The white face of the winter day came sluggishly on, veiled in a frosty mist; and the shadowy ships in the river slowly changed to black substances; and the sun, blood-red on the eastern marshes behind dark masts and yards, seemed filled with the ruins of a forest it had set on fire. ~ Our Mutual Friend
It is not easy to
It is not easy to walk alone in the country without musing upon something. ~ Little Dorrit
“John, I stand at the
“John, I stand at the gangway here, to see every soul on board safe over the side. You shall have the next post of honour, and shall be the last but one to leave the ship. Bring up the passengers, and range them behind me; and put what provision and water you can got at, in the boats. Cast your eye for’ard, John, and you’ll see you have not a moment to lose.” ~ Wreck of the Golden Mary
Not only is the day
Not only is the day waning, but the year. The low sun is fiery and yet cold behind the monastery ruin, and the Virginia creeper on the Cathedral wall has showered half its deep-red leaves down on the pavement. There has been rain this afternoon, and a wintry shudder goes among the little pools on the cracked, uneven flag-stones, and through the giant elm-trees as they shed a gust of tears. ~ The Mystery of Edwin Drood
If our affections be tried
“If our affections be tried, our affections are our consolation and comfort; and memory, however sad, is the best and purest link between this world and a better.” ~ Nicholas Nickleby
A dangerous quality, if real;
A dangerous quality, if real; and a not less dangerous one, if feigned. ~ Dombey and Son
Mr. Arthur Clennam took up
Mr. Arthur Clennam took up his hat and buttoned his coat, and walked out. In the country, the rain would have developed a thousand fresh scents, and every drop would have had its bright association with some beautiful form of growth or life. In the city, it developed only foul stale smells, and was a sickly, lukewarm, dirt-stained, wretched addition to the gutters. ~ Little Dorrit
With a fierce action of
With a fierce action of her hand, as if she sprinkled hatred on the ground, and with it devoted those who were standing there to destruction, she looked up once at the black sky, and strode out into the wild night. ~ Dombey and Son
“My sister Lizzie,” said the
“My sister Lizzie,” said the boy, proudly, “wants no preparing, Mr. Headstone. What she is, she is, and shows herself to be. There’s no pretending about my sister.” ~ Our Mutual Friend
true gentleman at heart
It is a principle of his that no man who was not a true gentleman at heart, ever was, since the world began, a true gentleman in manner. He says, no varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and that the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself. ~ Great Expectations
