| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie: Three minutes later came another, a man of commanding appearance,
exquisitely dressed, and evidently well born. His face, again,
was not unknown to the watcher, though he could not for the
moment put a name to it.
After his arrival there was a long wait. In fact Tommy concluded
that the gathering was now complete, and was just cautiously
creeping out from his hiding-place, when another knock sent him
scuttling back to cover.
This last-comer came up the stairs so quietly that he was almost
abreast of Tommy before the young man had realized his presence.
He was a small man, very pale, with a gentle almost womanish air.
Secret Adversary |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: entered from without; it has brooded here all day, and now,
taking its own inevitable time, will possess itself of everything.
The Judge's face, indeed, rigid and singularly white, refuses to
melt into this universal solvent. Fainter and fainter grows the
light. It is as if another double-handful of darkness had been
scattered through the air. Now it is no longer gray, but sable.
There is still a faint appearance at the window. neither a glow,
nor a gleam, Nor a glimmer,--any phrase of light would express
something far brighter than this doubtful perception, or sense,
rather, that there is a window there. Has it yet vanished? No!
--yes!--not quite! And there is still the swarthy whiteness,--we
House of Seven Gables |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: Comtesse de Restaud was not a success."
"She has shut her door against me because I told her that her
father dined at our table," cried Rastignac.
Glances were exchanged all round the room; Father Goriot looked
down.
"You have sent some snuff into my eye," he said to his neighbor,
turning a little aside to rub his hand over his face.
"Any one who molests Father Goriot will have henceforward to
reckon with me," said Eugene, looking at the old man's neighbor;
"he is worth all the rest of us put together.--I am not speaking
of the ladies," he added, turning in the direction of Mlle.
Father Goriot |
