Describing the kindly, proud dwarf cook, Marmaduke Scarlet. I liked the juxtaposition of his generosity and determination and the connection of both to his mouth, whether open in a warm smile, or rat-trap slammed shut when he was determined.
‘His large mouth was a great half-moon of generosity when he smiled, a rat-trap of determination when he shut it.’
Source: Elizabeth Goudge, The Little White Horse, illus. C. Walter Hodges (Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2011 (1946))
