I paid the bill, and as I passed out with a fascinating bow I thought I detected a light in the woman’s eye that was gently ironical; and when I looked back from the street, and she was laughing all to herself about something or other, I said to myself with withering sarcasm, “Oh, certainly; you know how to put on kid gloves, don’t you?
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

Now, that the fix'd Stars, by reason of their immense Distance, appear like Points, unless so far as their Light is dilated by Refraction, may appear from hence; that when the Moon passes over them and eclipses them, their Light vanishes, not gradually [Pg 100] like that of the Planets, but all at once; and in the end of the Eclipse it returns into Sight all at once, or certainly in less time than the second of a Minute; the Refraction of the Moon's Atmosphere a little protracting the time in which the Light of the Star first vanishes, and afterwards returns into Sight.
— from Opticks Or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections, and Colours of Light by Isaac Newton

The royal favour induced Boileau and Racine to become more circumspect; Chapelle gave himself up to inordinate debauchery; and La Fontaine, whilst retaining his friendships, went to dream and amuse himself elsewhere.
— from The Fables of La Fontaine Translated into English Verse by Walter Thornbury and Illustrated by Gustave Doré by Jean de La Fontaine

Success is counted sweetest Summer for thee grant I may be Superfluous were the sun Superiority to fate Surgeons must be very careful Sweet hours have perished here; Sweet is the swamp with its secrets, Taken from men this morning, Talk with prudence to a beggar That I did always love, That is solemn we have ended, — That short, potential stir That such have died enables us
— from Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete by Emily Dickinson

—Love's Cup that is Death and Life.—
— from Revelations of Divine Love by of Norwich Julian

[Goes to the inner door and listens.
— from Riders to the Sea by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

Theologians, in devising a logical system of thought concerning the ways of God to man, proceeded on the basis of certain notions of human nature.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. (Ernest Watson) Burgess

Things ill done and long time passed are easier blamed than mended; algates, so it was.
— from The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio by Giovanni Boccaccio

But he lost no time in despatching a letter of recall, and he couched it in terms so eloquent, and so pathetic, that once more the poor woman was fain to overlook the past.
— from Juliette Drouet's Love-Letters to Victor Hugo Edited with a Biography of Juliette Drouet by Louis Guimbaud

Certain products, once grown in Calabria, no longer thrive there, on account of the increased dryness and lack of rainfall.
— from Old Calabria by Norman Douglas

I should like very much, the first time I dine at Longueval, that you would dine with me, and you, too, Monsieur Jean, just us four alone like to-day.
— from L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 1 by Ludovic Halévy

He looked at it again, reflected that, if it were good, things might become awkward, threw it down, and left abruptly.
— from Through the Land of the Serb by M. E. (Mary Edith) Durham

She went in, opened the inner door and looked into the gable room.
— from Anne Severn and the Fieldings by May Sinclair

The Indian did not understand a word that Suthland was saying, but supposing by the looks of his nose and pleading eyes that he wanted a drink, the Indian drew a large black bottle from under his blanket and handed it to Sutherland, remarking: “Ugh! Dam firewater.”
— from Peck's Sunshine Being a Collection of Articles Written for Peck's Sun, Milwaukee, Wis. - 1882 by George W. (George Wilbur) Peck

One night, when Ambrosia was wearing the new possession for the third time, it developed a long rip.
— from News Writing The Gathering , Handling and Writing of News Stories by M. Lyle (Matthew Lyle) Spencer

I was [372] deeply sunburnt from exposure, and the fatigue of long continued travelling, innutritious diet, and latterly even little of that, together with much anxiety of mind, produced by the evil which I here tried in vain to remedy, gave me, I have no doubt, no very prepossessing appearance.
— from Travels in the Interior of Brazil Principally through the northern provinces, and the gold and diamond districts, during the years 1836-1841 by George Gardner

It advanced with great bounds straight at the line, cannoned against Braxton Wyatt himself, knocking him senseless into a thicket, and, magnified to twice its usual size before the amazed eyes of the Indians, disappeared at last in a yellowish streak down the ravine.
— from The Eyes of the Woods: A Story of the Ancient Wilderness by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler