“But I was a fool, the biggest, damnedest, stupidest fool in thee whole world.”

“I stared so long that I got to seeing them as being dark, ugly sins in my body, smelling and dirty, but my touch face showed that I didn't give a damn. I was the toughest person in the whole world. And then inside the outline of my body a devil's face slowly took shape. It came to my chest, a dark, ugly thing with big lips that looked hot around yellow pointed teeth, eyeing me in a friednly way, as though it had been feeding on what was inside me and was trying to show how pleased it was.”

“I can't, I can't, I can't help hearing, I can't help seeing. I can't help it unless I run away.”

“They go on like that and I can't understand, really I can't, what it's all about, and yet I feel terrible.”

“I felt almost sick with wanting to tell her how I felt, but I couldn't think of words to suit my feelings.”

“What exactly he would say, I couldn't imagine, but I felt sure that as soon as I had actually got everything off my chest, I wouldn't have to worry any more.”

“I made up my mind to tell Joe about what was going on at home after the funny business about Molly's letter. As I went to sleep I imagined myself telling Joe even about the the funny marble feeling that came over me from time to time. Then I remembered a lot of the whopping lies I had told Joe about my mother and father.”