How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
They passed a little human grave: on its splintered head-cross was printed a legend: Toby, Killed by the Cat. Sunken, a stretch of sycamore root growing from its depth, it was, you could tell, an old grave. "What's that mean," said Joel, "killed by the cat?"
"It happened before I was born," said Idabel, as if this explained everything. (2.7.10-11)
Idabel and Joel are young, and for them (like for many of us) the entire world began when they were born. For Idabel, the explanation of "it happened before I was born" is enough to keep her from needing to know or say anything else. The past is the ultimate authority in this novel.