puff of smoke

At last he contrived to squeeze out one of his little hysterical tears, and drop it on her hand. Now, the girl was not butter, like some of her sex; far from it: but neither was she wood—indeed, she was not old enough for that—so this crocodile tear won her for the time being.

The discovery of the art of making pottery was probably in all cases adventitious, the clay being first used for some other purpose.

Yes. And where were you when the flood broke loose? / I would be most of the way to the Old House then. O'Loughlin was after running in wild to tell me he was hearing the Banshee out at The Old House, […].