| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: by twenty or thirty thousand francs a year. Neither Dutocq nor I can
marry her; but we'll equip you, give you the look of a decent man,
feed and lodge you, and set you up generally. Consequently, we want
security. I don't say that on my own account, for I know you, but for
monsieur here, whose proxy I am. We'll equip you as a pirate, hey! to
do the white-slave trade! If we can't capture that 'dot,' we'll try
other plans. Between ourselves, none of us need be particular what we
touch--that's plain enough. We'll give you careful instructions; for
the matter is certain to take time, and there'll probably be some
bother about it. Here, see, I have brought stamped paper."
"Waiter, pens and ink!" cried Theodose.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: Nicole in a house near Chardonneret, in that part which is the Rue
Quincangrogne, because it was a lonely place, far from other
habitations. The husband and the wife were thus both in his service,
and he had by La Beaupertuys a daughter, who died a nun. This Nicole
had a tongue as sharp as a popinjay's, was of stately proportions,
furnished with large beautiful cushions of nature, firm to the touch,
white as the wings of an angel, and known for the rest to be fertile
in peripatetic ways, which brought it to pass that never with her was
the same thing encountered twice in love, so deeply had she studied
the sweet solutions of the science, the manners of accommodating the
olives of Poissy, the expansions of the nerves, and hidden doctrines
Droll Stories, V. 1 |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from 1492 by Mary Johntson: saw me and there rose a clamor and excitement that for the
moment took them from the ships. Guarin explained and
Juan Lepe explained, but still this miraculous day dyed also
for them my presence here. I had been slain, and had come
to life to greet the Great Cacique! It grew to a legend. I
met it so, long afterwards in Hispaniola.
CHAPTER XXVII
ONE by one were incoming, were folding wings, were
anchoring, Spanish ships. Three were larger each
than the _Santa Maria_ and the _Pinta_ together; the
others caravels of varying size. Seventeen in all, a fleet,
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