Jo can't prevent my seeing her, and I shall stay and do it as long as I like," interrupted Laurie, in a defiant tone.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott

Then fell on Merlin a great melancholy; He walked with dreams and darkness, and he found A doom that ever poised itself to fall, An ever-moaning battle in the mist, World-war of dying flesh against the life, Death in all life and lying in all love, The meanest having power upon the highest, And the high purpose broken by the worm.
— from Idylls of the King by Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron

I examined the hole, and I declare it actually looks as though it had been made with a pen-knife, a most improbable contingency.”
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Being convinced I only sought an excuse, he pressed me to write at least the bass to a recitative: I did so, not well, doubtless, because to attempt anything with success I must have both time and freedom, but I did it at least according to rule, and he being present, could not doubt
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Know that you have here before you (open your eyes and you will see) that great knight of whom the sage Merlin has prophesied such great things; that Don Quixote of La Mancha I mean, who has again, and to better purpose than in past times, revived in these days knight-errantry, long since forgotten, and by whose intervention and aid it may be we shall be disenchanted; for great deeds are reserved for great men.' "'And if that may not be,' said the wretched Durandarte in a low and feeble voice, 'if that may not be, then, my cousin, I say "patience and shuffle;"' and turning over on his side, he relapsed into his former silence without uttering another word.
— from Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"That," said the duchess, "is more like giving oneself slaps than lashes; I am sure the sage Merlin will not be satisfied with such tenderness; worthy Sancho must make a scourge with claws, or a cat-o'-nine tails, that will make itself felt; for it's with blood that letters enter, and the release of so great a lady as Dulcinea will not be granted so cheaply, or at such a paltry price; and remember, Sancho, that works of charity done in a lukewarm and half-hearted way are without merit and of no avail."
— from Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

You’re evidently disappointed,” Isabel added, looking at her cousin with rueful gentleness.
— from The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1 by Henry James

And, pray, what am I to do?” Isabel asked, looking about her through the fading light, in which the limited landscape-gardening of the square took on a large and effective appearance.
— from The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1 by Henry James

And they said Captain Hardy wore yarn socks winter and summer just the same, and his first wife's name was Jane Shook—she was from New England—and his second one died in a lunatic asylum.
— from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain

The forms of royal crowns and diadems is a large and fascinating study, and where original examples do not now exist, the development can often be followed in sculpture, coins, or seals.
— from A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

Entirely, sir!’ said Little Dorrit, in a lower and triumphant tone.
— from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

The position in which Miss Vyvyan now stood as Cora's godmother created a sincere bond of friendship between the two ladies, which as time went on developed into a lifelong affection.
— from Peak's Island A Romance of Buccaneer Days by Anna W. Ford Piper

Individuals among them have acquired substantial wealth, and several have attained to something like national distinction in art, letters and educational leadership.
— from The Wife of his Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, and Selected Essays by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt

" Donald, it appeared, liked an addition to it, notwithstanding his chief's praise of it, for he was taking a long pull from a leather bottle.
— from The Yeoman Adventurer by George W. Gough

The undulation of the atmosphere noticeable on a hot summer's day is always less at a distance from the earth's surface, and it is often practicable to read signals from a tree or housetop when they would be unintelligible from the ground.
— from Visual Signaling by United States. Army. Signal Corps

She grew so ill from her depression of spirits that she could only travel to her new place of detention in a litter and under the care of a physician.
— from Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 04 (of 15), English by Charles Morris

The Times voiced this disapproval in a leading article, to which I replied, giving our reasons for the protest.
— from My Own Story by Emmeline Pankhurst

Milan is modern in its general aspect, it is true, and has little for the unexpert in antiquarian lore, but all the same it has three magic lode stones; its luxuriously flamboyant Gothic Duomo; its Ambrosian Library and its Palace of arts and sciences, La Brera.
— from Italian Highways and Byways from a Motor Car by M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield

Thirdly, that she should be of the same religion as yourself (otherwise difficulties in after life are sure to arise) and a really religious woman.
— from Boys: their Work and Influence by Anonymous