197 The limitations of space forbid a sketch of Mr. Tollefsrude in our survey of Rock Prairie.
— from A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States From the Earliest Beginning down to the Year 1848 by George T. (George Tobias) Flom

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
— from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The fogs of intoxication got the better of the light of sobriety for a moment, and the lieutenant answered vaguely: "Thought so—'cause I thought so.
— from Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

But to whomever he talked, Valentin kept his eye open for someone else; he looked out steadily for anyone, rich or poor, male or female, who was well up to six feet; for Flambeau was four inches above it.
— from The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

The old varnishes, made with a base of linseed oil, sometimes fermented and thus burned the cloth, which in a short time would tear like a piece of paper.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant

After a time Pahom noticed that some peasant-dealers were living on separate farms, and were growing wealthy; and he thought: “If I were to buy some freehold land, and have a homestead on it, it would be a different thing, altogether.
— from What Men Live By, and Other Tales by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

It is evident that this man was not born in the solitude in which we have met with him: his physical constitution suffices to show that his earlier years were spent in the midst of civilized society, and that he belongs to that restless, calculating, and adventurous race of men, who do with the utmost coolness things only to be accounted for by the ardor of the passions, and who endure the life of savages for a time, in order to conquer and civilize the backwoods.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 2 by Alexis de Tocqueville

We both obey, And here give up ourselves, in the full bent, To lay our service freely at your feet To be commanded.
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

and yet we have left so much to the opinions and decisions of our judges that there never was so full a liberty or so full a license.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne

Emeline was lying in bed, looking over some fashion and theatrical magazines.
— from The Story of Julia Page by Kathleen Thompson Norris

The contrast between the effects which the life of St. Francis and that of St. Dominic had upon the poet's mind is shown by the contrast in tone in which in successive cantos he tells of these two great pillars of the Church.
— from The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 05, No. 31, May, 1860 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics by Various

voluntary exertion, as explained in the sections on sleep and reverie, whilst those passions which are unmixed with volition are more vividly felt, and shewn with less reserve; hence pining love, or superstitious fear, and the maudling tear dropped on the remembrance of the most trifling distress. 5 .
— from Zoonomia; Or, the Laws of Organic Life, Vol. I by Erasmus Darwin

And then, as is usual, when leaving one scene for another, my thoughts flew ahead to my next errand, which was a visit to Police Headquarters.
— from The Man Who Fell Through the Earth by Carolyn Wells

The look of suffering for an instant was unmistakable; then she started at the sound of Marcella's step, and put down the caddy amid the delicate china crowded on the tray, with all the quiet precision of her ordinary manner.
— from Marcella by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

"We had him to lunch" often substituted for a character reference in the City, a confirmation that the individual in question had passed muster.
— from Project Daedalus by Thomas Hoover

Having filled and bored holes in two port-fires, for regulating the guns in one ship, make all the rest exactly the same; then, when you begin the engagement, light one ship first, and set it a sailing, and so on with the rest, sending them out singly, which will make them fire regularly, at different times, without confusion; for the time between the firing of each gun will be equal to that of lighting the slow fires.
— from Endless Amusement A Collection of Nearly 400 Entertaining Experiments in Various Branches of Science; Including Acoustics, Electricity, Magnetism, Arithmetic, Hydraulics, Mechanics, Chemistry, Hydrostatics, Optics; Wonders of the Air-Pump; All the Popular Tricks and Changes of the Cards, &c., &c. to Which is Added, a Complete System of Pyrotechny; Or, the Art of Making Fire-works. by Unknown

Ormand stopped feeding the fire long enough to manage his tea with one hand, but never left off stirring for a second.
— from Scott Burton, Forester by Edward G. (Edward Gheen) Cheyney