The Town Below Quotes

“Pictures hung from the walls. There in effigy were Wilfred Laurier, Ernest Lapointe, Mackenzie King, and at the far end was a photograph of Cardinal Villeneuve, next to the image of the Sacred Heart. The heart of the statue was heated by electricity while its toes were warmed by a well-trimmed lamp. The image was painted red, for Providence is on the side of the Liberals.”
― Roger Lemelin, The Town Below

“He’s too sweet on you. If he doesn’t work, he has no business wanting to marry you. I’ll have to give him his walking papers.” Inasmuch as his prospective father-in-law was near to being a colossus, Joseph was led to reflect that perhaps it would be better for him to look for a job. He would hang about the corridors of the Parliament Buildings and, just as Flora’s sisters were returning from work, would come out with a bustling air and a newspaper under his arm.”
― Roger Lemelin, The Town Below

“Lise’s astonishment caused them to puff out their chests. How charming was this ragamuffin bravado! The spontaneous homage of the three marauders reminded her of Maid Marian and Robin Hood’s men. The hesitant breeze of her thoughts was lost in a vague, romantic reverie that had to do with things past even as her gaze rested unseeingly on the objects about her. For her, the present served merely as an echo of the past, and since the tendency of schoolgirl dreams is toward the ideal and the unreal, Lise found herself tossing in time and space like a bit of driftwood that is always on the point of settling somewhere but never does. The light-skimming, wavering glance with which she regarded the lads in front of her reflected this inner vagueness; and then, suddenly, a startled look came into her eyes as she stared at Jean’s leg. Bending over, he perceived the hole in his trousers through which his knee was visible. “They are my everyday ones,” he stammered. He would have liked very much to show her his fine brown suit”
― Roger Lemelin, The Town Below