I am Baru Cormorant,” she protested, “accountant.

The Hierarchic Qualm: The sword kills. But the arm moves the sword. Is the arm to blame for murder? No. The mind moves the arm. Is the mind to blame? No. The mind has sworn an oath to duty, and that duty moves the mind, as written by the Throne. So it is that a servant of the Throne is blameless.

Trust, like money, needed a guarantee to back it.

It wasn't her dream job, but she did quite enjoy the satisfaction of transforming a messy pile of paperwork into neat rows of figures.

If I wasn't singing, I'd probably be, probably an accountant.

Life's irony;Most professional accountants can hardly give account of themselves,but they are called to account for multibillion-dollar enterprises.