“How are you on the high wire?” — Michael Kurland

"“You’re from Liverpool, of course,” He was very proud of his ability to place different accents. “No,” Sylvia told him. “Boston.”"

"“A lot of things seem to be happening, all at once,” I told Chester. “Enemy action,” he replied. “Huh?” “That’s what you told me once. An old Army motto you found when you were doing those war books. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action. This is the third time.”"

"“God is just,” he said. “Just what?” I asked. “Just watching.”"

"“Any truth,” Chester said, “no matter how obscure, or seemingly unimportant, is a piece of the mosaic and a step toward completion.”"

"“Good thinking,” the tall man agreed. “In this case it’s not true, but it is good thinking.”"

"“Well, what that means is that it doesn’t happen very often. Now it’s happened to one small group of people—us—twice in a short time. That would seem to indicate that,” he ticked a finger, “something’s seriously out of whack in general, or,” he ticked the next finger, “someone’s out to get us in particular; which I feel is quite unlikely. At times in my paranoid past I would have assumed that the Universe is teaming up to get me, but now I’m more objective and I don’t believe that. I think it, but I don’t believe it.”"