| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: French and he used the term homme de mer.
Again Mills interfered quietly. "In the same sense in which you
are a military man." (Homme de guerre.)
It was then that I heard Captain Blunt produce one of his striking
declarations. He had two of them, and this was the first.
"I live by my sword."
It was said in an extraordinary dandified manner which in
conjunction with the matter made me forget my tongue in my head. I
could only stare at him. He added more naturally: "2nd Reg.
Castille, Cavalry." Then with marked stress in Spanish, "En las
filas legitimas."
The Arrow of Gold |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Facino Cane by Honore de Balzac: this man and wife. For five years after I left the quarter, Mere
Vaillant used to come on my birthday with a bunch of flowers and some
oranges for me--she that had never a sixpence to put by! Want had
drawn us together. I never could give her more than a ten-franc piece,
and often I had to borrow the money for the occasion. This will
perhaps explain my promise to go to the wedding; I hoped to efface
myself in these poor people's merry-making.
The banquet and the ball were given on a first floor above a wineshop
in the Rue de Charenton. It was a large room, lighted by oil lamps
with tin reflectors. A row of wooden benches ran round the walls,
which were black with grime to the height of the tables. Here some
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells: "Montgomery," said I, "what was that thing that came after me?
Was it a beast or was it a man?"
"If you don't sleep to-night," he said, "you'll be off your
head to-morrow."
I stood up in front of him. "What was that thing that came after me?"
I asked.
He looked me squarely in the eyes, and twisted his mouth askew.
His eyes, which had seemed animated a minute before, went dull.
"From your account," said he, "I'm thinking it was a bogle."
I felt a gust of intense irritation, which passed as quickly as it came.
I flung myself into the chair again, and pressed my hands on my forehead.
The Island of Doctor Moreau |
