"If only I had such a husband or a son, instead of you lumps that God has tied to me like clogs to the heels of a she-ass, I should be happy." "God did that in order to prevent you from kicking, old vrouw," said her husband, a quiet man with a vein of sardonic humour.

"If only He had tied another clog to your tongue, I should be happy also"; whereon the vrouw smacked his head and her children got out of the way sniggering.
But the most blessed thing of all was my interview with Marie.

All that took place between us can best be left to the imagination, since the talk of lovers, even in such circumstances, is not interesting to others.

Also, in a sense, it is too sacred to repeat.

One sentence I will set down, however, because in the light of after events I feel that it was prophetic, and not spoken merely by chance.