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Quotation from Villette by Charlotte Brontë

“Wise, firm, faithless; secret, crafty, passionless; watchful and inscrutable; acute and insensate—withal perfectly decorous—what more could be desired?”

Charlotte Brontë (spoken by Lucy Snowe)

Villette, Ch. VIII (Project Gutenberg text)

Portrait of Charlotte Brontë

Lucy's ironic character sketch of Madame Beck, who could have served as both first minister and superintendent of police.

Citation: "Wise, firm, faithless; secret, crafty, passionless; watchful and inscrutable; acute and insensate—withal perfectly decorous—what more could be desired?" — Charlotte Brontë, Villette, Ch. VIII (Project Gutenberg text). (id villette-q2)

Portrait: CBRichmond, George Richmond, Public domain.

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Quote card: Wise, firm, faithless; secret, crafty, passionless; watchful and inscrutable; ac