startled quotes

   Sempre que os homens sabidos lhe diziam palavras dif|ceis, ele sa|a logrado. Sobressaltava-se escutando-as. Evidentemente so   serviam para encobrir ladroeiras. Mas eram bonitas. Whenever men with book learning used big words in dealing with him, he came out the loser. It startled him just to hear those words.Obviously they were just a cover for robbery. But they sounded nice.

- Graciliano Ramos
  Vidas secas (translated as Barren Lives,1965),'Contas'.