“You’re very handsome tonight, my lord.”“What’s this? A compliment from the lovely widow?”“A mere observation.”“Why do I suspect that you had too much to drink at dinner?”

“Do you think it makes people nasty to be loved? You know it doesn’t! Then why should it make them nice to be loathed? While you’re being persecuted, you hate what’s happening to you, you hate the people who are making it happen; you’re in a world of hate. Why, you wouldn’t recognize love if you met it! You’d suspect love! You’d think there was something behind it—some motive—some trick.”

“Lovely was my compliment. Could you not come up with your own?""Lord Paen said compliment her, he did not say we had to be creative about it," the second man pointed out with a shrug”

“‘Ozzy, why do you drink so much? What’s the point?’The right answer to that question was: because I’m an alcoholic; because I have an addictive personality; because whatever I do, I do it addictively. But I didn’t know any of that back then.”

“To fall in love with him even though I was right here?”“You’re not really my type, Abe,” I say.“I’m too handsome?” He grins.“Too evil.”

“Who... who are you?' I asked at last. It was true. I had left a body in the park, but seriously, what was I supposed to do? Drag him back to my hotel and tell my bellhop my friend had had too much to drink?”