The Way of All Flesh
Ambrose Parry
Top 10 Best Quotes
“Wouldn’t it calm your spirits to be reading a book instead?’ Sarah suggested. Mina’s expression indicated that this was a notion so self-evident as to be stupid, and was about to explain why. ‘Of course I would rather be reading. I would spend all my days reading if I could. But for reasons passing understanding, embroidery is considered a desirable accomplishment in a prospective wife, and therefore it is incumbent upon me to master it, such is my lot. So for pity’s sake, bring tea or I shall run mad.”
“She had a purple shawl wrapped around her shoulders and her hair was loosely tied at the nape. Hill stepped back and examined her from several angles before announcing that he was content. He implored her to remain as still as possible, looking pointedly at Raven. Sarah exhibited no similar difficulty, remaining entirely immobile as though she had fallen into an open-eyed trance. She was not the only one. Raven found himself gazing rapt at her face, the paleness of her skin, the golden highlights in her hair. A sense of tranquility settled upon him, as though the serenity of her stillness had somehow been transferred to him. ‘You seem transfixed,’ observed Hill quietly, walking past. ‘A pity you could not have held such a pose earlier.”
“Sarah poured the tea, thinking how narrow Mina’s assessment of a woman’s role was, how restrictive. Why couldn’t a woman aspire to more? Why shouldn’t she? Why did Raven get to do whatever he wanted? She was convinced that they were of similar backgrounds and she was damn sure they were of similar intellect, yet he had opportunities that were denied to her, and seemed not always to appreciate his privilege.”
“Sarah had come to recognise a particular haughtiness common among medical men.”
“Sarah had come into service here at Queen Street following the death of her parents, the local minister finding this position for her as he was an old friend of Dr. Simpson. Her premature departure from the parish school had no doubt been a relief to her schoolmaster, who was becoming increasingly wearied by her arguments regarding her exclusion from subject deemed suited only to boys, such as Classics and mathematics. He was convinced that her grasp of reading, writing, and arithmetic was sufficient for a girl of her station, insisting that knitting and sewing would be of more use to her and would open up the possibility of industrial work in the future. As though a factory job or work in a mill should be the culmination of all her ambition. If one was capable of carrying out a task or learning a body of knowledge, then why should it matter whether one be male or female? Her fury at this injustice had cooled little since.”
“Sarah had been speaking the truth when she said she didn’t dislike him, but she did dislike his presumption of superiority over her, as she disliked it in all young men. Given the same chance, she was confident she would excel over any of them, so it stung when all they saw was a housemaid. Out of necessity, Raven was looking beyond that. Or at least she was offering him the occasion to. She hoped he didn’t disappoint.”
“Nor did he care for how McLevy used the term ‘females.’ He made it sound as though he were talking about some other manner of species; exotic and of interest, no doubt, but somehow beyond the human. Or beneath it.”
“James Matthew Duncan, he decided, was going to be insufferable. He had the bearing of a young man who had never been punched full in the face for an unguarded remark, and Raven instinctively felt he might be the one to remedy that.”
“He heard a whipping sound, something cutting through the air. Beattie stopped. He let go of Raven, his eyes bulging as he clutched between his legs, a crippling, uncomprehending agony on his face. He dropped to his knees, revealing Sarah behind him. She stood with a poker gripped in both hands, fire in her eyes. ‘I also have the wit to know that a preening onanist who regards himself a god does not gladly wait upon a housemaid,’ she said. As these words met Beattie’s ears, the poker whipped through the air again, this time connecting with his skull.”
“Dr Simpson swept in through the front door. His expression of irritation and curiosity turned to one of confusion and dismay as he took in the scene that greeted him: his housemaid in another man's home after dark, his apprentice bruised and bleeding, and both of them standing over the trussed-up figure of his sister-in-law's betrothed. "I have one or two wee questions, laddie," he said quietly.”
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Book Keywords:
underestimating-othersting, backpfeifengesicht, male-privilege, females, sarah-fisher, thwarted-ambition, feminism, intelligence, self-esteem, will-raven, lovestruck, love-of-books, reading
