A. A. Milne

“ In the quiet hours when we are alone with ourselves and there is nobody to tell us what fine fellows we are, we come sometimes upon a weak moment in which we wonder, not how much money we are earning, nor how famous we are becoming, but what good we are doing. If a barrister ever has such a moment, what is his consolation? It can only be that he is helping Justice to be administered. If he is to be proud of his profession, and in that lonely moment tolerant of himself, he must feel that he is taking a noble part in the vindication of legal right, the punishment of legal wrong. ”

“ There was a time when I hoped that there might be a happy future for me, not at the Red House, not alone. Perhaps it was never more than an idle day-dream, for I am no more worthy of her than Mark was. But I could have made her happy, Mr. Gillingham. God, how I would have worked to make her happy! But now that is impossible. To offer her the hand of a murderer would be as bad as to offer her the hand of a drunkard. And Mark died for that. I saw her this morning. She was very sweet. It is a difficult world to understand. ”

“ BRIAN. I'll make you love it. You shan't be sorry, Dinah.
DINAH. You shan't be sorry either, Brian.
BRIAN (looking at her lovingly) . Oh, I know I shan't. . . . What will Olivia think about it? Will she be surprised?
DINAH. She's never surprised. She always seems to have thought of things about a week before they happen. George just begins to get hold of them about a week after they've happened. (Considering him) After all, there's no reason why George shouldn't like you, darling.
BRIAN. I'm not his sort, you know.
DINAH. You're more Olivia's sort. Well, we'll tell Olivia this morning. ”

“ GERALD. They can put you in prison for everything Nanny—being stupid or being wise, being bad or being good, being poor or—yes, or being rich.
MASON (putting her last touches to the flowers) . There! Now it looks much more like what her ladyship's used to. If you aren't sent to prison for being bad, it doesn't seem to matter so much.
GERALD. Well—it isn't nice, you know.
MASON. There's lots of things that aren't nice in the world. They haven't come your way yet, and I only hope they never will.
GERALD. I wish they hadn't come Bob's way. ”

“ When one's daughter has just returned from an expensive schooling in Paris, one likes to feel—
DELIA. What I meant, dear, was, am I to have a stepfather at last?
BELINDA. Now you're being too French, darling.
DELIA. Why, do you still think father may be alive?
BELINDA. Why not? It's only eighteen years since he left us, and he was quite a young man then.
DELIA. Yes, but surely, surely you'd have heard from him in all those years, if he'd been alive?
BELINDA. Well, he hasn't heard from me, and I'm still alive.
DELIA (looking earnestly at her mother, rises and moves L.C.) . ”

“ For February comes just when we are sick of winter, and therefore she may not be wintry. Wishing to do her best, she ventures her spring costume, crocus and primrose and daffodil days; days when the first faint perfume of mint is blown down the breezes, and one begins to wonder how the lambs are shaping. Is that the ideal February? Ah no! For we cannot be deceived. We know that spring is not here; that March is to come with its frosts and perchance its snows, a worse March for the milder February, a plunge back into the winter which poor February tried to flatter us was over. ”

“ JANE. How awfully nice of you to say that, Bobby. You do understand so wonderfully.
BOBBY (with a laugh) . I say, that's rather funny. I was just thinking the same about you.
JANE. I say, were you really? I'm so glad. I like to feel that we are really friends, and that we understand each other. I don't know whether I'm different from other girls, but I don't make friends very easily.
BOBBY. Do you mean men or women friends?
JANE. Both. In fact, but for Melisande and you, I can hardly think of any—not what you call real friends.
BOBBY. Melisande is a great friend, isn't she? ”

“ NANCY. I don’t feel very young, with a big son wanting to get married.
IRIS. He? He’s only a baby. (She blows a kiss to the picture.)
JACK (resigned) . Oh, Lord!
BROXOPP. Well, Iris, if you’re as happy together as Nancy and I have been, you’ll do. Twenty-five years we have been married, and I always say that if it hadn’t been for Nancy——
NANCY (stopping him) . Yes, dear.
IRIS. If it hadn’t been for Nancy, there wouldn’t have been a Jack for me to marry.
BROXOPP (joining in the general laughter) . Well, that’s true. And what does Sir Roger say about it? ”

“ BAXTER. I don't see why not.
BELINDA. Well, there's just a little difficulty in the way.
DEVENISH. What is it? I will remove it. For you I could remove anything —yes, even Baxter. (He looks at BAXTER, who is sitting more solidly than ever in his chair.)
BELINDA. And anyhow I should have to choose between you.
DEVENISH (in a whisper) , choose me.
BAXTER (stiffly) . Mrs. Tremayne does not require any prompting. A fair field and let the best man win.
DEVENISH (going across to and slapping the astonished BAXTER on the back) . Aye, let the best man win! Well spoken, Baxter. ”

“ GERALD (thoughtfully) . Yes, there is that.
TOMMY. It's all the same to me. Only just let me know which you want.
GERALD. Well, as long as you don't overdo it. Don't rub it in that he's just left prison, and—don't rub it out.
TOMMY. I suppose it would be quite safe to ask him to pass the mustard?
GERALD (laughing) . Good old Tommy!
LETTY. You'd better talk to me all the time, and then you'll be all right.
GERALD. We'll make it go between us. And, of course, Pamela will help to-morrow. Hooray for Pamela! It makes me quite envious seeing you young people together. ”

“ I meet a man so keen or a situation so dull that politeness or boredom leads me to accept. The board is produced, I remind myself that the queen stands on a square of her own colour, and that the knight goes next to the castle; I push forward the king's pawn two squares, and we are off. Yes, we are off; but not for one game only. For a month at least I shall dream of chess at night and make excuses to play it in the day. For a month chess will be even more to me than golf or billiards—games which I adore because I am so bad at them. ”