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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:
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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.”
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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 Character Timeline in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The timeline below shows where the character Lizza Bowditch appears in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: The Good-Luck Spell
...of his siblings was when they moved to Danvers: Mary was nine, Hab was seven, Lizza was four, Nat himself was two, and William wasn’t yet born. This makes Nat chuckle,...
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...him. He feeds it to younger brother William and baby Samuel instead. When Nat’s sister, Lizza, catches him feeding his breakfast to the babies, he knows she won’t tell on him,...
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...house to fetch fire, then Granny sends him out to weed in the yard with Lizza. He tells her about his shilling and the good-luck spell he will use that very...
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Chapter 2: The Privateers
...of his secret as he waits for Father, and when they get home, he tells Lizza the news immediately. They go inside to ask Father how long it takes for a...
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Chapter 3: Word from the Pilgrim
...Harvard man someday. She promises times will get better when the war ends. Nat and Lizza lock eyes; they’re both thinking about Tom Perry’s expectation, and how it could pay for...
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The day after the auction, Nat and Lizza rush to Dr. Stearns’ shop, where they find him arguing with the Reverend Dr. Prince...
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Chapter 4: “Boys Don’t Blubber”
...people shouting. The British have formally surrendered and ended the war! Father takes Nat and Lizza to see the celebrating crowds near the wharves. They catch sight of Captain John Derby,...
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Nat and Lizza ask Father about John Derby’s record crossing, made under crowded sails. He wants to know...
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Chapter 5: A Voice in the Night
...He’s heard about Nat’s exceptional abilities from Master Watson. Later that evening, Nat learns from Lizza that Dr. Bentley dropped by and told Mother that Nat should be in school, preparing...
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Chapter 6: “Sail by Ash Breeze!”
...future which will keep him from ever going back to school and finishing his education. Lizza also worries about what she perceives to be Nat’s impending imprisonment. But Nat assures her...
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Chapter 7: The Almanac
...stays in the chandlery late to finish the work he neglected while reading the Cyclopaedia, Lizza stops by to visit. They chat for a few moments before she confesses how much...
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Chapter 9: Anchor to Windward
One day in late July, Lizza stops by the chandlery to visit Nat. He tells her that she’s gotten twice as...
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...get married. Afterwards, as their friends and family celebrate with them in their new home, Lizza introduces Nat to Elizabeth Boardman, a bright, mop-headed girl of 11. Elizabeth tells Nat he...
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...Nat’s progress through Newton. During one of his visits, Elizabeth brings Nat an invitation from Lizza for a surprise party. Dr. Prince asks Elizabeth why Nat reads Latin, and she seriously...
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...Nat selects a book to check out, then hurries home to write a note to Lizza. He’s collecting on his expectation after all, he tells her. He plans to pass it...
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...suddenly, Nat hears a commotion below. David has come to fetch him to tend to Lizza, who fell on some stairs and gravely injured herself. She dies several days later with...
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...to coax its fire back to life. He worries that she wants to talk about Lizza, a topic he’s not yet ready to touch. Instead, she hands him a slightly dusty...
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Chapter 10: Freedom
...fault, but he gets frustrated anyway. Nat feels embarrassed, and he finds himself agreeing with Lizza that Elizabeth does have unusually perceptive eyes in the back of her heart.
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