unearths some literary gems.
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He gave a mirthless laugh, as perfect in its way as a smoke ring.
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[It's been a while since we've had an anthropomorphized telephone ring, and I think this is a top-notch example!]
The telephone bell rang with a hard, impertinent, and imperative note.
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Raphael Sands was a pudgy, middle-sized man. He faintly resembled the frog who puffed himself up until he burst, but he was probably too careful to burst....He had a habit of playing to his audience even when the audience was imaginary. Left alone in a room whose furnishings seemed to him at fault, he would roll his eyes in resigned horror just as though half-a-dozen admirers were watching him.
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The house...had evidently been thrown off in a burst of irritation by a satirical architect. It was half-timbered, with many turrets, a few pillars, and several gables. The windows were of assorted shapes, and included some portholes. The house was made of shiny red brick, and had broken out in conservatories here and there.
***
