| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: A lady, Madame Keller, one of the two daughters of the Comte de
Gondreville, here opened a door which Birotteau had not observed.
"I hope to see you before you go the Chamber," she said.
"It is two o'clock," exclaimed the banker; "the battle has begun.
Excuse me, monsieur, it is a question of upsetting the ministry. See
my brother--"
He conducted the perfumer to the door of the salon, and said to one of
the servants, "Show monsieur the way to Monsieur Adolphe."
As Cesar traversed a labyrinth of staircases, under the guidance of a
man in livery, towards an office far less sumptuous but more useful
than that of the head of the house, feeling himself astride the gentle
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic: to help her, as he had done so often in those dear
old days when they laughingly began life together.
Something decided this project in the negative for him,
and after lingering moments he put on his hat and went out
for a walk.
Not even the most doleful and trying hour of his bitter
experience in Tyre had depressed him like this.
Looking back upon these past troubles, he persuaded himself
that he had borne them all with a light and cheerful heart,
simply because Alice had been one with him in every
thought and emotion. How perfect, how ideally complete,
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: laugh. "And how will Bonaparte carry on the Italian campaign? As for
General Brune, he is not coming. The First Consul has sent him against
the English in Holland, and General Hedouville, /the friend of our
friend Barras/, takes his place here. Do you understand?"
As Monsieur de Fontaine heard these words he gave Montauran a look of
keen intelligence which seemed to say that the marquis had not himself
understood the real meaning of the words addressed to him. The two
leaders then comprehended each other perfectly, and the Gars replied
with an undefinable smile to the thoughts expressed in both their
eyes: "Monsieur de Fontaine, do you know my arms? our motto is
'Persevere unto death.'"
The Chouans |
