Cold Comfort Farm

Stella Gibbons

“A waitress in a long frilly chintz dress which needed ironing had brought her some coffee, some plain biscuits and an orange, which she had dressed with sugar and was now enjoying. The waitress had warned her that we were closed, but as this did not seem to prevent Flora sitting in the shop and enjoying her sugared orange, she did not mind if we were.” pg. 100

“Flora had learned, by experience, that she must ask permission of the Starkadders if she wanted to go down into Beershorn, or if (as she did a week or so after arrival) she wanted to buy a pot of apricot jam for tea.” pg. 134

“Seth came pushing his way through the crowd of relations, with his mouth full of beef and bread.” pg. 171

“‘She doesn’t want anything for breakfast except a Hell’s Angel. Here give me an egg. I’ll mix it for her.’”… Mrs. Beetle stared, while Flora tossed an egg, two ounces of brandy, a teaspoonful of cream and some chips of ice in a jam-jar, and everybody else was very interested, too.” pg. 213

“‘There’s porridge, Robert Poste’s child.’

‘Is there any bread and butter and some tea? I don’t much care for porridge. And have you a piece of clean newspaper I could just put on the corner of this table (a half-sheet will be enough) to protect me from the porridge. It seems to have got tossed about a bit this morning, doesn’t it?’” pg. 55

“He went on blowing and staring at her. Flora wanted to set him at ease (if he had an ease?) so she composedly went on with her tea, wishing there were some cucumber sandwiches.” pg. 79