Murder in the Mill-Race Quotes

“Folks in village don’t go reporting things,” he said. “We live and let live. Life wouldn’t be worth living if us got telling on one another.” “Live and let live. In this case it’s been die and let die, hasn’t it?” said Macdonald.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Closing the door behind him, Macdonald stood still in the darkness, as he had stood so often in other buildings. Houses, barns, shops, flats, warehouses, all dark, as this passage was dark, but having in the darkness their own character because each had its own peculiar smell. Gramarye smelt of floor polish and carbolic and soap: something of the unwelcoming smell of an institution, but behind the overlay of modern cleanliness, the smell of the ancient house declared itself, of old mortar, of stone walls built without damp courses, of woodwork decaying under coats of paint, of panelling and floor boards which gave out their ancient breath as the coldness of the stone house triumphed over the warmth of the midsummer evening.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“a great hawk flew in front of them and came back again and again as though to protest against their intrusion into his territory.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Never was good coffee more enjoyed,”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“This village has its own peculiar character, you know. You’ll realise that when you’ve lived here a bit longer. At first one sees only its charm, everybody fitting together pleasantly, according to their station in life—but there’s more to it than that.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Never make trouble in the village’ is an unspoken law, but it’s a binding law. You may know about your neighbours’ sins and shortcomings, but you must never name them aloud. It’d make trouble, and small societies want to avoid trouble.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Speak Justly of the Dead

“Raymond is constitutionally honest and not at all unobservant, and the two qualities often cause him mental indigestion.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“He knew that all was well in the silent house. Reeves was here—somewhere—as good as a watch dog and an insurance policy in one. Reeves would have been all over the house, as silent as a shadow, prying and guarding both. He would have looked in at the two sleeping women, quite calm and unembarrassed. Reeves was a very domestic character”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“bats cut erratic tangents across the pale sky,”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Sister’s old bag’s not nowhere’ and Cook said, ‘That be’n’t our business. Us hasn’t got t’ old bag. Likely it fell in mill-race or maybe they’ve got it. But it be’n’t our business.’ And I said, ‘that’s right, that be. If I say Sister’s old bag be’n’t here, sergeant will say, “ ’Tis that old fool Hannah stole he’.” Him went all around, opening everything with Sister’s keys, counting this, counting that, spying and staring and jumping out on we with questions till us was fair dazed like.” Some part of Macdonald’s mind was almost fascinated by the sing-song drone of Hannah’s voice: there was a peculiar primitive rhythm to her sentences, and this, together with the liquid Devonshire vowels, gave the effect of some ancient ballad, akin to song rather than speech.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Can you identify this bag, Mrs. Yeo?” asked Macdonald. The Chief Inspector had put his attaché case on the counter of the village post-office-cum-shop, and felt rather like a commercial traveller as he raised the lid to display his wares.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“I’ll go hungry when there’s any object in going hungry,” he observed, “but I work better when I’m fed.” “In common with other domestic animals,” agreed Macdonald.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“He gazed out of the window for a moment, fingering his stock, obviously in two minds whether to continue or not. Then he turned and faced Macdonald and added: “There are occasions in married life when, for one reason or another, a husband puts his foot down without regard to ensuing recriminations. The same is true of a wife. Sister Monica did not constitute one of these occasions.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Macdonald let her babble on uninterrupted for a while. Saintliness and halos, self-abnegation and devotion, floated in the air like incense, until Macdonald put his abrupt question.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“as for the row the chap made when he did his swooning act, you’d have thought the whole bridge had copped a V.1.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“She’d have made enough noise to wake your dog and the dog would have barked.” “The dog didn’t bark,”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Macdonald drove on up the hill to the little plateau between inn and manor and church. Every south-facing wall was white in the moonlight, white as milk: every thatch gleamed with the faintest tinge of gold on its well-combed surface, and beneath the eaves the shadows were purple black.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“rustles in heather and bracken told of unseen small beasts busy on nocturnal occasions, and the last bird call died away in sleepy cuck-cuckings, save for the mournful hoot of owls.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“he was aware of near bird call and far constellation, of fragrance and the chill of evening air, of the reflection of headland lights flashing out from hidden lighthouses:”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“They sat in silence and listened to the call of the moorland birds and watched kestrels hovering until the light faded and the northern sky paled, misted to faint amethyst and then to lilac grey. Reeves lay on his back and watched the stars strengthen,”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“The north western sky was still lambent, glowing with pale golden light, and when they reached the summit of the rough road the very air seemed drenched with the aftermath of sunset.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“The old man was working himself up into a temper, as old men do,”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Green walls, green paint, green curtains, green carpet, all faded to despondency:”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“I admit that Sergeant Peel put my back up. He regards me as his hope of promotion, but you’ve been both fair and reasonable and I’d gladly talk to you again.” “Thanks. But don’t be too hard on Peel. He put a lot of hard work into this job, and his report was an honest effort, not a biased one.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“My first impression of Miss Torrington was that she had the dominating power of the worst type of old-fashioned hospital matron, plus the religious fanaticism which makes the most hypocritical sort of egoist.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“You say deceased used to be treasurer of this, that and the other. What reason is given for her being relieved of those activities?” “ ‘Her was tired out. Terrible tired Sister was’,” quoted Peel sardonically.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“Major Rootham stretched out his hand for the phone. “I’ll ask for a first rate man,” he said to himself. The upshot of Major Rootham’s request to the Commissioner’s Office was that Chief Inspector Macdonald was detailed to investigate the matter of Sister Monica’s death.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“The outlying farm houses are scattered all over the moor. There are a few hamlets, clusters of cottages around some farm houses, and there’s one mining village where tin mining goes on on a small scale, out on the moor. It’s incredibly primitive so far as housing goes, but they look a fine healthy lot of toughs.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race

“You’d better leave off thinking of me as a sophisticated wench who is snappy at cocktail parties, and watch the emergence of a countrywoman. I shall be debating fat stock prices before the year’s out, and prodding pigs at the market.”
― E.C.R. Lorac, Murder in the Mill Race