| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: this little speech that I gave her, as you may well suppose, a lecture
upon it. This distinction of man and monsieur is dreadful; but, after
all, the child told the truth. She only said, with her blunt
simplicity, what our democratic customs still allow us to put in
practice, though they forbid us to put it into words. The Revolution
of '89 has at least introduced that virtuous hypocrisy into our social
system.
But I refrain from politics.
VIII
THE COMTESSE DE L'ESTORADE TO MADAME OCTAVE DE CAMPS
April, 1839.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Complete Poems of Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: I think of you in silence. You conceal
Your manifold perfections from all eyes,
And make yourself more saint-like day by day.
And day by day men worship you the wore.
But now your hour of martyrdom has come.
You know why I am here.
VITTORIA.
Ah yes, I know it,
And meet my fate with fortitude. You find me
Surrounded by the labors of your hands:
The Woman of Samaria at the Well,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: days, maybe, but Friday ain't."
"Any fool knows that. I don't reckon YOU was the
first that found it out, Huck."
"Well, I never said I was, did I? And Friday ain't
all, neither. I had a rotten bad dream last night --
dreampt about rats."
"No! Sure sign of trouble. Did they fight?"
"No."
"Well, that's good, Huck. When they don't fight
it's only a sign that there's trouble around, you know.
All we got to do is to look mighty sharp and keep out of
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
