LITTLE NOVELSby Wilkie CollinsMRS. ZANT AND THE GHOST.I.THE course of this narrative describes the return of a disembodied spirit to earth, and leads the reader on new and strange ground.Not in the obscurity of midnight, but in the searching light of day, did the supernatural influence assert itself. Neither revealed by a vision, nor announced by a voice, it reached mortal knowledge through the sense which is least easily self-deceived: the sense that feels.The record of this event will of necessity produce conflicting impressions. It will raise, in some minds, the doubt which reason asserts; it will invigorate, in other minds, the hope which faith justifies; and it will leave the terrible 　

The Book of Snobsby William Makepeace ThackerayTHE BOOK OF SNOBSBY ONE OF THEMSELVESPREFATORY REMARKS(The necessity of a work on Snobs, demonstrated fromHistory, and proved by felicitous illustrations: I amthe individual destined to write that workMy vocationis announced in terms of great eloquenceI show that theworld has been gradually preparing itself for the WORKand the MANSnobs are to be studied like other objectsof Natural Science, and are a part of the Beautiful (witha large B). They pervade all classesAffecting instanceof Colonel Snobley.)We have all read a statement, (the authenticity of which...　

Memoir of the Proposed Territory of Arizonaby Sylvester Mowry"The NEW TERRITORY of ARIZONA, better known as the GADSDENPURCHASE, lies between the thirty-first and thirty-thirdparallels of latitude, and is bounded on the north by the GilaRiver, which separates it from the territory of New Mexico; onthe east by the Rio Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande), whichseparates it from Texas; on the south by Chihuahua and Sonora,Mexican provinces; and on the west by the Colorado River of theWest, which separates it from Upper and Lower California. Thisgreat region is six hundred miles long by about fifty miles wide,and embraces an area of about thirty thousand square miles. It...　

Autobiography and Selected Essaysby Thomas Henry HuxleyEdited, with introduction and notes by Ada L. F. SnellAssociate Professor Of EnglishMount Holyoke CollegeCONTENTSPREFACEINTRODUCTIONThe Life of HuxleySubject-matter, Structure, and Style of EssaysSuggested StudiesAUTOBIOGRAPHYON IMPROVING NATURAL KNOWLEDGEA LIBERAL EDUCATIONON A PIECE OF CHALKTHE PRINCIPAL SUBJECTS OF EDUCATIONTHE METHOD OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONON THE PHYSICAL BASIS OF LIFEON CORAL AND CORAL REEFSNOTESPREFACEThe purpose of the following selections is to present to students...　

IS SHAKESPEARE DEAD?(from My Autobiography)Scattered here and there through the stacks of unpublishedmanuscript which constitute this formidable Autobiography andDiary of mine, certain chapters will in some distant future befound which deal with "Claimants"claimants historicallynotorious: Satan, Claimant; the Golden Calf, Claimant; theVeiled Prophet of Khorassan, Claimant; Louis XVII., Claimant;William Shakespeare, Claimant; Arthur Orton, Claimant; Mary BakerG. Eddy, Claimantand the rest of them. Eminent Claimants,successful Claimants, defeated Claimants, royal Claimants, plebClaimants, showy Claimants, shabby Claimants, revered Claimants,...　

On The Ruin of Britain (De Excidio Britanniae)by GildasTranslation by J.A. GilesThe Works of Gildas surnamed "Sapiens", or The Wise.I. The Preface1. Whatever in this my epistle I may write in my humble but wellmeaning manner, rather by way of lamentation than for display,let no one suppose that it springs from contempt of others or thatI foolishly esteem myself as better than they; -for alas! the subjectof my complaint is the general destruction of every thing that isgood, and the general growth of evil throughout the land;butthat I rejoice to see her revive therefrom: for it is my presentpurpose to relate the deeds of an indolent and slothful race, rather...　

The Essays of Montaigne, V13by Michel de MontaigneTranslated by Charles CottonEdited by William Carew Hazilitt1877CONTENTS OF VOLUME 13.XXXII. Defence of Seneca and Plutarch.XXXIII. The story of Spurina.XXXIV. Means to carry on a war according to Julius Caesar.XXXV. Of three good women.XXXVI. Of the most excellent men.XXXVII. Of the resemblance of children to their fathers.CHAPTER XXXIIDEFENCE OF SENECA AND PLUTARCHThe familiarity I have with these two authors, and the assistance theyhave lent to my age and to my book, wholly compiled of what I haveborrowed from them, oblige me to stand up for their honour....　

CranfordCranford1- Page 2-CranfordCHAPTER I - OUR SOCIETYIN the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all theholders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a married couplecome to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he iseither fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranfordevening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, hisship, or closely engaged in business all the week in the great...　

TOLD AFTER SUPPERTOLD AFTER SUPPERby Jerome K. Jerome1- Page 2-TOLD AFTER SUPPERINTRODUCTORYIt was Christmas Eve.I begin this way because it is the proper, orthodox, respectable way tobegin, and I have been brought up in a proper, orthodox, respectable way,and taught to always do the proper, orthodox, respectable thing; and thehabit clings to me.Of course, as a mere matter of information it is quite unnecessary tomention the date at all. The experienced reader knows it was Christmas...　

The Little Lame PrinceThe Little Lame PrinceBy MISS MULOCK1- Page 2-The Little Lame PrinceCHAPTER IYes, he was the most beautiful Prince that ever was born.Of course, being a prince, people said this; but it was true besides.When he looked at the candle, his eyes had an expression of earnestinquiry quite startling in a new born baby. His nosethere was not muchof it certainly, but what there was seemed an aquiline shape; his...　

Modern Custom and Ancient Laws of Russiaby Maxime Kovalevsky1891Lecture IIIThe Past and Present of the Russian Village CommunityFew questions of history are debated in our days as that ofthe origin of village communities. French, English, and Germanscholars, to say nothing of Russians and Americans, havepublished whole volumes in order to prove either the existence ornon-existence of village communities in that period of evolutionwhich is generally known as patriarchal.The acute German observer, Baron Haxthausen, who was thefirst to describe to European readers the social and economiccharacter of the Russian mir, was probably quite unconscious of...　

A Plea for Captain John Brownby Henry David Thoreau[Read to the citizens of Concord, Mass., Sunday Evening, October 30, 1859.]I trust that you will pardon me for being here. I do not wish toforce my thoughts upon you, but I feel forced myself. Little as Iknow of Captain Brown, I would fain do my part to correct the toneand the statements of the newspapers, and of my countrymen generally,respecting his character and actions. It costs us nothing to bejust. We can at least express our sympathy with, and admirationof, him and his companions, and that is what I now propose to do.First, as to his history. I will endeavor to omit, as much...