The countess had long wished for such a box, but as she did not want to cry just then she glanced indifferently at the portrait and gave her attention chiefly to the box for cards.
— from War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

“In Hyde Park, after giving him a caning.” “You served him quite right.”
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

I am to pay him by giving him leave to buy about L40 worth of Piggott’s land and to strike off so much of Piggott’s debt, and the other to give him bond to pay him in 12 months after without interest, only giving him a power to buy more land of Piggott and paying him that way as he did for the other, which I am well enough contented with, or at least to take the land at that price and give him the money.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys

And there was one comfort too; and that was, that every hour in every day she could wound his pride, and goad him with the infliction of some slight, or insult, or deprivation, which could not but have some effect on the most insensible person, and must be acutely felt by one so sensitive as Nicholas.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

With trembling hands, Pulcheria Alexandrovna gave him the letter.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

But the souls that thirst after Thee, and that appear before Thee (being by other bounds divided from the society of the sea), Thou waterest by a sweet spring, that the earth may bring forth her fruit, and Thou, Lord God, so commanding, our soul may bud forth works of mercy according to their kind, loving our neighbour in the relief of his bodily necessities, having seed in itself according to its likeness, when from feeling of our infirmity, we compassionate so as to relieve the needy; helping them, as we would be helped; if we were in like need; not only in things easy, as in herb yielding seed, but also in the protection of our assistance, with our best strength, like the tree yielding fruit: that is, well-doing in rescuing him that suffers wrong, from the hand of the powerful, and giving him the shelter of protection, by the mighty strength of just judgment.
— from The Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo

We had Jim out of the chains in no time, and when Aunt Polly and Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally found out how good he helped the doctor nurse Tom, they made a heap of fuss over him, and fixed him up prime, and give him all he wanted to eat, and a good time, and nothing to do.
— from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Lovely in person, and fascinating in manners, and still too young to have any idea of forming the character of a child, she dressed the little creature expensively; and, by constantly praising her personal appearance, gave her an idea of her own importance which it took many years to eradicate.
— from Roughing It in the Bush by Susanna Moodie

God save the King, and bless the Land In Plenty, Joy, and Peace; And grant henceforth that foul Debate 'Twixt Noblemen may cease.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Steele, Richard, Sir

Wherefore even the praises of Cato are only applicable to a few; for only a few were possessed of that virtue which leads men to pursue after glory, honour, and power by the true way,—that is, by virtue itself.
— from The City of God, Volume I by Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo

He was astonished, therefore, when she protested that she had had “enough of it,” and proposed that they should extricate themselves from the press and go home.
— from At Last: A Novel by Marion Harland

he ordered in a deep voice (precisely as Gwendolyn had heard officers order at crowded crossings); "move on, there!"
— from The Poor Little Rich Girl by Eleanor Gates

"God knows, I never injured your friend, sir," he said, by-and-by, when Mrs. Plowson and Georgey had returned, "nor even wished him any ill.
— from Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

He upbraided Michael with the cruelties of his executions, and declared his resolution of calling him to an account for these personally at Gondar; he warned him in time, to repass the Tacazzé, and retire while it was in his power to his government of Tigrè, where nobody would molest him, and leave the king at liberty to act for himself.
— from Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 4 (of 5) In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773 by James Bruce

He hurried Philip and Grace home to supper, so that the kitchen might sooner be free for photographic purposes, and dusk had scarcely lost itself in darkness when he closed the store and appeared at the house with Pastor Grateway, who expressed himself exuberantly concerning the picture of his church and congregation; but Caleb cut him short by saying:— "Ev'rythin' ready, Mis' Somerton?
— from Caleb Wright: A Story of the West by John Habberton

When I met Brother Brigham, he had his hands full of butcher knives; he gave me one, and told me to go and put a good handle on it, which I did.
— from Leaves from My Journal: Third Book of the Faith-Promoting Series Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-Day Saints by Wilford Woodruff

For, unless you're a born natural, you'll put on no airs at the big house; but you'll just be yourself, remember, and not ape anybody else; you profess a great hatred of sham, then don't be a sham yourself, and make yourself look ridiculous.
— from Her Benny: A Story of Street Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking