way of one's reading.”
― Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

“You are a wise man, Major, and I will consider your advice with great care—and humility." He finished his tea and rose from the table to go to his room. "But I must ask you, do you really understand what it means to be in love with an unsuitable woman?"

"My dear boy," said the Major. "Is there really any other kind?”
― Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

“Passion is all very well, but it wouldn't do to spill the tea.”
― Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand