| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde: for some place through which he might gain an entrance, and at last
he caught sight of a little private door that was lying open. He
slipped through, and found himself in a splendid hall, far more
splendid, he feared, than the forest, there was so much more
gilding everywhere, and even the floor was made of great coloured
stones, fitted together into a sort of geometrical pattern. But
the little Infanta was not there, only some wonderful white statues
that looked down on him from their jasper pedestals, with sad blank
eyes and strangely smiling lips.
At the end of the hall hung a richly embroidered curtain of black
velvet, powdered with suns and stars, the King's favourite devices,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Dark Lady of the Sonnets by George Bernard Shaw: while. Methought you were my Mary: my mistress.
THE LADY. _[outraged]_ Profane fellow: how do you dare?
THE MAN. Be not wroth with me, lady. My mistress is a marvellous
proper woman. But she does not speak so well as you. "All the
perfumes of Arabia"! That was well said: spoken with good accent and
excellent discretion.
THE LADY. Have I been in speech with you here?
THE MAN. Why, yes, fair lady. Have you forgot it?
THE LADY. I have walked in my sleep.
THE MAN. Walk ever in your sleep, fair one; for then your words drop
like honey.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: his peevish grunt while he looked for the sword; and how the
badger-eyed figures of Glory and Victory leered at me from the
Flemish hangings. Body o' me, 'twas a fine, noble tale, and, as I
thought, my last work on earth.
'"That is how I was honoured by the King," I said. "They'll
hang ye for killing me, Benedetto. And, since you've killed in the
King's Palace, they'll draw and quarter you; but you're too mad
to care. Grant me, though, ye never heard a better tale."
'He said nothing, but I felt him shake. My head on his chest
shook; his right arm fell away, his left dropped the knife, and he
leaned with both hands on my shoulder - shaking - shaking! I
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