| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: cage two elderly matrons laden with youngsters. Each has her home
as far removed from the other's as the size of the common pan
permits. The distance is nine inches or more. It is not enough.
Proximity soon kindles fierce jealousies between those intolerant
creatures, who are obliged to live far apart, so as to secure
adequate hunting-grounds.
One morning, I catch the two harridans fighting out their quarrel
on the floor. The loser is laid flat upon her back; the victress,
belly to belly with her adversary, clutches her with her legs and
prevents her from moving a limb. Both have their poison-fangs wide
open, ready to bite without yet daring, so mutually formidable are
The Life of the Spider |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: Haoles in his time. "Yes," he added, "I am come to buy the bottle.
What is the price by now?"
At that word the young man let his glass slip through his fingers,
and looked upon Keawe like a ghost.
"The price," says he; "the price! You do not know the price?"
"It is for that I am asking you," returned Keawe. "But why are you
so much concerned? Is there anything wrong about the price?"
"It has dropped a great deal in value since your time, Mr. Keawe,"
said the young man stammering.
"Well, well, I shall have the less to pay for it," says Keawe.
"How much did it cost you?"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Prince Otto by Robert Louis Stevenson: tremble for the consequence. But it is in this field that men must
recognise their inability. All the great negotiators, when they
have not been women, have had women at their elbows. Madame de
Pompadour was ill served; she had not found her Gondremark; but what
a mighty politician! Catherine de' Medici, too, what justice of
sight, what readiness of means, what elasticity against defeat! But
alas! madam, her Featherheads were her own children; and she had
that one touch of vulgarity, that one trait of the good-wife, that
she suffered family ties and affections to confine her liberty.'
These singular views of history, strictly AD USUM SERAPHINAE, did
not weave their usual soothing spell over the Princess. It was
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