So far, however, both descriptions of old gentlemen have failed signally in endeavouring to make out a good case.
— from The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal by John Camden Hotten

He shall not win her without contest; yet, if he be victorious and escape death, and if the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus grant him to win renown, verily he shall return to his dear native land, and I will give him my dear child and strong, swift-footed horses besides which he shall lead home to be cherished possessions; and may he rejoice in heart possessing these, and ever remember with gladness the painful contest.
— from Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod

The eldest daughter of one great house, very beautiful, and very innocent, is taken advantage of by a retainer in the castle.
— from Pre-Raphaelite and other Poets by Lafcadio Hearn

“Only a little farther,” rose Bates’ voice ahead of me; and then: “There’s the light, sir,”—and, lifting my eyes, as I stumbled over the roots of a great tree, I saw for the first time the dark outlines of Glenarm House.
— from The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson

We violate the laws of nature when we seek to repair the ravages of time on our complexions by paint, when we substitute false hair for that which age has thinned or blanched, or conceal the change by dyeing our own gray hair; when we pad our dress to conceal that one shoulder is larger than the other.
— from Dress as a Fine Art, with Suggestions on Children's Dress by Mary P. (Mary Philadelphia) Merrifield

"He was the celebrated pulpit orator, the Dean of Olivet—" "Good Heav—" exclaimed Mr. Fabian, involuntarily, but stopping himself suddenly.
— from For Woman's Love by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

You know how the commissioners came to us hungry from Etruria; how Booth and his helpers met them in Sunday butternut and shirt frills without spot; how we flattered our visitors' distinguished yet entirely human stomachs with the toothsome dishes of our grandmothers; how we cracked dusty bottles of Madeira brought years before from New England; and how we brewed a waggish punch from the output of our rival's own distillery.
— from The Henchman by Mark Lee Luther

For two weeks the Semper Fidelis Club, or, rather, nine of that most delightful organization of Grace Harlowe’s early college days, had been holding a reunion at the Briggs’ cottage, which was situated on the New Jersey coast, not far from Wildwood, a well-known summer resort.
— from Grace Harlowe's Problem by Josephine Chase

He had no idea what a passion this continual doling out of glimpses had begotten.
— from Birthright A Novel by T. S. (Thomas Sigismund) Stribling

A dose of one grain has produced tetanic spasms.
— from The Opium Habit by Horace B. Day