She became at length, they said, utterly helpless, for several weeks lying on the ground floor in a dilapidated cabin, dependent upon the mercy of her fellow-thralls for an occasional drop of water, and a morsel of food.
— from Twelve Years a Slave Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, from a Cotton Plantation near the Red River in Louisiana by Solomon Northup

She came up to me and held up her face smiling.
— from The King in Yellow by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers

'And it lies under his feet,' said Bradley, unfolding his hands in spite of himself, and fiercely motioning with them both towards the stones of the pavement.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

As to the intimation which had been sent to the country justice, he immediately imputed it to the true author, whom he marked for his vengeance accordingly; but, in the meantime, suppressed his resentment, because he in some measure depended upon him for subsistence.
— from The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete by T. (Tobias) Smollett

" A few days later Wolfgang urges his father still more strongly. 92. Mannheim, Feb. 7, 1778.
— from The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Volume 01 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And what would be so absurd as for an auctioneer to cry, at the owner's bidding, 'Here is an unsanitary house for sale?'"
— from De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero

Quidam pours gold into the pockets of the four patriots, drinks with them, and then, when the 'bottle is out' (a too frequent occurrence at Sir Robert's table) takes up his fiddle, strikes up a tune and dances off, the patriots dancing after him.
— from Henry Fielding: a Memoir Including Newly Discovered Letters and Records with Illustrations from Contemporary Prints by G. M. (Gertrude M.) Godden

Nevertheless, if we may compare the greatest masters of Roman wisdom together, the Stoic will appear, I think, the more earnest of the two, the more anxious to do his duty for its own sake, the more sensible of the claims of mankind upon him for such precepts of virtuous living as he had to give.
— from L. Annaeus Seneca on Benefits by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Then he drew one very long breath, and the expression upon his face softened.
— from The Penalty by Gouverneur Morris