| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson: the kitchens, the stables, the covered cartshed that surrounded two
sides of the court, were all crowded by idle people, partly
belonging to Sir Daniel's establishment, and attired in his livery
of murrey and blue, partly nondescript strangers attracted to the
town by greed, and received by the knight through policy, and
because it was the fashion of the time.
The snow, which still fell without interruption, the extreme chill
of the air, and the approach of night, combined to keep them under
shelter. Wine, ale, and money were all plentiful; many sprawled
gambling in the straw of the barn, many were still drunken from the
noontide meal. To the eye of a modern it would have looked like
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: miscalculate. Father Goriot felt that this friendship brought him
closer to his daughter Delphine; he thought that he should find a
warmer welcome for himself if the Baroness should care for
Eugene. Moreover, he had confided one of his troubles to the
younger man. Mme. de Nucingen, for whose happiness he prayed a
thousand times daily, had never known the joys of love. Eugene
was certainly (to make use of his own expression) one of the
nicest young men that he had ever seen, and some prophetic
instinct seemed to tell him that Eugene was to give her the
happiness which had not been hers. These were the beginnings of a
friendship that grew up between the old man and his neighbor; but
Father Goriot |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: as she talked, she turned and smiled at Mr. Brand, who never
took his eyes off her. The two men walked away together;
they were going to Mr. Wentworth's. Mr. Brand still said nothing;
but after they had passed into Mr. Wentworth's garden he stopped
and looked back for some time at the little white house.
Then, looking at his companion, with his head bent a little to one
side and his eyes somewhat contracted, "Now I suppose that 's
what is called conversation," he said; "real conversation."
"It 's what I call a very clever woman," said Acton, laughing.
"It is most interesting," Mr. Brand continued. "I only wish
she would speak French; it would seem more in keeping.
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