Quotation from: The Secret Agent

Written by: Joseph Conrad

"I wish you would take that boy out with you, Adolf."

For the third time that day Mr Verloc was surprised. He stared stupidly
at his wife. She continued in her steady manner. The boy, whenever he
was not doing anything, moped in the house. It made her uneasy; it made
her nervous, she confessed. And that from the calm Winnie sounded like
exaggeration. But, in truth, Stevie moped in the striking fashion of an
unhappy domestic animal. He would go up on the dark landing, to sit on
the floor at the foot of the tall clock, with his knees drawn up and his
head in his hands. To come upon his pallid face, with its big eyes
gleaming in the dusk, was discomposing; to think of him up there was
uncomfortable.