| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Book of Remarkable Criminals by H. B. Irving: instruments that adorned his drawing-room. Tea and music formed
the staple of the evening entertainments which Mr. and Mrs.
Thompson would give occasionally to friendly neighbours. Not
that the pleasures of conversation were neglected wholly in
favour of art. The host was a voluble and animated talker, his
face and body illustrating by appropriate twists and turns the
force of his comments. The Russo-Turkish war, then raging, was a
favourite theme of Mr. Thompson's. He asked, as we are still
asking, what Christianity and civilisation mean by countenancing
the horrors of war. He considered the British Government in the
highest degree guilty in supporting the cruel Turks, a people
A Book of Remarkable Criminals |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Muse of the Department by Honore de Balzac: have him for an hour; I have him for life!"
Thinking himself justified by his private tribunal in punishing his
wife, Monsieur de la Baudraye robbed her to achieve his cherished
enterprise of reclaiming three thousand acres of moorland, to which he
had devoted himself ever since 1836, living like a mouse. He
manipulated the property left by Monsieur Silas Piedefer so
ingeniously, that he contrived to reduce the proved value to eight
hundred thousand francs, while pocketing twelve hundred thousand. He
did not announce his return; but while his wife was enduring
unspeakable woes, he was building farms, digging trenches, and
ploughing rough ground with a courage that ranked him among the most
The Muse of the Department |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Nana, Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille by Emile Zola: while the others sat pursing up their lips discreetly, thinking
deeply philosophic thoughts.
"While waiting for you to return we'll play a game of bezique," said
Mme Maloir after a short silence. "Does Madame play bezique?"
Certainly Mme Lerat played it, and that to perfection. It was no
good troubling Zoe, who had vanished--a corner of the table would do
quite well. And they pushepression of acute curiosity.
Nana was taken by surprise and hesitated a moment.
"A gentleman," she replied.
"There now!" rejoined the aunt. "They declared that you had him by
a stonemason who was in the habit of beating you. Indeed, you shall
|
