When they had retired to rest, if there was any moon, or the night was star-light, I went into the woods, and collected my own food and fuel for the cottage.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Some of the best fossils are found in theological cabinets.
— from What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain

The river nobly foams and flows, The charm of this enchanted ground, And all its thousand turns disclose Some fresher beauty varying round; The haughtiest breast its wish might bound Through life to dwell delighted here; Nor could on earth a spot be found To Nature and to me so dear, Could thy dear eyes in following mine Still sweeten more these banks of Rhine! LVI.
— from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage by Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron

Little notice was taken of her stories, but they found a market; and, encouraged by this fact, she resolved to make a bold stroke for fame and fortune.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott

Nell had scarcely settled herself on a little heap of straw in one corner, when she fell asleep, for the first time that day.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

As the frustrating of this one attempt involved a score of false alarms, it will be understood what a tribute old Mrs. Jukniene brought, just because Teta Elzbieta had once loaned her some money for a few days and saved her from being turned out of her house.
— from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Men in the son not only trace The father's figure, form, and face, But in his heart they also find The offspring of the father's mind; And hence, though dear their kinsmen are, To mothers sons are dearer far.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki

The mark which he was examining began upon the brass-work on the right-hand side of the keyhole, and extended for about four inches, where it had scratched the varnish from the surface.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I could say nothing whatever; not possessing a phrase of speaking French: and it was French, and French only, the whole world seemed now gabbling around me.
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë

A girl is either carried away by admiration so as to be flippant and foolish, or she is blinded by her vanity to the failings of the man who first admires her.
— from The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness A Complete Hand Book for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society by Florence Hartley

It was a tremendous relief to meet a senior officer who was keen to know everything about flying at first hand, who could deal on paper with flying problems of which he had practical experience, and took the trouble to understand the point of view of the pilots.
— from The Spider Web: The Romance of a Flying-Boat War Flight by T. D. Hallam

This is not such bad work for a first attempt.
— from Apples, Ripe and Rosy, Sir And Other Stories for Boys and Girls by Mary Catherine Crowley

A thunderstorm came on while we were at the inn, and Coleridge was running out bareheaded to enjoy the commotion of the elements in the Valley of Rocks , but as if in spite, the clouds only muttered a few angry sounds, and let fall a few refreshing drops.
— from Hazlitt on English Literature: An Introduction to the Appreciation of Literature by William Hazlitt

See how all wrought is Well finished and feat, Done as desired!
— from The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie The Ring of the Niblung, part 1 by Richard Wagner

And with this Mrs. Farquhar went over to Miss Benson, and chatted for a few moments, making herself particularly agreeable to Mr. Meigs, and actually carried that gentleman off to the spring, and then as an escort to her cottage, shaking her fan as she went away at Mr. King and Irene, and saying, “It is a waste of time for you youngsters not to be in the german.”
— from Their Pilgrimage by Charles Dudley Warner

" Mrs. Masters thought deeply for a few moments.
— from This House to Let by William Le Queux

For, apart from the fact that all three doctrines have little to recommend them to any one who wishes to live, the two first offend man's pride, and they all require courage and strength of mind in him who accepts them.
— from Essays and Dialogues by Giacomo Leopardi

Feint after feint did the terrier make of again rushing at the grizzly, but meanwhile Ralph had made good his escape, and next minute bullets rained on the grizzly, for Seth’s rang out from the thicket, and McBain’s and Rory’s and Allan’s from the open, so he sank to rise no more.
— from The Cruise of the Snowbird: A Story of Arctic Adventure by Gordon Stables

It is His will that we should not injure others by the gratification of our own earthly passions; and you have a mother, and sisters, and friends who would be seriously injured by your disgrace; and I, too, have friends, whose peace of mind shall never be sacrificed to my enjoyment, or yours either, with my consent; and if I were alone in the world, I have still my God and my religion, and I would sooner die than disgrace my calling and break my faith with heaven to obtain a few brief years of false and fleeting happiness—happiness sure to end in misery even here—for myself or any other!’
— from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

Uncle soon found a friend of his, a Mr. Weare, who, with his wife, was to go to his home, at Hampton, that day, and who did kindly engage to see me thus far on my way.
— from Margaret Smith's Journal, and Tales and Sketches, Complete Volume V of The Works of John Greenleaf Whittier by John Greenleaf Whittier