"Look down, your grace," said Skimmer. "Mhm, mhm."Vimes realized he could feel the faintest prick of a knife blade on his stomach. "Look down further," he said.Inigo looked down. He swallowed. Vimes had a knife, too. "You really are no gentleman, then," he said."Make a sudden move and neither are you," said Vimes."

"We need to borrow your boat," said Vimes."Bugger off!""I'm choosing to believe that was a salty nautical expression meaning 'Why, certainly,'" said Vimes."

"Legitimate First watched them go as they walked away. Sergeant Colon felt he was being measured up."I've always wondered about his name," said Nobby, turning and waving. "I mean...Legitimate?""Can't blame a mother for being proud, Nobby," said Colon."

"I shall fear not. According to the Testament of Mezerek, the fisherman Nonpo spent four days in the belly of a giant fish," said Constable Visit.The thunder seemed particularly loud in the silence."Washpot, are we talking miracles here?" said Reg eventually. "Or just a very slow digestive process?"

"Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal."Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed."Yes.""One of your soldiers said he bit a man's nose off."Vimes shrugged. "He's got a very pointed look if I don't use the sugar tongs, I know that."

"I thought dwarfs loved gold," said Angua."They just say that to get it into bed."

"It was funny how people were people everywhere you went, even if the people concerned weren't the people the people who made up the phrase "people are people everywhere" had traditionally thought of as people."

"We try to make guests feel welcome," said Dee, scuttling behind his desk. He pulled off his pointed hat and, to Vimes's amazement, put on a pair of thick smoked glasses."You had papers?" he said. Vimes handed them over."It says here "His Grace"," the dwarf said, after reading them for awhile."Yes, that's me.""And there's a sir.""That's me, too.""And an excellency.""'fraid so." Vimes narrowed his eyes. "I was blackboard monitor for awhile, too."

"Colon looked awkward, as if the bunched underwear of the past was tangling itself in the crotch of recollection."

"The plain old Sam Vimes had fought back. He got rid of most of the plumes and the stupid tights, and ended up with a dress uniform that at least looked as though its owner was male. But the helmet had gold decoration, and the bespoke armourers had made a new, gleaming breastplate with useless gold ornamentation on it. Sam Vimes felt like a class traitor every time he wore it. He hated being thought of as one of those people that wore stupid ornamental armour. It was gilt by association."