| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: "In their position!" said Emilie, with an ironical toss of her head.
"My dear, do not so depreciate those who love you. Only the poor are
generous as a rule; the rich have always excellent reasons for not
handing over twenty thousand francs to a relation. Come, my child, do
not pout, let us talk rationally.--Among the young marrying men have
you noticed Monsieur de Manerville?"
"Oh, he minces his words--he says Zules instead of Jules; he is always
looking at his feet, because he thinks them small, and he gazes at
himself in the glass! Besides, he is fair. I don't like fair men."
"Well, then, Monsieur de Beaudenord?"
"He is not noble! he is ill made and stout. He is dark, it is true.--
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: When he was alone he opened the door of the corridor and
then that of the ante-chamber. There D'Artagnan was asleep
upon a bench.
The cardinal went up to him and touched his shoulder.
D'Artagnan started, awakened himself, and as he awoke, stood
up exactly like a soldier under arms.
"Here I am," said he. "Who calls me?"
"I," said Mazarin, with his most smiling expression.
"I ask pardon of your eminence," said D'Artagnan, "but I was
so fatigued ---- "
"Don't ask my pardon, monsieur," said Mazarin, "for you
Twenty Years After |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Purse by Honore de Balzac: behind the old gentleman's armchair and leaned her elbows on the
back, unconsciously imitating the attitude given to Dido's sister
by Guerin in his famous picture.
Though the gentleman's familiarity was that of a father, his
freedom seemed at the moment to annoy the young girl.
"What, are you sulky with me?" he said.
Then he shot at Schinner one of those side-looks full of
shrewdness and cunning, diplomatic looks, whose expression
betrays the discreet uneasiness, the polite curiosity of well-
bred people, and seems to ask, when they see a stranger, "Is he
one of us?"
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