- Abigail: In the winter sun through the window, her skin had an under-flush of rose and violet which so disconcerted me that I had to look away.
- Abigail: Saturday, June 21st. My heart a maelstrom. My head a bedlam. A whole week and no visit from Tallie. No word. My anxieties often force me to stop my work and pace the house like an inmate. I have to see her.
- Tallie: I have no way of knowing what is to come, but I do know that all of the trust and care and courage we shared, that will all shine on us and protect us. You are my city of joy. You are my city of joy.
- Abigail: It always seems that Tallie will never appear. But I remind myself that time and the needle wear through the longest morning. And I have noted that when she does arrive, my heart is like a leaf borne over a rock by rapidly moving water.