| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: nevertheless vigorously framed--visited the family of his former
master and the house of his cashier less from affection than from
self-interest. Here they played whist at two sous a point; a dress-
coat was not required; he accepted no refreshment except "eau sucree,"
and consequently had no civilities to return. This apparent devotion
to the Mignon family allowed it to be supposed that Gobenheim had a
heart; it also released him from the necessity of going into the
society of Havre and incurring useless expenses, thus upsetting the
orderly economy of his domestic life. This disciple of the golden calf
went to bed at half-past ten o'clock and got up at five in the
morning. Moreover, being perfectly sure of Latournelle's and Butscha's
Modeste Mignon |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: Mr. Coffin laugh, and only made him bow, and to make Mr. Fortescue
laugh, and only made him frown; and unabashed nevertheless, began
playing his light artillery upon the waiters, till he drove them
out of the room bursting with laughter.
So far so good. And when the cloth was drawn, and sack and sugar
became the order of the day, and "Queen and Bible" had been duly
drunk with all the honors, Frank tried a fresh move, and--
"I have a toast, gentlemen--here it is. 'The gentlemen of the
Irish wars; and may Ireland never be without a St. Leger to stand
by a Fortescue, a Fortescue to stand by a St. Leger, and a
Chichester to stand by both.'"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Twelve Stories and a Dream by H. G. Wells: any sense I should have told him straight away of the treasure
and taken him into Co. I've no doubt he'd have come into Co. A child,
with a few hours to think it over, could have seen the connection
between my diving-dress and the loss of the Ocean Pioneer. A week
after he left I went out one morning and saw the Motherhood, the
salver's ship from Starr Race, towing up the channel and sounding.
The whole blessed game was up, and all my trouble thrown away. Gummy!
How wild I felt! And guying it in that stinking silly dress! Four
months!"
The sunburnt man's story degenerated again. "Think of it," he said,
when he emerged to linguistic purity once more. "Forty thousand
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