How we cite our quotes: Volume.Part.Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #10
But there was something so repellant to me in the idea—something so meanly like the common herd of spies and informers in the mere act of adopting a disguise—that I dismissed the question from consideration […] (3.1.8.31)
Remember how Laura called Fosco a spy and he got huffy? And how Walter decided that Fosco totally was a spy and acted like that was a huge black mark against him? In the Victorian era spies were considered the lowest of the low. (It goes back to all those identity issues whirling around.) Basically, any form of acting and pretending was viewed in a negative light, and acting or pretending was considered downright unmanly.
Quote #11
"In short, she is an angel; and I am—Try some of that marmalade, Mr. Hartright, and finish the sentence, in the name of female propriety, for yourself." (1.1.6.10)
Marian busts out some comic relief here and hilariously cuts herself off before making the logical comparison of herself to a devil (to contrast with Laura's angelic nature). Have we mentioned how much we heart Marian? Because we totally do.
Quote #12
Women can resist a man's love, a man's fame, a man's personal appearance, and a man's money; but they cannot resist a man's tongue, when he knows how to talk to them. (2.1.5.1)
Collins gets his groove on with another nicely flowing sentence here, this time courtesy of Marian, who makes some astute observations about men and the power they can hold over women with their (snicker) tongues.