| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Man of Business by Honore de Balzac: "He always came arrayed in fine linen, a cornflower blue coat, a
paduasoy waistcoat, black trousers, and black ribbon bows on the
double soled shoes that creaked like an abbe's; he always held a
fourteen franc silk hat in his hand.
" 'I am old and I have no children,' he took occasion to confide to
the young lady some few days after Cerizet's visit to Maxime. 'I hold
my relations in horror. They are peasants born to work in the fields.
Just imagine it, I came up from the country with six francs in my
pocket, and made my fortune here. I am not proud. A pretty woman is my
equal. Now would it not be nicer to be Mme. Croizeau for some years to
come than to do a Count's pleasure for a twelvemonth? He will go off
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: he thought it best to send me the document itself to look at, and begged
me to be good enough to return the Register to him as soon as done with.
He evidently wished to serve me--his ignorance of responsibility without
doubt proving his kindly disposition, and on that account alone I forbear
to name him; but I can assure you I was heartily glad to have a letter
from him in due time announcing that the precious documents were once more
locked up in the parish chest. Certainly, I think such as he to be `Enemies
of books.' Don't you?"
Bigotry has also many sins to answer for. The late M. Muller,
of Amsterdam, a bookseller of European fame, wrote to me as follows
a few weeks before his death:--
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: same time of dread of something stirred in her heart. He was
standing still, not taking off his coat, pulling something out of
his pocket. At the instant when she was just facing the stairs,
he raised his eyes, caught sight of her, and into the expression
of his face there passed a shade of emparrassment and dismay.
With a slight inclination of her head she passed, hearing behind
her Stepan Arkadyevitch's loud voice calling him to come up, and
the quiet, soft, nad composed voice of Vronsky refusing.
When Anna returned with the album, he was already gone, and
Stepan Arkadyevitch was telling them that he had called to
inquire about the dinner they were giving next day to a celebrity
Anna Karenina |
