| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: by a bold stroke. He no longer guarded himself, but took his sabre in
both hands and rushed furiously on his antagonist, resolved to kill
him, if he had to lose his own life. Philippe received a sabre-cut
which slashed open his forehead and a part of his face, but he cleft
Max's head obliquely by the terrible sweep of a "moulinet," made to
break the force of the annihilating stroke Max aimed at him. These two
savage blows ended the combat, at the ninth minute. Fario came down to
gloat over the sight of his enemy in the convulsions of death; for the
muscles of a man of Maxence Gilet's vigor quiver horribly. Philippe
was carried back to his uncle's house.
Thus perished a man destined to do great deeds had he lived his life
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: his chariot, and carried about to his friends' houses; and each of
them placed him at his table's head, and all feasted in his
presence? Suppose it were offered to you in plain words, as it IS
offered to you in dire facts, that you should gain this Scythian
honour, gradually, while you yet thought yourself alive. Suppose
the offer were this: You shall die slowly; your blood shall daily
grow cold, your flesh petrify, your heart beat at last only as a
rusted group of iron valves. Your life shall fade from you, and
sink through the earth into the ice of Caina; but, day by day, your
body shall be dressed more gaily, and set in higher chariots, and
have more orders on its breast--crowns on its head, if you will.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Daisy Miller by Henry James: and kicking it up not a little.
"Randolph," said the young lady, "what ARE you doing?"
"I'm going up the Alps," replied Randolph. "This is the way!"
And he gave another little jump, scattering the pebbles
about Winterbourne's ears.
"That's the way they come down," said Winterbourne.
"He's an American man!" cried Randolph, in his little hard voice.
The young lady gave no heed to this announcement, but looked
straight at her brother. "Well, I guess you had better be quiet,"
she simply observed.
It seemed to Winterbourne that he had been in a manner presented. He got
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