A still longer quote
XXX blinked, then said reasonably, “Well, then, why don’t we (...) I should very much like to have some AAA BBBs with prolonged exposure to the EEE to study."
Oh, bless you. Trust XXX to see opportunities where everyone else just saw impossibilities. That (their) same speculative eye also fell on the three YYYs was an observation ZZZ kept to (them)self. They’re AAA BBBs too, I suppose.
In any case, CCC dried up. “Is it a nice place?”
“Yes,” said ZZZ, “and later you can come visit.”
“Oh.”
DDD looked heartened as well. All the disruption being forced on these people’s lives, and this offer was what got them all on board?
(...) means I omitted part of XXX's speech.
Deliberate thoughts are in italics, neutral observations of the point-of-view character are not, or the whole book would be in italics.
The italics of the word "this" are entirely different, they are just for emphasis.
Book ?
XXX (a character) ?
EEE ?
YYYs (a noun, plural) ?
ZZZ (the point-of-view character in that page - well, in most of the book, and maybe all of it, I did not check precisely)
AAA (an adjective)
BBBs (a noun, plural)
CCC and DDD are two among the three YYY's. You don't have to specify them to get the point and the next quote.
(their) for XXX, (them) for ZZZ, is really a singular, not a plural, but its a way to hide the gender; I've noticed JKCade uses this trick so why not me ?
Hint:
Technically, the noun BBBs does indeed apply to the "three YYYs", but it is a bit unusual to do so. But I'd guess that ZZZ is rather correct in assuming that XXX would think of the three YYYs as "AAA BBBs", this is rather typical of XXX if not of most people.
XXX used the phrase "AAA BBBs" in the usual sense just before the present quote, in a context that prompted ZZZ's unspoken
Oh, bless you., but that XXX's
same speculative eye
also fell on the three YYYs, well, that tempered ZZZ's enthusiasm a bit, but this observation was better kept unspoken, too....
Bonus #1 for 1/2 point:
Give the names of CCC, DDD and the third of the YYYs
Bonus #2 for 1/2 point
Give the general meaning of XXX's offer, the omitted part replaced by (...) that prompted ZZZ's
Oh, bless you.
You don't have to give it word-for -word
PS1 :This is
not in
Knife Children. We should wait a few more weeks, or even a couple of months.
PS2 : I might not have access to the web for a few days from now. Please don't be upset if I am late to react to an anwser. On next monday evening on I will be back.