Then it had not been merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendour.

A classic,' suggested Anthony, 'is a successful book that has survived the reaction of the next period or generation. Then it's safe, like a style in architecture or furniture. It's acquired a picturesque dignity to take the place of its fashion.

She knew few words and believed in none.

The afternoon had made them tranquil for a while, as if to give them a deep memory for the long parting the next day promised.

Her body calculated to a millimeter to suggest a bud yet guarantee a flower.

And after reading Thoreau I felt how much I have lost by leaving nature out of my life.

They were smiling at each other as if this was the beginning of the world.