| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: that Emilie, judging the man worthy of her, intended to delay
revealing her merits, so as to dazzle him suddenly when she found that
she pleased him. Every member of the family was curious to know what
this capricious creature thought of the stranger; but when, during
dinner, every one chose to endow Monsieur Longueville with some fresh
quality which no one else had discovered, Mademoiselle de Fontaine sat
for some time in silence. A sarcastic remark of her uncle's suddenly
roused her from her apathy; she said, somewhat epigrammatically, that
such heavenly perfection must cover some great defect, and that she
would take good care how she judged so gifted a man at first sight.
"Those who please everybody, please nobody," she added; "and the worst
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: "What's the joke?" Douglas asked.
"It's only a little surprise that the deacon and I are planning."
She tried to control the catch in her voice. "You'll know about
it soon, won't he, deacon? Good afternoon, Mr. Strong!" She flew
into the house, laughing hysterically.
Douglas followed her to the steps with a puzzled frown. It was
unlike Polly to give way to her moods before others. "Have you
gentlemen changed your minds about the little girl staying on?"
he asked, uneasily.
"It's all right now," said Strong, seating himself with a
complacent air.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: parle et reparle pour ne rien dire. Cela durait depuis huit
heures; il etait midi. Je demandai la parole pour une motion
d'ordre, et je proposai que la seance fut levee a la condition que
chaque membre francais, EMPORTAT a dejeuner un jure etranger.
Jenkin applaudit. 'Je vous emimene dejeuner,' lui criai-je. 'Je
veux bien.' . . . Nous partimes; en chemin nous vous rencontrions;
il vous presente et nous allons dejeuner tous trois aupres du
Trocadero.
Et, depuis ce temps, nous avons ete de vieux amis. Non seulement
nous passions nos journees au jury, ou nous etions toujours
ensemble, cote-a-cote. Mais nos habitudes s'etaient faites telles
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