“Out of a still, clear day, the wind suddenly picked up.It bowed the grass in his direction, unaccountably lifting his spirits and making him think that maybe she hadn't minded his devotion, after all.”

“There was a little corner of his mind that was still his own, and light came through it, as though a chink in the dark: light out of the past. It was actually pleasant, I think, to hear a kindly voice agin, bringing up memories of wind, and trees, and sun on the grass, and such forgotten things.”

“... the extraordinary craving for someone faithful and devoted, which unaccountably and suddenly came over him.”

“He pulled back, staring at her in the dim carriage, his brows still knit. "Megs?"Oh, right. She still hadn't told him. Well, it was his own fault; his mouth was simply delicious."I love you," she said, speaking clearly so that there might be no confusion.”

“You had every right to be. He raised his eyes to look at her and she was suddenly and strangely reminded of being four years old at the beach, crying when the wind came up and blew away the castle she had made. Her mother had told her she could make another one if she liked, but it hadn't stopped her crying because what she had thought was permanent was not permanent after all, but only made out of sand that vanished at the touch of wind and water.”

“His cigarettes helped mark the passage of time, especially on days that seemed all sun and sky...The dependable dwindling of his cigarette supply reassured him that he hadn't been left out here, that eventually he would have to ride into town and things would still be there, that the world hadn't stopped whirling.”