W. Somerset Maugham

“ Susie clenched her hands so that she might not faint.
All at once she started, for the old man’s voice was cut by a sudden gust of wind. A moment before the utter silence had been almost intolerable, and now a storm seemed to have fallen upon them. The trees all round them rocked in the wind; they heard the branches creak; and they heard the hissing of the leaves. They were in the midst of a hurricane. And they felt the earth sway as it resisted the straining roots of great trees, which seemed to be dragged up by the force of the furious gale. ”

“ And now the silence was so unusual that Susie grew strangely nervous. She tried to think of the noisy streets in Paris, the constant roar of traffic, and the shuffling of the crowd towards evening as the working people returned to their homes. She stood up.
“There’s no air to-night. Look at the trees. Not a leaf is moving.”
“Why does not Arthur come?” repeated the doctor.
“There’s no moon to-night. It will be very dark at Skene.” ”

“ Porhoët sat in the little parlour, with his head between his hands, trying by a great mental effort to bring back to his memory all that he had read. His heart began to beat more quickly. Then the night fell, and one by one the stars shone out. ”