I reply—By the force of example, that is, by setting up a better system, and by a little skill in the grouping of forces and manipulation of ideas.
— from Garden Cities of To-Morrow Being the Second Edition of "To-Morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform" by Howard, Ebenezer, Sir

The committee stood up and clapped their hands for joy, and while they were clapping them, in came Sir Matthew Pupker, attended by two live members of Parliament, one Irish and one Scotch, all smiling and bowing, and looking so pleasant that it seemed a perfect marvel how any man could have the heart to vote against them.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

She stared at me at first in silent amazement; but at last said— “How came you here, sir, tell me?”
— from The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel by Anonymous

The MS. reads: "The bugle shrill again he wound, And lo! forth starting at the sound;" and below: "A little skiff shot to the bay.
— from The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott

——Therefore I answer thus: Pray, Sir, in all the reading which you have ever read, did you ever read such a book as Locke ’s Essay upon the Human Understanding?——Don’t answer me rashly—because many, I know,
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

Our primary activity should be devout meditation and study of our Lord's life, with prayer for guidance and help, till something of the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, till we feel our hearts burn within us and our spirits glow and we become able to offer ourselves, soul and body, a living sacrifice unto Him.
— from Our Lady Saint Mary by J. G. H. (Joseph Gayle Hurd) Barry

The road crosses another to Kilmington and Yarnfield, and at once it is older-looking, hard, but winding slightly among bushy and lush steep banks.
— from The Icknield Way by Edward Thomas

On the other hand, in a Witwatersrand gold mine, in gold and tin gravels, or in massive copper mines such as Bingham and Lake Superior, where at least some sort of life can be approximated, it becomes a most vital element in valuation.
— from Principles of Mining: Valuation, Organization and Administration by Herbert Hoover

The troops were brought down the river in ships and boats, and, landing some thirty miles above Quebec, crossed the Cap Rouge river and marched on to Lorette and Sainte Foy.
— from A Historical Geography of the British Colonies, Vol. V Canada—Part I, Historical by Lucas, Charles Prestwood, Sir

Marie, however, did not seem afraid, but again laughed, saying that her father never could be punctual.
— from The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete by Émile Zola

As he lay thus, fallen and prostrate, there soared up out of a part of him that was neither mind nor body, but was nevertheless himself, something swift and beautiful and living, something great enough at last to measure its greatness with the immensity of his love for Marise.
— from The Brimming Cup by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

A month later, September 13, a delegation of Chicago clergymen came to Washington, had an audience with Lincoln, presented similar arguments, but also laid stress on the necessity of securing the sympathy of Europe.
— from Great Britain and the American Civil War by Ephraim Douglass Adams

III Anon before my sight a palace rose 70 Built of all precious substances,—so pure And exquisite, that sleep alone bestows Ability like splendour to endure: Entered, with streaming thousands, through the gate, I saw the banquet spread beneath a Dome of state, 75 A lofty Dome, that dared to emulate The heaven of sable night With starry lustre; yet had power to throw Solemn effulgence, clear as solar light, Upon a princely company below, 80 While the vault rang with choral harmony, Like some Nymph-haunted grot beneath the roaring sea, —No sooner ceased that peal, than on the verge Of exultation hung a dirge
— from The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 6 (of 8) by William Wordsworth

" I am not," said Agatha bluntly, a little sternly indeed.
— from The Red House Mystery The Piccadilly Novels by Duchess