| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: alluded to as `that scoundrel.' The `scoundrel' had reported
that the `man' had been very ill--had recovered imperfectly.
. . . The two below me moved away then a few paces,
and strolled back and forth at some little distance. I heard:
`Military post--doctor--two hundred miles--quite alone now--
unavoidable delays--nine months--no news--strange rumours.'
They approached again, just as the manager was saying, `No one,
as far as I know, unless a species of wandering trader--
a pestilential fellow, snapping ivory from the natives.'
Who was it they were talking about now? I gathered
in snatches that this was some man supposed to be in
Heart of Darkness |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Royalty Restored/London Under Charles II by J. Fitzgerald Molloy: clear, it had made no progress till April. In that month two men
had died of this most foul disease; and in the first week of May
its victims numbered nine; and yet another fortnight and it had
hurried seventeen citizens to the grave.
Now the memory of their wickedness rising before them, dread took
up its abode in all men's hearts; for none knew but his day of
reckoning was at hand. And their consternation was greater when
it was remembered that in the third year of this century thirty-
six thousand citizens of London had died of the plague, while
twenty-five years later it had swept away thirty-five thousand;
and eleven years after full ten thousand persons perished of this
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Lesson of the Master by Henry James: likes great celebrities, whether incipient or predominant. You
must come and dine - my wife will write to you. Where are you to
be found?"
"This is my little address" - and Overt drew out his pocketbook and
extracted a visiting-card. On second thoughts, however, he kept it
back, remarking that he wouldn't trouble his friend to take charge
of it but would come and see him straightway in London and leave it
at his door if he should fail to obtain entrance.
"Ah you'll probably fail; my wife's always out - or when she isn't
out is knocked up from having been out. You must come and dine -
though that won't do much good either, for my wife insists on big
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