| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: to be thought of. His uncle and the houseboat here occurred in
very luminous colours to his mind. A musical composer (say, of
the name of Jimson) might very well suffer, like Hogarth's
musician before him, from the disturbances of London. He might
very well be pressed for time to finish an opera--say the comic
opera Orange Pekoe--Orange Pekoe, music by Jimson--'this young
maestro, one of the most promising of our recent English
school'--vigorous entrance of the drums, etc.--the whole
character of Jimson and his music arose in bulk before the mind
of Gideon. What more likely than Jimson's arrival with a grand
piano (say, at Padwick), and his residence in a houseboat alone
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Ebb-Tide by Stevenson & Osbourne: champagne. Captain, mate, and one hand all died of the
smallpox, same as they had round in the Paumotus, I guess.
Captain and mate were the only white men; all the hands
Kanakas; seems a queer kind of outfit from a Christian port.
Three of them left and a cook; didn't know where they were; I
can't think where they were either, if you come to that; Wiseman
must have been on the booze, I guess, to sail the course he did.
However, there HE was, dead; and here are the Kanakas as good
as lost. They bummed around at sea like the babes in the wood;
and tumbled end-on upon Tahiti. The consul here took charge. He
offered the berth to Williams; Williams had never had the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: that the water was entering the reservoirs. The Nautilus
sank slowly, and rested on the ice at a depth of 350 yards,
the depth at which the lower bank was immersed.
"My friends," I said, "our situation is serious, but I rely
on your courage and energy."
"Sir," replied the Canadian, "I am ready to do anything
for the general safety."
"Good! Ned," and I held out my hand to the Canadian.
"I will add," he continued, "that, being as handy with the pickaxe
as with the harpoon, if I can be useful to the Captain, he can
command my services."
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
