He couldn't trust Cleveland to a man who had merely passed through it.

He pulled down the other one and saw that the holes merely passed through its sides.

At the moment he merely passed, staring, down the stream.

Instead, they are merely passing through the wall in search of more timber to attack.

As it was, the two patrol-ing groups had merely passed each other the day before.

Maybe the bullets fired at her would merely pass through the empty air where she had been.

We're merely passing through Os on our way to the sea.

"We are merely passing through these lands," another thought to mention.

"Perhaps they merely pass through, on their way to water," the Squam said.

But the author is just as scrupulous with characters who merely pass by.