The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Duchesse de Langeais by Honore de Balzac: however, that he must be up and on his way before dawn next day,
and his guide assured him that they should reach the end of their
journey towards noon. That promise kept up his courage and gave
him new strength. In spite of his sufferings, he continued his
march, with some blasphemings against science; he was ashamed to
complain to his guide, and kept his pain to himself. After
marching for a third of the day, he felt his strength failing,
his feet were bleeding, he asked if they should reach the place
soon.
"In an hour's time," said the guide. Armand braced himself for
another hour's march, and they went on.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: the peasantry) covered his legs and thighs, and masked all appearance
of human shape. Enormous sabots hid his feet. His long and shining
hair fell straight, like the goat's hair, on either side of his face,
being parted in the centre like the hair of certain statues of the
Middle-Ages which are still to be seen in our cathedrals. In place of
the knotty stick which the conscripts carried over their shoulders,
this man held against his breast as though it were a musket, a heavy
whip, the lash of which was closely braided and seemed to be twice as
long as that of an ordinary whip. The sudden apparition of this
strange being seemed easily explained. At first sight some of the
officers took him for a recruit or conscript (the words were used
 The Chouans |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: compass.[16] I need scarce remind you (he said, continuing his
narrative) what a vast amount of wooden spars and cables[17] a ship
depends on in order to get to moorings; or again, in putting out to
sea;[18] you know the host of sails and cordage, rigging[19] as they
call it, she requires for sailing; the quantity of engines and
machinery of all sorts she is armed with in case she should encounter
any hostile craft; the infinitude of arms she carries, with her crew
of fighting men aboard. Then all the vessels and utensils, such as
people use at home on land, required for the different messes, form a
portion of the freight; and besides all this, the hold is heavy laden
with a mass of merchandise, the cargo proper, which the master carries
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