“Richard had realized, not that Elfine was beautiful, but that he loved Elfine. (Young men frequently need this fact pointing out to them, as Flora knew by observing the antics of her friends.)”

“He had bright elfin eyes and a knowledgeable ass.”

“Men she knew'? - she had conceded vaguely to herself that all men who had ever been in love with her were her friends.”

“It seemed such a short time ago that Erin had comerunning toward him, laughing, her black hair like silk around an elfin face. And he'd melted inside just atthe sight of her, gone breathless like a boy with his first real date. It still felt like that, despite her scars,her limp. In his heart, he carried a portrait of her that would withstand all the long, aging years, that wouldleave her young and unscarred for as long as he lived.”

“The way to Elfin is found on the pathThat weaves through the Misty ForestThat lives between the Mountain of VisionAnd the River of Reality”

“She had in point of fact by now made up her mind to accept it, but she well knew that men like to think they decide matters for themselves.”