His abominable son

      What was the phrase young Hawkins used in his book? “Surely, while you're above ground, Hell wants its master!” Spoken of the fictitious image of Rudi von Starnberg, but by God it fitted his abominable son even better...


Flashman and the Tiger, p.143, Harper Collins, paperback edition 2000.


Tags: Flashman, Flashman quotes, hell.

Doctor Thorne, I presume

Elgin himself looked ten years younger, now that he’d cast the die, but I thought exuberance had got the better of him when he strode into the saloon later, threw The Origin of Species on the table and announced:
      “It’s very original, no doubt, but not for a hot evening. What I need is some trollop.”
      I couldn’t believe my ears, and him a church-goer, too. “Well, my lord, I dunno,” says I. “Tientsin ain’t much of a place, but I’ll see what I can drum up —”
      “Michel’s been reading Doctor Thorne since Taku,” cried he. “He must have finished it by now, surely! Ask him, Flashman, will you?” So I did, and had my ignorance, enlightened.


Flashman and the Dragon, p.170, Fontana Paperback edition, 1986.



Tags: Flashman, Flashman quotes, Anthony Trollope.