“Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep? Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!”

“I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.”

“All I could think of when I got a look at the place from the outside was what fun it would be to stand out there and watch it burn down.”

“Gossip says she hanged herself from the turret on the tower, but when you have a house like Hill House with a tower and a turret, gossip would hardly allow you to hang yourself anywhere else.”

“Where did he go, your father?''Africa.''What for?''To shoot lions, of course.''What on Earth for?' said Mrs. Willow blankly.'Some people shoot lions,' the girl said pleasantly, 'and some people do not shoot lions. My father is one of the people who do.”

“At my age an hour's reading before bedtime is essential, and I wisely brought Pamela with me. If any of you has trouble sleeping, I will read aloud to you. I never yet knew anyone who could not fall asleep with Richardson being read aloud to him.”

“It is not possible, I frequently think, to walk down the street as fast as you can and kick yourself at the same time.”