Castle Flashcards
the Blackwoods were never much of a family for restlessness and stirring. p1
Merricat
Fridays and Tuesdays were terrible days, because I had to go into the village. p1
Merricat
Stella would see me pass if I did not go in, and perhaps think I was afraid, and that thought I could not endure. p2
Merricat assuming the thoughts of a barista worker about herself
In this village the men stayed young and did the gossiping and the women aged with grey evil wariness and stood silently waiting for the men to get up and come home. p3
Merricat
The people of the village have always hated us. p4
Merricat
I always hesitated, vulnerable exposed, on the side of the road while the traffic went by. p5
Merricat
I am living on the moon, I told myself, I have a little house all by myself on the moon. p14
Merricat
Down in the boneyard 10 feet deep! p16
Town children rhyming words to Merricat as she passes
I was pretending that I did not speak their language; on the moon we spoke a soft, liquid tongue, and sang in the starlight, looking down on the dead dried world p16
Merricat attempting to ignore villagers that are tormenting her in a singsong tone
Their tongues will burn, I thought, as though they had eaten fire. Their throats will burn when the words come out, and in their bellies they will feel a torment hotter than 1000 fires. p17
Merricat talking about villagers, especially children that are tormenting her in the streets
The highway’s built for common people p18
Merricat’s mother talking about society
The good people, the clean and rich ones dressed in satin and lace p18
Merricat talking about rightful people coming to visit their castle
Merricat.. look how far I came today p19
Constance telling Merricat how far she got from the castle
When I was small I thought Constance was a fairy princess. p20
Merricat describing Constance
She was the most precious person in my world, always. p20
Merricat talking about her sister Constance
Food of any kind was precious to Constance p20
Merricat
I don’t recall that the Blackwoods ever mingled socially with the villagers. p29
Helen Clarke talking about the Blackwood family
fate intervened. p31
Uncle Julian talking about how he survived the poisoning
I can’t bear to hear it talked about. p32
Helen Clarke
I have exhaustive notes on all that happened. I have never been well since. p32
Uncle Julian
My brother, as head of the family, sat naturally at the head of the table p33
Uncle Julian
John Blackwood took pride in his table, his family, his position in the world. p33
Uncle Julian
But she was acquitted. Not only of the deed, but of the intention. -36
Uncle Julian
That impossible woman… Ill bred, pretentious, stupid. Why she keeps coming I’ll never know. p39
Constance talking about Helen Clarke
I always want to frighten them more. p39
Merricat
A change was coming, and nobody knew it but me. p40
Merricat
Even Jonas was fretful p40
Merricat
I had always buried things p41
Merricat
Here is treasure for you to bury p41
Constance to Merricat
All the Blackwood women had made food and had taken pride in adding to the great supply of food in our cellar. p42
Merricat
You bury food the way I bury treasure p42
Merricat to Constance
We never touched what belonged to others; Constance said it would kill us if we ate it. p42
Merricat talking about preserved jars of food Blackwood women had made and stored in the castle
There’s a change coming p43
Merricat telling Constance
I decided that I would choose three powerful words, words of strong protection, and so long as these great words were never spoken aloud no change would come. p44
Merricat trying to stop change from coming by using these three words:
melody p44
Gloucester p44
Pegasus p46
We were guarded by the house and no one from outside could see so much as a light. p50
Merricat
I knew already that he was one of the bad ones p55
Merricat talking about cousin Charles before he even arrives
I had been lying on the cot at the orphanage, staring at the ceiling, wishing they were all dead, waiting for Constance to come and take me home. p56
Merricat talking about the people who took Constance away
our cousin Charles Blackwood. I knew him at once; he looks like Father. p57
Constance talking about cousin Charles to Merricat
He stood up; he was taller now that he was inside, bigger and bigger as he came closer to me. p57
Merricat talking about Charles greeting her
Today my winged horse is coming and I am carrying you off to the moon and on the moon will eat rose petals. p59
Merricat telling Constance
Some rose petals are poisonous. p59
Constance telling Merricat
On the moon we wore feathers in our hair, and rubies on our hands. On the moon we had gold spoons. p.60
Merricat imaging what things would be like on the moon
and the day fell apart around me. p60
Merricat’s feelings after Constance said that cousin Charles was still asleep in the castle
I could not breathe, I was tied around tight, everything was cold. p61
Merricat struggling after being told that cousin Charles was asleep in the castle
He was a ghost. p61
Merricat talking about cousin Charles
I could breathe a little; it was going to be all right. Cousin Charles was a ghost, but a ghost that could be driven away. p61
Merricat trying to come to terms with cousin Charles being present in the house
puzzled by the sound of a foot stepping upstairs where there had always been silence before. It was unpleasant, this walking overhead. p62
Merricat talking about cousin Charles’ footsteps walking overhead on the second story of the castle
this footstep was heavy and even and bad. p62
Merricat talking about cousin Charles’ footsteps walking overhead on the second story of the castle
I still could not see him clearly, perhaps because he was a ghost, perhaps because he was so very big. p63
Merricat talking about cousin Charles
His great round face, looking so much like our father’s p63
Merricat talking about cousin Charles
I’m not afraid to eat anything Constance cooks. p65
Charles telling Uncle Julian
I suppose your reference was to arsenic. p65
Uncle Julian answering to Charles when he said he wasn’t afraid of eating anything Constance cooks
I don’t have any winged horse. p69
Merricat refusing Constance’s suggestion to take cousin Charles on her imaginary winged horse
Every touch he made on the house must be a erased. p69
Merricat referring to cousin Charles
It was important to choose the exact device to drive Charles away. And imperfect magic, or one incorrectly used, might only bring more disaster upon our house. p70
Merricat brainstorming ways to drive Charles away
my father’s book had fallen from the tree and let Charles in; books, then, were perhaps powerless against Charles. p71
Merricat
if Charles had not gone away before three days I would smash the mirror in the hall. p71
Merricat
Women alone like you are, you shouldn’t keep money in the house. p74
Charles to Merricat
I hope that the house, injured, would reject him by itself. p78
Merricat hoping the castle would reject Charles because he left a tiny burn on a chair in the drawing room from his pipe
I wished Charles dead. p79
Merricat
Your sister works like a slave… Constance is too busy… Run along and play. p81
Charles to Merricat when she asks for Constance to make Uncle Julian a little soft cake for his lunch
“I think that we are going to have to forbid your wondering. It’s time you quieted down a little. p81
Constance to Merricat
We should have faced the world and tried to live normal lives. p82
Constance to Merricat
We should have been living like other people. p82
Constance to Merricat
He is dishonest. His father was dishonest. Both my brothers were dishonest. p83
Uncle Julian talking about Charles to Merricat
You must tell him this, Constance. He is a bastard. p83
Uncle Julian
A delicate touch… All the Blackwood women had a gifted touch. p85
Uncle Julian
No more now. Now Constance and I want to talk, Uncle. We’ve got plans to make. p85
Charles telling Uncle Julian no more when he asks for Constance to play his favourite ‘Blue-bells of Scotland’ on the harp
