| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: modestly, he had taken the coupe of the diligence all to himself,
rather pleased at not having to damage a delightful travelling-
carriage ordered for a journey on which he was to meet his Annette,
the great lady who, etc.,--whom he intended to rejoin at Baden in the
following June. Charles expected to meet scores of people at his
uncle's house, to hunt in his uncle's forests,--to live, in short, the
usual chateau life; he did not know that his uncle was in Saumur, and
had only inquired about him incidentally when asking the way to
Froidfond. Hearing that he was in town, he supposed that he should
find him in a suitable mansion.
In order that he might make a becoming first appearance before his
Eugenie Grandet |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy: "Go on your way, please."
"What, Beauty, and drag you after me? Do but
look; I never saw such a tangle!"
"O, 'tis shameful of you; you have been making
it worse on purpose to keep me here -- you have!"
"Indeed, I don't think so." said the sergeant, with a
merry twinkle.
"I tell you you have!" she exclaimed, in high
temper. I insist upon undoing it. Now, allow me!"
"Certainly, miss; I am not of steel." He added a
sigh which had as much archness in it as a sigh could
Far From the Madding Crowd |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: ignorance, that her husband constantly imported instruments of
physical science, valuable materials, books, machinery, etc., from
Paris, and was on the highroad to ruin in search of the Philosopher's
Stone. She ought, so her kind friends added, to think of her children,
and her own future; it was criminal not to use her influence to draw
Monsieur Claes from the fatal path on which he had entered.
Though Madame Claes, with the tone and manner of a great lady,
silenced these absurd speeches, she was inwardly terrified in spite of
her apparent confidence, and she resolved to break through her present
system of silence and resignation. She brought about one of those
little scenes in which husband and wife are on an equal footing; less
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