Βιβλία σαν το «Η εσπερίς του κυρίου Σουσαμάκη»

Μιὰ μέρα ποὺ δὲν εἴξευρα τί διάβολο νὰ κάνωτὰ δάκρυά μου σὲ βαθὺ ἐστράγγισα ποτῆρικαὶ μιὰ καὶ δυὸ στὸν χημικὸ τὰ πῆγα Χρηστομάνοκαὶ κάνε μου, παρακαλῶ, τοῦ εἶπα, τὸ χατῆρινὰ τἀναλύσῃς καὶ νὰ βρῇς πῶς εἶναι καμωμένα,γιὰ νὰ μὴν κλαίω στὸ ἑξῆς κι’ ἐγὼ εἰς τὰ χαμένα.Κι’ ὁ χημικὸς μ’ ἀπάντησε «αὐτά, ξερὸ κεφάλι,δὲν εἶναι ἄλλο τίποτε παρὰ χλωριούχον κάλι».

— Ανεκδιήγητα είνε τα βάσανά μου, εξηκολούθησεν ο Ιερεμιάδης, εις την γωνίαν εκείνην της Σιβηρίας, την οποίαν περιλαμβάνουν αι Αθήναι χωρίς να το γνωρίζουν. Δεν δύναμαι να σοι διηγηθώ ποσάκις συνέτριψα τους πόδας μου επιστρέφων την εσπέραν με βαθύτατον σκότος εις την κατοικίαν μου, ποσάκις συνήψα μάχας εκ του συστάδην με τον άγριον σκύλον του λαχανοπώλου, ποσάκις ετρόμαξα μη εμπέσω εις συμμορίαν λωποδυτών. Μίαν φοράν μάλιστα συνελήφθην και εγώ ως λωποδύτης παρά τινος κλητήρος πλανηθέντος κατ’ εκείνα τα μέρη, όστις μοι εζήτησε σπίρτον διά ν’ ανάψη το σιγάρον του, εγώ δε αφηρημένος του προσέφερα το σπίρτον του καμινέτου, το οποίον είχον αγοράσει προ ολίγου από τον μπακάλην. Μίαν φοράν ολίγον έλειψε να κατασυντριβώ υπό τους τροχούς μιας αμάξης και προς ανταπόδοσιν, αλλά χωρίς να το θέλω, κατεπλάκωσα εγώ μίαν άμαξαν.

Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken; but where, as in this case, though the conduct is mistaken, the feelings are not, it may not be very material.—Mr. Knightley could not impute to Emma a more relenting heart than she possessed, or a heart more disposed to accept of his.

The moon was above, lustrous and serene; vehicles and pedestrians were few; sparrows twittered sleepily in the eaves—for a little while the scene might have been a country churchyard. And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.

“Sometimes the quarrel between two princes is to decide which of them shall dispossess a third of his dominions, where neither of them pretend to any right. Sometimes one prince quarrels with another for fear the other should quarrel with him. Sometimes a war is entered upon, because the enemy is too strong; and sometimes, because he is too weak. Sometimes our neighbours want the things which we have, or have the things which we want, and we both fight, till they take ours, or give us theirs. It is a very justifiable cause of a war, to invade a country after the people have been wasted by famine, destroyed by pestilence, or embroiled by factions among themselves.

There was never anything so gallant, so spruce, so brilliant, and so well disposed as the two armies. Trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, and cannon made music such as Hell itself had never heard. The cannons first of all laid flat about six thousand men on each side; the muskets swept away from this best of worlds nine or ten thousand ruffians who infested its surface. The bayonet was also a sufficient reason for the death of several thousands. The whole might amount to thirty thousand souls. Candide, who trembled like a philosopher, hid himself as well as he could during this heroic butchery.