| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Elizabeth and her German Garden by Marie Annette Beauchamp: so unbroken was the monotony of that majestic roll.
The young men used to come out again bathed in perspiration,
much stung by mosquitoes, and looking bewildered; and when they had
got over the impression made by my grandfather's speech and presence,
no doubt forgot all he had said with wholesome quickness,
and set themselves to the interesting and necessary work of gaining
their own experience. Once, indeed, a dreadful thing happened,
whose immediate consequence was the abrupt end to the long
and close friendship between us and our nearest neighbour.
His son was brought to the arbour and left there in the usual way,
and either he <84> must have happened on the critical
Elizabeth and her German Garden |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: " 'He is right!' he said. 'That puts the whole thing in a different
light. Eighty thousand francs down, and you leave the diamonds with
me,' he added, in the husky, flute-like voice. 'In the way of
property, possession is as good as a title.'
" 'But----' objected the young man.
" 'You can take it or leave it,' continued Gobseck, returning the
jewel-case to the lady as he spoke.
" 'I have too many risks to run.'
" 'It would be better to throw yourself at your husband's feet,' I
bent to whisper in her ear.
"The usurer doubtless knew what I was saying from the movement of my
Gobseck |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Footnote to History by Robert Louis Stevenson: of making war on the isolated homes of the women and children of
the enemy. Being the only other representative of a naval power
now present in this harbour, for the sake of humanity I hereby
respectfully and solemnly protest in the name of the United States
of America and of the civilised world in general against the use of
a national war-vessel for such services as were yesterday rendered
by the German corvette ADLER." Fritze's reply, to the effect that
he is under the orders of the consul and has no right of choice,
reads even humble; perhaps he was not himself vain of the exploit,
perhaps not prepared to see it thus described in words. From that
moment Leary was in the front of the row. His name is diagnostic,
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