Lord William: My dear, life is a merry-go-round. It never stops for you however many things you drop. The onlooker sees you sitting on the same painted swan, but he can’t see your broken heart unless you show it to him. There is only one rule—not to fall off.
Ann: What is there left for me?
Lord William: Your painted swan.
Lady Emily: As we were crossing the park we met the vicar, who said, “Quite a stranger, Lady Emily.” It is delightful to be able to count on something in this world.
Molyneux: Candover means a great deal to me. In the whole shifting scene of life, here alone I find my certainties.
Lady Emily: Selina, do you remember that little thing like barley sugar who married a big-game shooter?
Ann (desperately, to Lord William): Listen to them. I can’t bear it. They are going on as if nothing had happened.
Lord William: Nothing has happened.
Ann: They are just the same—just the same as they were the day before yesterday.