I soon grew as poor as a rat, and, having a wife and children to provide for, my burdens at length became intolerable, and I spent hour after hour in reflecting upon the most convenient method of putting an end to my life.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1 by Edgar Allan Poe

the prince, fearing that he might declare all the intrigues to which he had been privy, did not deliver him but secretly slew him and had it rumored that the man had perished by his own hand.
— from Dio's Rome, Volume 1 (of 6) An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek during the Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form by Cassius Dio Cocceianus

Siddhartha saw him, and he instantly recognised him, as if a god had pointed him out to him.
— from Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

They therefore quit the country, take up the business of a mason or a carpenter, or something of the sort; and the result is, that not being competent, they are unable to procure work, and are idling about the street all day, until some vessel from the southern colonies, looking out for emigrants, holds out the temptation of high wages , which is ignorantly caught at by the negro; and he leaves his native island, his wife and children, without remorse, until sickness seizes him, and he is returned upon the country an emaciated being, unable to work at all.
— from Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume 1 (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Mrs. Lanaghan

I am about to ride over to Middleton this morning to see your daughter and Richard Assheton, and shall sleep at Whalley, so that I shall not be able to accompany you to the tower to-night; but old Crouch the huntsman shall be in waiting for you, as soon as it grows dusk, in the summer-house, with which, as you know, the secret staircase connected with this room communicates, and he shall have a horse in readiness to take you, together with such matters as you may require, to the place of refuge.
— from The Lancashire Witches: A Romance of Pendle Forest by William Harrison Ainsworth

Squat, huge, and heavy, it resembled somewhat an overgrown machine rifle, but one possessing a thick, short telescope, with several opaque condensing lenses and parabolic reflectors.
— from Triplanetary by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith

The party spent half an hour in rambling over the castle.
— from Rollo in Geneva by Jacob Abbott

Under the brilliant light of a Mexican sun, half an hour is required to produce effects which in England would occupy but a minute.
— from Curiosities of Science, Past and Present A Book for Old and Young by John Timbs

"Oh, your people are still here," answered Hennessy, in response to the shipbuilder's question.
— from The Submarine Boys and the Spies Dodging the Sharks of the Deep by Victor G. Durham

She saw him absorb himself in regarding his own portrait, and apparently lose himself in his recollections of the past.
— from The Cryptogram: A Novel by James De Mille

He remembered, in particular, certain adroit questions she had asked him in regard to himself, and how, when he had admitted that except for Old Paul he was quite alone in the world, she had made a demure, wry grimace, and had whispered that she, too, was alone in the world; which was distinctly a bond between them.
— from Jimmy Quixote: A Novel by Tom Gallon