Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street

But thus it often is, that the constant friction of illiberal minds wears out at last the best resolves of the more generous

You see how gentle I am, sir. Shall I go and black his eyes?

He is useful to me. I can get along with him

lives, then, on ginger-nuts, thought I; never eats a dinner, properly speaking; he must be a vegetarian then; but no; he never eats even vegetables, he eats nothing but ginger-nuts. My mind then ran on in reveries concerning the probable effects upon the human constitution of living entirely on ginger-nuts.

(The reader of nice perceptions will here perceive that, it being morn

“I would prefer not to,” he said, and gently disappeared behind the screen.

I would prefer not to