Quotes

Included below is a collection of quotes made by Mr. Cyrus Montrose from the Alienist books. For basic information about Cyrus Montrose, a character analysis of Cyrus Montrose, or character testimonials about Cyrus Montrose, please use the menu.

Cyrus Montrose Quotes

Dealing With John

The Alienist, 66-7:

“Afternoon, Cyrus,” I said with a difficult smile as I climbed the stairs, vainly hoping that I didn’t sound as uneasy as I always felt when caught in his shark’s stare. “Is Dr. Kreizler here?”

“That’s his carriage, Mr. Moore,” Cyrus answered, in a pleasant enough voice that still managed to make me sound like one of the bigger idiots in the city. But I just grinned resolutely on.

“I expect you’ve heard that the doctor and I will be working together for a while?”

Cyrus nodded with what, if I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn was a wry smile. “I’ve heard, sir.”

“Well!” I brushed my jacket back and slapped at my vest. “I guess I’ll find him. Afternoon, Cyrus!”

I got no answer from the man as I entered, not that I deserved one; there was no reason for both of us to behave like morons.

Giving Stevie His Opinion

The Angel of Darkness, 110-1:

“Cyrus,” I said, looking up through the big tree boughs and branches to the sky, “how long do you figure it’ll be before the Doctor gives Mrs. Leshko the sack?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, polishing off the last of his food. “But things can’t go on forever like this.”

“Yeah.” I waited a moment before voicing what’d been on my mind since I’d seen Pinkie’s “Little Maid of Acadie” the night before. “Cyrus?”

“Still here.”

“You figure the Doctor might hire Kat? As a maid, I mean.”

The long pause that followed told me clearly what Cyrus thought, but he soon gave out with the words: “Kat’d have to want the work, Stevie. She’s got big ideas. Big plans for herself. I doubt she’d be interested.”

“Yeah. I guess so. I just thought…”

“I know,” he said, trying hard to be sympathetic. “You could ask the Doctor – but like I say, she’d have to want the work.”

On Odd Characters And Ghosts

The Angel of Darkness, 283:

“Well?” I said quietly to my big friend. “What do you think?”

Cyrus shook his head once. “He’s a character, all right. Mr. Moore sure wasn’t exaggerating about the talking business.”

“I like him,” I said, starting toward the front door with a batch of suitcases. Looking up at the high walls and dark turrets before me, I paused for a minute. “The house looks like it might have a ghost or two, though,” I whispered over my shoulder.

Cyrus smiled and shook his head again. “You always like the odd ones,” he said. Then his face when straight. “But I don’t want to hear any more about ghosts.”

Dealing With Children

The Angel of Darkness, 309:

Finally Cyrus smiled kindly and bowed. “Hello, Clara,” he said, his voice sounding especially deep and soothing. “You know, when I was a little boy, I drew a picture of a wonderful house.” He knelt down to look into her eyes. “And do you know what the strange part is?” Clara studied Cyrus’s face hard and then she shook her head slowly. “The strange part is that I live in that house now – it’s the Doctor’s house.” Clara pondered that for a few more seconds; then she held up her drawing pad to Cyrus.

On it was scratched a rough picture of the Westons’ farmhouse. Cyrus grinned, and Clara once again let that strange little noise out of her throat. “Well, well,” Cyrus said quietly. “So it’s happened to you, too.”

None of us ever found out whether Cyrus had caught a glimpse of what was on Clara Hatch’s pad of paper before he said what he did to her, being as, in that slightly amused, slightly mischievous manner that he sometimes exhibited, he always refused to tell us.