More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
‘Drinking tea is protocol,’ said Lady LeJean. ‘I must insist.’ ‘Is this correct?’ Mr White barked at Dr Hopkins. ‘Oh, yes,’ said the doctor. ‘With a ginger biscuit, usually,’ he added hopefully.
The Auditors had tried to understand religion, because so much that made no sense whatsoever was done in its name. But it could also excuse practically any kind of eccentricity. Genocide, for example. By comparison, a lack of tea drinking was easy.
Despite himself, Death was fascinated. He had never come across the idea of keeping your memory inside someone else’s head.
Open the box with the crowbar that you will find inside …
So what I think is happening is that they’re finding out what being human really means.’ ‘Which is?’ ‘That you’re not as much in control as you think.’
Knowing how to use other people’s vanity was a martial art all in itself,
Miss Tangerine was getting even angrier because she couldn’t work out why she was angry.
It was as if some secret place inside her boiled with wrath, and with the Auditors she let it out.
‘Don’t see what you expect to see, see what’s in front of you!’
‘But you can’t obey the Keep Left/Right sign, no matter what you do … oh, I see …’ ‘Isn’t learning fun? Oh, and here’s another one.’
Susan was sensible. It was, she knew, a major character flaw. It did not make you popular, or cheerful, and – this seemed to her to be the most unfair bit – it didn’t even make you right. But it did make you definite,
‘Salad-cream sandwiches. You just can’t beat them. That tang of permitted emulsifiers? Marvellous.’
It was a work of art, the sword. It had imaginary velocity, negative energy and positive cold, cold so cold that it met heat coming the other way and took on something of its nature. Burning cold. There had never been anything as cold as this since before the universe began. In fact, it seemed to Chaos, everything since then had been merely lukewarm. ‘Well, I’m back,’ he said. The Fifth Horseman rode out, and a faint smell of cheese followed him.
‘Coffee beans coated in chocolate,’ breathed Susan. ‘They should be outlawed!’
‘Don’t you ever let go?’ ‘I haven’t yet.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I suppose … because in this world, after everyone panics, there’s always got to be someone to tip the wee out of the shoe.’
‘Against one perfect moment, the centuries beat in vain.’
and therefore respect was a line that travelled in both directions.
‘Ten thousand gallons of delicate fondant sugar cream infused with essence of violet and stirred into dark chocolate,’ said Chaos. ‘There are also strata of hazelnut praline in rich butter cream, and areas of soft caramel for that special touch of delight.’
SO … YOU’RE SAYING THAT THIS VAT COULD EXIST SOMEWHERE IN A TRULY INFINITE EVERYWHERE, AND THEREFORE IT CAN EXIST HERE? said Death. ‘Indeed,’ said Chaos. BUT IT NO LONGER EXISTS IN THE PLACE WHERE IT SHOULD EXIST. ‘No. It should, now, exist here. The maths is easy,’ said Chaos. AH? WELL, MATHS, said Death dismissively. GENERALLY I NEVER GET MUCH FURTHER THAN SUBTRACTION. ‘In any case, chocolate is hardly a rare commodity,’ said Chaos. ‘There are planets covered in the stuff.’
IT MIGHT BE BEST, said Death, IF NEWS LIKE THAT DID NOT GET ABOUT.
She stared into the chocolate abyss. A dusting of sugar sparkled on its surface.
A good teacher used whatever materials there were to hand,
Maybe, she thought, that was a normal family state. When push came to shove – thank you, Mrs Ogg, she’d always remember that phrase now – they’d rely on each other automatically, without a thought. Apart from that, they kept out of one another’s way.
Even with nougat, you can have a perfect moment.
