E. Nesbit

“ They want men. I should try it if I were you. If you don't have a complete change, you'll go all to pieces. That's all."
The Onlooker got out at the next station. Short of owning to his own lie, he had done what he could to ensure its being found out for the lie it was—or, at least, for a mistake. And when he had done what he could, he saw that the Lover might not find it out—might be passed for the Army—might go to the front—might be killed—and then. ... "Well, I've done my best, anyhow," he said to himself. And himself answered him: "Liar, you have not done your best. ”

“ There is a code of honour—right or wrong—and it forbids a man with an income of a hundred and fifty a year to speak of love to a girl who is reckoned an heiress. There are plenty who transgress the code, but they are in all the other stories. ”

“ The Onlooker had never done anything wronger than you have done, my good reader, and he never expected to meet a giant temptation—any more than you do. A man may go all his days and never meet Apollyon. On the other hand, Apollyon may be waiting for one round the corner of the nest street. The Devil was waiting for the Onlooker in the answers to his careless questions—
"Father alive? ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1924, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 99 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”