| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: might. The tramp of the horse's hoofs as it was led out of the
stable was in my ears at the moment. 'Good-night!' I continued
feverishly, hoping that he would still retire in time, and I have
a chance to look out. 'I want to sleep.'
'Good,' he said, with a broad grin. 'But it is early yet, and
you have plenty of time.'
And then, at last, he slowly let down the trap-door, and I heard
him chuckle as he went down the ladder.
Before he reached the bottom I was at the window. The woman,
whom I had seen, still stood below in the same place, and beside
her was a man in a peasant's dress, holding a lanthorn. But the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: round her neck and kissed her.
CHAPTER VII
FOUR days after these curious incidents a funeral started from
Canterville Chase at about eleven o'clock at night. The hearse was
drawn by eight black horses, each of which carried on its head a
great tuft of nodding ostrich-plumes, and the leaden coffin was
covered by a rich purple pall, on which was embroidered in gold the
Canterville coat-of-arms. By the side of the hearse and the
coaches walked the servants with lighted torches, and the whole
procession was wonderfully impressive. Lord Canterville was the
chief mourner, having come up specially from Wales to attend the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Dark Lady of the Sonnets by George Bernard Shaw: we call genius, but because its omission is the one glaring defect in
Mr Harris's otherwise extraordinarily penetrating book. Fortunately,
it is an omission that does not disable the book as (in my judgment)
it disabled the hero of the play, because Mr Harris left himself out
of his play, whereas he pervades his book, mordant, deep-voiced, and
with an unconquerable style which is the man.
The Idol of the Bardolaters
There is even an advantage in having a book on Shakespear with the
Shakespearian irony left out of account. I do not say that the
missing chapter should not be added in the next edition: the hiatus
is too great: it leaves the reader too uneasy before this touching
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