" 'This is my sound boxie that Janet gave me.' Tom told him the first time they met. 'It is a wonderful contrivance, if you'll be minding to get its battery from the garratch at the smiddy on Saturdays. It's a sort of engine, like. You would be knowing about it maybe?'
'A little.' said Twice, who is an engineer by profession.
'When you'll be turning this knobbie, you can hear the mannie as plain as if he was beside you, and him speaking in a roomie away down in London. It is a wonderful thing. But av coorse, only if you'll be using it for a good purpose. If a person will be using it for badness, like that mannie Hitler was doing, it is a very bad thing indeed. Being chust an engine, like, it has no more sense, and some of the capers and nonsense that will be coming out of it whiles, you chust would hardly believe.' "
From My Friends the Miss Boyds
(Having been on the 'sound boxie' a few times myself, I hope I'm not responsible for any 'capers and nonsense'!).
Well, no-one could accuse you of "using it for badness"!
Posted by: Mr Cornflower | 15 January 2011 at 01:18 PM
I'd love it if you created a little bit of 'capers and nonsense'!
DP on the wee boxie wi' tappity keys
Posted by: Dark Puss | 15 January 2011 at 03:10 PM
I am sending more people to you marvelous book blog in my posting today. I can't tell you how many wonderful book suggestions I get here!
Posted by: pamela | 15 January 2011 at 04:27 PM
Pamela, you're very kind. Thankyou!
Posted by: Cornflower | 15 January 2011 at 09:03 PM
Wonderful quote! I remember Jane Duncan's books in the uniform edition on the shelves of my library years ago but I never read any as they looked boring & "old-ladyish", I blush to admit. Oh, the folly of youth. I love lots of those middlebrow authors now that I ignored back then. Unfortunately we withdrew all the Duncans years ago.
Posted by: Lyn | 16 January 2011 at 02:53 AM
As a little girl in Ireland, I used to visit an old lady who referred to her wireless as "the man in the box".
Example: "The man in the box says it'll rain this afternoon" or "The man in the box says the Queen's back from Canada".
Posted by: ctussaud | 16 January 2011 at 08:53 AM
This was a lovely book, Lyn, and I'd certainly read more by Jane Duncan on the strength of it. Let's hope the publisher decides to bring out some of her other titles.
Posted by: Cornflower | 16 January 2011 at 07:44 PM
Lovely!
Posted by: Cornflower | 16 January 2011 at 07:44 PM