“I must confess that my satisfaction with my first theories of an automatic civilisation and a decadent humanity did not long endure.
— from The Time Machine by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

Martin talked with the superintendent of the Asa agencies, and after dinner he drew him aside with Hermann, whom he backed financially for the best bicycle store with fittings in Oakland.
— from Martin Eden by Jack London

[274] While covenants survive in a somewhat weak old age, and debt has disappeared, leaving a vaguely disturbing influence behind it, the whole modern law of contract has grown up through the medium of the action of Assumpsit, which must now be explained.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes

" All listened in silence; and when Allan a Dale had done King Richard heaved a sigh.
— from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

Though he regarded his cousin’s words as nonsense, yet for some reason it had of late haunted his memory that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, that the year before last he had made a very good bargain over buying a stolen horse, that one day when his wife was alive a drunkard had died of vodka in his tavern. . . .
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Which troubled me much, and Creed by and by comes, and after dinner he did, but in the most cunning ingenious manner, do his business with Creed by bringing it in by the by, that the most subtile man in the world could never have done it better, and I must say that he is a most witty, cunning man and one that I (am) most afeard of in my conversation, though in all serious matters of business the eeriest foole that ever I met with.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys

lo re ſe cauo li pannj que haueua intorno le ſue ꝟgonie cõ alguni ſui principali et cantando Co minciorono a vogare paſſando ꝓ molti habitationi q̃ erano ſoura Lo fiume ariuaſſemo a due hore de nocte in caſa ſua daL principio de qʒſto fiume doue eſtauamo le naui fino a caſa del re erão
— from The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 33, 1519-1522 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century by Antonio Pigafetta

And throwing aside a drapery, he discovered a full-length portrait of the Marchesa Aphrodite.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition Table Of Contents And Index Of The Five Volumes by Edgar Allan Poe

One pillowed his head upon her arm, and drenched his dusty brow with tears; her comrade wrung her hands, and shrieked for 'help!
— from Alone by Marion Harland

The Apostle here speaks, indeed, most honourably of baptism, if he intend it, at all, as doubtless he doth.—Ephe.
— from Twenty-four Discourses On Some of the Important and Interesting Truths, Duties, and Institutions, of the Gospel, and the General Excellency of the Christian Religion; Calculated for the People of God of Every Communion, Particularly for the Benefit of Pious Families, and the Instruction of All in the Things Which Concern Their Salvation by Nathan Perkins

"Come with us to lunch, and we'll try and make up for it, at any rate," said Enid, seizing Patty by the arm, and dragging her down the passage to the pantry.
— from The Nicest Girl in the School: A Story of School Life by Angela Brazil

Ramon roughly seized his mother by the arm and dragged her down.
— from The Blood of the Conquerors by Harvey Fergusson

'I'll dive for it with pleasure; but I'm not a boy,' answered Josie, laughing as she shook the curly head which at a distance had deceived the lady.
— from Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott

Small 4to, cloth, handsome design on cover, 3 s. 6 d. ; gilt edges, 4 s. About a dozen highly dramatic sketches or little stories, the actors in which are birds, beasts, and insects.
— from Historic Boys: Their Endeavours, Their Achievements, and Their Times by Elbridge S. (Elbridge Streeter) Brooks

Afterward, when the talk took flight into the region of badinage, he went away and devoted himself dutifully to the Tadmorians.
— from A Romance in Transit by Francis Lynde

Men’s argument, or rather arguing, and above all debating, he disliked.
— from Spare Hours by John Brown

He had been with me from the 22nd of July to the 29th of August, and did his duty entirely to my satisfaction.
— from The Glaciers of the Alps Being a narrative of excursions and ascents, an account of the origin and phenomena of glaciers and an exposition of the physical principles to which they are related by John Tyndall