| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas: majesty's service. Besides," added he, smiling, "it is a
habit contracted long since, in the service of the queen
your aunt, and of the king your father. How is it possible
for me to lose it at the moment your majesty's service calls
for it?"
"What a man!" murmured the king.
Then after a moment's reflection, -- "But no, count, I
cannot expose you to such privations. I have no means of
rewarding such services."
"Bah!" said Athos, laughing. "Your majesty is joking, have
you not a million? Ah! why am I not possessed of half such a
Ten Years Later |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: with a young Edinburgh friend, one Frank Scott; and I am here going
to draw somewhat largely on this boyish correspondence. It gives
us at once a picture of the Revolution and a portrait of Jenkin at
fifteen; not so different (his friends will think) from the Jenkin
of the end - boyish, simple, opinionated, delighting in action,
delighting before all things in any generous sentiment.
'February 23, 1848.
'When at 7 o'clock to-day I went out, I met a large band going
round the streets, calling on the inhabitants to illuminate their
houses, and bearing torches. This was all very good fun, and
everybody was delighted; but as they stopped rather long and were
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes: when, looking all around to see if he could discover any castle or
shepherd's shanty where he might refresh himself and relieve his
sore wants, he perceived not far out of his road an inn, which was
as welcome as a star guiding him to the portals, if not the palaces,
of his redemption; and quickening his pace he reached it just as night
was setting in. At the door were standing two young women, girls of
the district as they call them, on their way to Seville with some
carriers who had chanced to halt that night at the inn; and as, happen
what might to our adventurer, everything he saw or imaged seemed to
him to be and to happen after the fashion of what he read of, the
moment he saw the inn he pictured it to himself as a castle with its
Don Quixote |
