But suddenly he remained motionless, struck dumb with astonishment—there was a red ribbon in the buttonhole: “Why,” he stammered, “this—this—this overcoat has got the ribbon in it!”
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant

"They grow on this road, Meg, so do combs and brown straw hats.
— from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Maintenant que je prends ma retraite et que je dois retirer mes sites des serveurs de Bucknell, j'ai eu le choix entre supprimer mes sites, les vendre ou générer des revenus permettant de continuer cette activité.
— from Entretiens / Interviews / Entrevistas by Marie Lebert

‘Pray, sir,’ returned Mrs. Sparsit, ‘do not bite my nose off.’
— from Hard Times by Charles Dickens

He took it out of one of the secret pockets of his wallet, examined it, gazed at it tenderly, and caressed it with loving fingers, and sighed, as he said: “What cold Russian prince, what vain and foolish rajah may some day possess this priceless treasure!
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc

"I have long known she loves me; she is free; she has no duty now to plead against me; why should I submit myself to the hardship of seeing her, without being seen by her or speaking to her? Is it possible for love so absolutely to have deprived me of reason and courage, and to have rendered me so different from what I have been in all my other amours?
— from The Princess of Cleves by Madame de (Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne) La Fayette

“Certainly, my love,” replied Mr. Sagittarius, darting eagerly from the apartment to fetch the rabbit-skins.
— from The Prophet of Berkeley Square by Robert Hichens

“We're all ready, Mike,” said Dixon, with square solemnity.
— from Thoroughbreds by William Alexander Fraser

"In a few minutes it returned; Miller sprang down; the expressman handed him the great easy chair; he carried it into the door of the cabin, setting it just inside; then lifted the old man in his arms from his hard chair, placed him in the soft cushions of the other, moved it gently until it was in just the position where the old man could best enjoy looking at the descending night; then, picking up the old battered chair, he said, cheerily: 'Arnold, I want to trade chairs with you,' and walked so rapidly away that the old man could not recover from his surprise enough to thank him.
— from The Comstock Club by C. C. (Charles Carroll) Goodwin

"All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take all the blame on myself, and you will not be punished, I promise you."
— from Corea or Cho-sen: The Land of the Morning Calm by Arnold Henry Savage Landor

He smiled one of those enchanting smiles which will probably reduce many such divinities into frail mortals.
— from Secresy; or, Ruin on the Rock by E. (Eliza) Fenwick

The great republican maxim, so deeply engraven on the hearts of our people, that the will of the majority, constitutionally expressed, shall prevail, is our sure safeguard against force and violence.
— from State of the Union Addresses (1790-2006) by United States. Presidents