The lowest and vilest alleys of London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.
Source: Sherlock Holmes to Watson, in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Copper Beeches, 1892.
-- Arthur Conan Doyle, (May 22 1859-1930), Scottish author, physician; He created the detective Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet, 1887.