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Captain Henry Prince
Lizza Bowditch is the third of Mother and Father’s seven children. She is sister to Mary Bowditch, Hab Bowditch, Nat Bowditch, William Bowditch, Samuel Bowditch, and Lois Bowditch. In childhood, she and Nat are particularly close; her proper name is “Elizabeth,” but the family calls her “Lizza” after the infant Nat’s mispronunciation of her name. She’s the best secret keeper in the family, and she is the only one to know about Nat’s purchase of Tom Perry’s expectation. Lizza grieves quietly when Nat becomes indentured, but she continues to visit him at the chandlery, keeping him connected to his family. Importantly, she introduces Nat to the girl who will become his first wife, Elizabeth Boardman. Tragically, Lizza dies from her injuries after a bad fall down the stairs during Nat’s indenture.
Lizza Bowditch Quotes in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The Carry On, Mr. Bowditch quotes below are all either spoken by Lizza Bowditch or refer to Lizza Bowditch . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Good-Luck Spell
Quotes
He told her about the shilling he had found, and the good-luck spell. “It’s the best good-luck spell in the world. But I’ll have to do it tonight, sure, while there’s still a new moon.”
“What if you can’t see the new moon through your window?”
Nat shook his head. “That’s bad luck. I’ll have to wait till Hab is asleep, and then get downstairs in the dark, without knocking over anything, and come out here in the yard.”
Lizza’s eyes got big. “By yourself? Won’t you be afraid?”
“Not very much,” Nat said. “Anyway, I got to do it. Our luck’s just got to change. I heard Granny talking to Mother. She’s worried. She said if things don’t go better now, she didn’t know what we’d do.” Lizza shivered. Nat added quickly, “They will go better, Lizza! Honest they will! Soon as I work my good-luck spell!”
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Chapter 9: Anchor to Windward
Quotes
Elizabeth studied Nat gravely. “Funny to think you were young once, isn’t it? I suppose you seem older because of your brains. People say figures just run out of your ears. But I don’t see any.” Then, in a swift change of mood, she said, “Mary will be awfully happy here, won’t she? I mean—she knows how to be happy. Being happy takes a lot of practice, don’t you think?”
Lizza said, “Go tell David that, Elizabeth. He’ll love it.”
When Elizabeth had gone, Nat whistled softly. “How do you keep up with her?”
Lizza smiled. “She’s a dear child. But she does say the oddest things. Sometimes I think she must have been born knowing them. I tell her she has eyes in the back of her heart.”
Nat smiled. “And she says odd things? I think you’re quite a pair.”
Chapter 10: Freedom
Quotes
“Do you suppose Father has them already?”
[…] “Of course! […].” Then he apologized quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bark at you.”
“I know. I’m just like a chair you stumble over in the dark,” Elizabeth said. “It isn’t the chair’s fault, but you kick it anyhow.”
Nat blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Your brain. It’s too fast. So you stumble on other people’s dumbness. And—you want to kick something.”
Nat felt his face get hot. “But I shouldn’t.”
Elizabeth agreed. “No, you shouldn’t, because even if people are dumb, they aren’t chairs, are they? They do have feelings.”
“Lizza was right,” Nat said, “You do have eyes in the back of your heart. Come on over here and I'll show you how your father uses parallel rulers.” He smiled. “And you may ask all the questions you want to, and I promise not to bark.”
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Lizza Bowditch Quotes in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The Carry On, Mr. Bowditch quotes below are all either spoken by Lizza Bowditch or refer to Lizza Bowditch . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Good-Luck Spell
Quotes
He told her about the shilling he had found, and the good-luck spell. “It’s the best good-luck spell in the world. But I’ll have to do it tonight, sure, while there’s still a new moon.”
“What if you can’t see the new moon through your window?”
Nat shook his head. “That’s bad luck. I’ll have to wait till Hab is asleep, and then get downstairs in the dark, without knocking over anything, and come out here in the yard.”
Lizza’s eyes got big. “By yourself? Won’t you be afraid?”
“Not very much,” Nat said. “Anyway, I got to do it. Our luck’s just got to change. I heard Granny talking to Mother. She’s worried. She said if things don’t go better now, she didn’t know what we’d do.” Lizza shivered. Nat added quickly, “They will go better, Lizza! Honest they will! Soon as I work my good-luck spell!”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9: Anchor to Windward
Quotes
Elizabeth studied Nat gravely. “Funny to think you were young once, isn’t it? I suppose you seem older because of your brains. People say figures just run out of your ears. But I don’t see any.” Then, in a swift change of mood, she said, “Mary will be awfully happy here, won’t she? I mean—she knows how to be happy. Being happy takes a lot of practice, don’t you think?”
Lizza said, “Go tell David that, Elizabeth. He’ll love it.”
When Elizabeth had gone, Nat whistled softly. “How do you keep up with her?”
Lizza smiled. “She’s a dear child. But she does say the oddest things. Sometimes I think she must have been born knowing them. I tell her she has eyes in the back of her heart.”
Nat smiled. “And she says odd things? I think you’re quite a pair.”
Chapter 10: Freedom
Quotes
“Do you suppose Father has them already?”
[…] “Of course! […].” Then he apologized quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bark at you.”
“I know. I’m just like a chair you stumble over in the dark,” Elizabeth said. “It isn’t the chair’s fault, but you kick it anyhow.”
Nat blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Your brain. It’s too fast. So you stumble on other people’s dumbness. And—you want to kick something.”
Nat felt his face get hot. “But I shouldn’t.”
Elizabeth agreed. “No, you shouldn’t, because even if people are dumb, they aren’t chairs, are they? They do have feelings.”
“Lizza was right,” Nat said, “You do have eyes in the back of your heart. Come on over here and I'll show you how your father uses parallel rulers.” He smiled. “And you may ask all the questions you want to, and I promise not to bark.”
