| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: diverted the current of his narrative with the dexterity the
occasion demanded.
'The story of the Levite who journeyed to Bethlehem-judah, from
which I took my text the Sunday before last, is quite to the
point,' he continued, with the pronunciation of a man who, far
from having intended to tell a week-day story a moment earlier,
had thought of nothing but Sabbath matters for several weeks.
'What did he gain after all by his restlessness? Had he remained
in the city of the Jebusites, and not been so anxious for Gibeah,
none of his troubles would have arisen.'
'But he had wasted five days already,' said Knight, closing his
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac: cautious eye the manoeuvres of the clever actress, who, being
attracted by the insidious hope of getting her furniture renewed, was
playing her cards to take the provincial home with her. No sheep upon
the day of the Fete-Dieu ever more meekly allowed his little Saint
John to lead him along than Gazonal as he followed his siren.
Three days later, Leon and Bixiou, who had not seen Gazonal since that
evening, went to his lodgings about two in the afternoon.
"Well, cousin," said Leon, "the Council of State has decided in favour
of your suit."
"Maybe, but it is useless now, cousin," said Gazonal, lifting a
melancholy eye to his two friends. "I've become a republican."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: marry him to Malvina; but du Tillet is shy of Nucingen. To a looker-
on, the game is good fun.'
" 'What!' exclaimed Werbrust, 'is she old enough to marry? How quickly
we grow old!'
" 'Malvina d'Aldrigger is quite twenty years old, my dear fellow. Old
d'Aldrigger was married in 1800. He gave some rather fine
entertainments in Strasbourg at the time of his wedding, and
afterwards when Malvina was born. That was in 1801 at the peace of
Amiens, and here are we in the year 1823, Daddy Werbrust! In those
days everything was Ossianized; he called his daughter Malvina. Six
years afterwards there was a rage for chivalry, Partant pour la Syrie
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