| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: but in perfect privacy, or theoretically. She must preserve herself in
her position as a lady. This is her task.
"For in our day a woman repudiated by her husband, reduced to a meagre
allowance, with no carriage, no luxury, no opera-box, none of the
divine accessories of the toilet, is no longer a wife, a maid, or a
townswoman; she is adrift, and becomes a chattel. The Carmelites will
not receive a married woman; it would be bigamy. Would her lover still
have anything to say to her? That is the question. Thus your perfect
lady may perhaps give occasion to calumny, never to slander."
"It is all so horribly true," said the Princesse de Cadignan.
"And so," said Blondet, "our 'perfect lady' lives between English
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin: "That mutton looks very nice," said the old gentleman at
length. "Can't you give me a little bit?"
"Impossible, sir," said Gluck.
"I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman. "I've had
nothing to eat yesterday nor to-day. They surely couldn't miss a
bit from the knuckle!"
He spoke in so very melancholy a tone that it quite melted
Gluck's heart. "They promised me one slice to-day, sir," said
he; "I can give you that, but not a bit more."
"That's a good boy," said the old gentleman again.
Then Gluck warmed a plate and sharpened a knife. "I don't
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Octopus by Frank Norris: and be brave, Annie. There is always hope. This is a terrible
day's work. God forgive us all."
She pressed forward, but he held her back.
"No, don't see him now. Go into the next room. Garnett, take
care of her."
But she would not be denied. She pushed by Magnus, and, breaking
through the group that surrounded her son, sank on her knees
beside him, moaning, in compassion and terror.
Harran lay straight and rigid upon the floor, his head propped by
a pillow, his coat that had been taken off spread over his chest.
One leg of his trousers was soaked through and through with
|
