It was some small encouragement- But he had to suffer the sound of her yammering voice for a good quarter mile before distance and the racketing night insects finally stilled it.

She was right, and it was small encouragement.

Although the other players no longer have such a fear of Taylor, he could also take some small encouragement from the way Saturday's match unfolded.

It was a small encouragement that someone had recognized Dunca's hypocrisy.

She looked away from me in silence, and that was small encouragement, but I was not to be put off.

Kafka did not disengage, but instead, seeming to take some small encouragement from the simple human contact, managed to pull himself together with a visible effort.

The smallest encouragement thankfully received.

She was not like many women--and men too, to be fair--who needed only the smallest encouragement to talk with great enthusiasm and at greater length about themselves.

Nestor drew some small encouragement from the fact that the dragon seemed to prefer snake to human flesh.