The Lady Regent Sandra Arminger tells everyone, including her confidential secretary, to leave her, then reflects:
"Sometimes that's the hardest thing to take...Never really being alone anymore. They're always there, listening, watching, may their dear loyal souls fry." (p. 315)
Time Patrolman Keith Denison/Cyrus the Great tells his colleague, Manse Everard:
"'Sometimes I've thought that's the hardest thing to take about this situation, never having a minute to myself. The best I can do is throw everybody out of the room I'm in; but they stick around just beyond the door, under the windows, guarding, listening. I hope their dear loyal souls fry.'" (Time Patrol, p. 81)
The Time Patrol remains an endless source of quotations and comparisons.
9 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And Manse Everard responded to Keith Denison/Cyrus the Great: "Privacy hasn't been invented yet either," Everard reminded him, "and VIPs like you never did have much, in all history." Yet another ingenious Andersonian allusion by Stirling, and one making a serious point.
Sean
Mediocre writers have influences. Great writers -steal-... 8-). Or you might consider it a homage.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
And I'm glad you make such ingenious homages to Anderson, Blish, and Tolkien!
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I've been wondering, I'm sure your Queen has precious little privacy, as we understand the word. There are ALWAYS people around her: guards, officials, staffers, visitors, servants, etc.
Sean
Sean,
Although, years ago, an intruder got into her bedroom and she had to signal for security.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I should have remembered that! And I recall reading as well of how Her Majesty kept her cool and handled it all with aplomb!
Still, I'm surprised security could have slipped so badly that a POTENTIAL assassin could have gotten in like that. Even allowing for lesser activity in the palace at night, there should have been SOME near the queen's apartments. It was very mortifying for the gov't and I think people got more serious about security after that.
Sean
I remember at the time; there was a cartoon of her dogs gnawing on some bones with a skull in the background, and Her Majesty saying: "Who's been a naughty little Corgi?"
Dear Mr. Stirling,
Ha, ha!!! Meaning the Queen's Corgis were better guards than the bunglers who botched her security at that time?
Sean
Sounds like it.
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