| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: office, Ivan Antonovitch whispered in Chichikov's ear, with a
courteous inclination of his jug-shaped physiognomy:
"You have given a hundred thousand roubles for the serfs, but have
paid ME only a trifle for my trouble."
"Yes," replied Chichikov with a similar whisper, "but what sort of
serfs do you suppose them to be? They are a poor, useless lot, and not
worth even half the purchase money."
This gave Ivan Antonovitch to understand that the visitor was a man of
strong character--a man from whom nothing more was to be expected.
"Why have you gone and purchased souls from Plushkin?" whispered
Sobakevitch in Chichikov's other ear.
Dead Souls |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Talisman by Walter Scott: brow coloured highly, and it was the opinion of many present that
he hesitated whether he should accept the challenge. At length
he said, "Fighting for the Holy City against those whom we regard
as idolaters and worshippers of stocks and stones and graven
images, I might confide that Allah would strengthen my arm; or if
I fell beneath the sword of the Melech Ric, I could not pass to
Paradise by a more glorious death. But Allah has already given
Jerusalem to the true believers, and it were a tempting the God
of the Prophet to peril, upon my own personal strength and skill,
that which I hold securely by the superiority of my forces."
"If not for Jerusalem, then," said Richard, in the tone of one
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: "You certainly had time on the way!" said Acton, laughing.
Madame Munster looked at him again; and then, smiling:
"And I have certainly had time, since I got here, to ask myself
why I came. However, I never ask myself idle questions.
Here I am, and it seems to me you ought only to thank me."
"When you go away you will see the difficulties I shall put in your path."
"You mean to put difficulties in my path?" she asked,
rearranging the rosebud in her corsage.
"The greatest of all--that of having been so agreeable"--
"That I shall be unable to depart? Don't be too sure.
I have left some very agreeable people over there."
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