Age seldom arrives smoothly or quickly. It's more often a succession of jerks.

Soon he'll come in again and kiss me, but differently. He'll be different and so I'll be different. It'll be different. I thought, 'It'll be different, different. It must be different.

But why do you want to talk to me?' He is going to say: 'Because you look so kind,' or 'Because you look so beautiful and kind,' or, subtly, 'Because you look as if you'll understand....' He says: 'Because I think you won't betray me.' I had meant to get this mean to talk to me and tell me all about it, and then be so devastatingly English that perhaps I should manage to hurt him a little in return for all the many times I've been hurt.... 'Because I think you won't betray me, because I think you won't betray me....' Now it won't be so easy.

Cold - cold as truth, cold as life. No, nothing can be as cold as life.

The perpetual hunger to be beautiful and that thirst to be loved which is the real curse of Eve.

Today I must be very careful, today I have left my armor at home.

Now at last I know why I was brought here and what I have to do.