At this a sudden change evidently took place in the princess’ ideas; her thin lips grew white, though her eyes did not change, and her voice when she began to speak passed through such transitions as she herself evidently did not expect.
— from War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

With the boldness of her nature, Atossa trusted to circumstances to provide her with an easy escape for herself; and in the last instance, she trusted, as she had ever done, to her marvellous beauty to save her from harm.
— from Marzio's Crucifix, and Zoroaster by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford