Take those who are worn out by the distressing detail of the legal profession, for example: they often seek sanctuary in the tranquillity of poetry, as a more sheltered haven, believing themselves able more easily to compose a poem than a rebuttal charged with scintillating epigrams!
— from The Satyricon — Complete by Petronius Arbiter

THE NARRATIVE OF THE TOMBSTONE Sacred to the Memory of Laura, Lady Glyde, wife of Sir Percival Glyde, Bart., of Blackwater Park, Hampshire, and daughter of the late Philip Fairlie, Esq., of Limmeridge House, in this parish.
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

In the midst of a description of the last Petersburg fete she addressed her brother: “So you are really going to the war, Andrew?”
— from War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

The span of the bridge can be arrived at by considering a general cross-section of the river as it is when in high flood, and assuming that scour to the depth of the lowest point, found as just explained, will take place in one-third of the span of the bridge.
— from River and Canal Engineering, the characteristics of open flowing streams, and the principles and methods to be followed in dealing with them. by E. S. (Edward Skelton) Bellasis

Our dead reckoning, as checked by the astronomical observations, showed the distance from the site of old Fort Selkirk to Fort Yukon to be four hundred and ninety miles, and two-tenths, (490.2); and the entire distance of the latter place from Crater Lake, at the head of the river, nine hundred and eighty-nine (989) miles; the raft journey having been twelve miles less.
— from Along Alaska's Great River A Popular Account of the Travels of an Alaska Exploring Expedition along the Great Yukon River, from Its Source to Its Mouth, in the British North-West Territory, and in the Territory of Alaska by Frederick Schwatka

During the duration of the Liberty program, four crankshafts failed from fatigue, failures starting from sharp corners at bottom of propeller-hub keyway.
— from The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by K. A. (Kristian A.) Juthe

I was rather dubious on this latter point, for how could I know, I asked him, laughing, that they might not keep me singing until midnight?
— from Uncle Max by Rosa Nouchette Carey

“We’ll get this business over with.” Too intent upon her own feelings to give heed to the dourness of the lad Peggy followed him silently as he strode from the house.
— from Peggy Owen at Yorktown by Lucy Foster Madison

Instead of turning purple in the lips at such a bold proposal, they "staggered not at the promise through unbelief" and in ten days they brought me the deed of the land paid for to the uttermost dollar!
— from Recollections of a Long Life: An Autobiography by Theodore L. (Theodore Ledyard) Cuyler

There was no flight of steps descending into the vault, as he had anticipated, and he did not know the depth of the lower pavement from where he stooped, and he was afraid to light a candle and let it down to explore the distance.
— from Freaks of Fanaticism, and Other Strange Events by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

Then Master John drew out the leaden pin from the brow, and struck it into the heart of the image, when immediately Richard de Lowe died, as any number of witnesses could testify.
— from Witch Stories by E. Lynn (Elizabeth Lynn) Linton

The result of the disobedience of orders was that the army officials had rather a large bill for damages to settle with the French greenhouse proprietor, and Tom and Dick Martin were deprived of their leave privileges for a week for disobeying the order to keep at a certain height in flying over a town or city.
— from Air Service Boys in the Big Battle; Or, Silencing the Big Guns by Charles Amory Beach