[...]if you talk any more flummery to me, Frederica, I shall give you one of my—er—icy set-downs!”(Alverstoke)

People who start a sentence with personally (and they're always women) ought to be thrown to the lions. It's a repulsive habit.

If it comes to that," retorted Frederica, with spirt, " I am continually shocked by the things you don't scruple to say to me,cousin! You are quite abominable!" He sighed. "Alas, I know it! The reflection gives me sleepless nights.

My house seems remarkably full of people," he observed. "Is it possible we were expected.

Is it not insupportable to be held down to a canter when you long to gallop for miles?

Depend upon it, you are just the sort of girl a man would be glad to have for his sister! You don't even know how to swoon, and I daresay if you tried you would make wretched work of it, for all you have is common sense, and of what use is that, pray?

I think myself I ought to be shot for writing such nonsense.... But it's unquestionably good escapist literature and I think I should rather like it if I were sitting in an air-raid shelter or recovering from flu.