| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Madame Firmiani by Honore de Balzac: Have you ever, for your happiness, met a woman whose harmonious voice
gives to her speech the same charm that emanates from her manners? a
woman who knows how to speak and to be silent, whose words are happily
chosen, whose language is pure, and who concerns herself in your
interests with delicacy? Her raillery is caressing, her criticism
never wounds; she neither discourses nor argues, but she likes to lead
a discussion and stop it at the right moment. Her manner is affable
and smiling, her politeness never forced, her readiness to serve
others never servile; she reduces the respect she claims to a soft
shadow; she never wearies you, and you leave her satisfied with her
and with yourself. Her charming grace is conveyed to all the things
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Study of a Woman by Honore de Balzac: burgundus." We tremble when we see the structure we had so carefully
erected between the logs rolling down like an avalanche. Oh! to build
and stir and play with fire when we love is the material development
of our thoughts.
It was at this moment that I entered the room. Rastignac gave a jump
and said:--
"Ah! there you are, dear Horace; how long have you been here?"
"Just come."
"Ah!"
He took up the two letters, directed them, and rang for his servant.
"Take these," he said, "and deliver them."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber: reasoning with herself quite calmly, and proud of her
calmness. Which proves how terrified she really was. Then
the snow came, not slowly, not gradually, but a blanket of
it, as it does come in the mountains, shutting off
everything. And suddenly Fanny's terror vanished. She felt
quite free from weariness. She was alive and tingling to
her fingertips. The psychology of fear is a fascinating
thing. Fanny had reached the second stage. She was
quite taken out of herself. She forgot her stone-
bruised feet. She was no longer conscious of cold. She ran
now, fleetly, lightly, the ground seeming to spur her on.
Fanny Herself |
