| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Marie by H. Rider Haggard: part I am not sorry, for doubtless we shall meet again, in this world or
the next, and find out all the truth. Here, read this, and give it back
to me afterwards"; and he threw me a paper and rode on.
I opened the folded sheet and read as follows:
"To the Commandant Retief, Governor of the Emigrant Boers,
"Mynheer Commandant,
"I will not stay here, where such foul accusations are laid on me by
black Kaffirs and the Englishman, Allan Quatermain, who, like all his
race, is an enemy of us Boers, and, although you do not know it, a
traitor who is plotting great harm against you with the Zulus.
Therefore I leave you, but am ready to meet every charge at the right
 Marie |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Jolly Corner by Henry James: a previous ounce of such experience, to participate with a certain
intelligence, almost with a certain authority. He had lived his
life with his back so turned to such concerns and his face
addressed to those of so different an order that he scarce knew
what to make of this lively stir, in a compartment of his mind
never yet penetrated, of a capacity for business and a sense for
construction. These virtues, so common all round him now, had been
dormant in his own organism - where it might be said of them
perhaps that they had slept the sleep of the just. At present, in
the splendid autumn weather - the autumn at least was a pure boon
in the terrible place - he loafed about his "work" undeterred,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Pierrette by Honore de Balzac: Oh! Pierrette, don't talk of dying! Pierrette, don't think such
things! All my heart shook, I felt as though I were dead myself at
the mere idea. No, my Pierrette, you must not die; you will live
happy, and soon you shall be delivered from your persecutors. If I
do not succeed in what I am undertaking for your rescue, I shall
appeal to the law, and I shall speak out before heaven and earth
and tell how your wicked relations are treating you. I am certain
that you have not many more days to suffer; have patience, my
Pierrette! Jacques is watching over you as in the old days when we
slid on the pond and I pulled you out of the hole in which we were
nearly drowned together.
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