| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Intentions by Oscar Wilde: and filled with such fervent moments of ecstasy or of joy, it all
seems to be a dream and an illusion. What are the unreal things,
but the passions that once burned one like fire? What are the
incredible things, but the things that one has faithfully believed?
What are the improbable things? The things that one has done
oneself. No, Ernest; life cheats us with shadows, like a puppet-
master. We ask it for pleasure. It gives it to us, with
bitterness and disappointment in its train. We come across some
noble grief that we think will lend the purple dignity of tragedy
to our days, but it passes away from us, and things less noble take
its place, and on some grey windy dawn, or odorous eve of silence
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Glasses by Henry James: refreshing, has given her something to hold on by, begotten in her
foolish little mind a belief that, as she says, she's on the mend
and that in the course of time, if she leads a tremendously healthy
life, she'll be able to take off her muzzle and become as dangerous
again as ever. It keeps her going."
"And what keeps you? You're good until the parties begin again."
"Oh she doesn't object to me now!" smiled Mrs. Meldrum. "I'm going
to take her abroad; we shall be a pretty pair." I was struck with
this energy and after a moment I enquired the reason of it. "It's
to divert her mind," my friend replied, reddening again a little, I
thought. "We shall go next week: I've only waited to see how your
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Land of Footprints by Stewart Edward White: get out and rustle on our behalf, they merely laughed
good-naturedly. We seriously contemplated turning the whole lot
out of camp.
Finally we gave it up, and sat down to our dinner. It was now
quite dark. The askaris had built a little campfire out in front.
Then, far in the distance of the jungle's depths, we heard a
faint measured chanting as of many people coming nearer. From
another direction this was repeated. The two processions
approached each other; their paths converged; the double chanting
became a chorus that grew moment by moment. We heard beneath the
wild weird minors the rhythmic stamping of feet, and the tapping
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