The Hangman's Daughter Quotes
"The aroma of deep-fried doughnuts and roasted meat drifted down to the foul-smelling tanners’ quarter."
"The sweat of fear. His father always smelled like that before executions."
"It won’t hurt, Lisl. I promise. It won’t hurt."
"The hangman’s son had seen a few executions up close."
"The hangman knew from experience that a condemned child murderess would not ordinarily be able to walk there by herself."
"The crowd was obviously annoyed. Many had been waiting since the morning, and now they didn’t even get to see the criminal."
"Just before he mercifully blacked out, Jakob Kuisl made a decision. Never would he follow in his father’s footsteps; never in his life would he become a hangman."
"A woman who buried her nose in books was regarded with suspicion by the men."
"The town was finished, and Simon didn’t know if it could pull itself together one more time."
"He didn’t stand taller than five feet, so he had to look up to most men, and to some women as well."
"Blood would have washed away a long time ago. Only elderberry juice keeps its color so long."
"A rumor is like smoke. It will spread, it will seep through closed doors and latched shutters, and in the end the whole town will smell of it."
"But they rather suspect the Augsburg raftsmen."
"You can say a lot about the Augsburgers, but murder... I don't think they'd go that far."
"The executioner will show the midwife the instruments of torture."
"One didn’t greet the hangman; it was thought to be unlucky."
"I could never do anything like that to the boy!"
"They visited me, sometimes several times a week."
"The men had come back, or at least one of them."
"The devil was at her heels, and there was nobody who could help her."
"Just be happy that they’re not going to torture us."
"If you want to know who is responsible for anything, ask who benefits from it."
"The devil himself is holding his protecting hand over her."
"The anticipation of possible torture had been sufficient to transform the formerly arrogant wagon driver into a bundle of misery."
"A pain such as she had never experienced before ran through her right hand at regular intervals."
"The drink the hangman had given her was so strong that she could only vaguely remember the events that had followed."
"In spite of her pain, she couldn’t help laughing to herself."
"Simon’s face turned white. He had to sit down."
"Let’s just hope the two boys are really dead."
"It’s the middle of the night! Come back tomorrow; the gate opens when the bell strikes six."
"Simon had to cough. The fragrance of the coffee was strong and invigorating."
"There was a lot at stake for Schreevogl. He had his stock of merchandise down at the Stadel."
"First we have to find out about these signs."
"There’s nothing but one riddle after the other here."
"First I’m supposed to hurt her, then heal her again, and in the end burn her."
"Time for you to learn something proper, not just those scribblings from university."
"So much hatred and greed, so much senseless violence."
"Blood, phlegm, and bile, that’s all that constitutes the human body in your eyes."
"If only I got to take a medical exam at one of your universities..."
"I for one will take my pipe, have a good smoke in my own backyard, and attempt to think things through."
"This man has more knowledge and reason than your entire Ingolstadt crowd!"
"Once, in Magdeburg, I cut off a girl’s breasts and made her eat them."
"And believe me, if the midwife croaks now, it’s best for her."
"Life was going on, at least for a little while longer."
"The children drew the sign on their own bodies!"
"What use would so much money be to the church or the old moneybags on the council?"
"People fight with tooth and nail when they come into the world, and when they have to go they fight too."
"Magdalena has been tidying up a bit at your house."
"Genealogy gives us a feeling of immortality."
"A shudder came over me at seeing these things, but also a feeling of belonging."