| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan by Honore de Balzac: great lady was still redolent about her. She was still surrounded by
beautiful things which recalled her former existence. On her chimney-
piece was a fine miniature portrait of Charles X., by Madame Mirbel,
beneath which were engraved the words, "Given by the King"; and, as a
pendant, the portrait of "Madame", who was always her kind friend. On
a table lay an album of costliest price, such as none of the
bourgeoises who now lord it in our industrial and fault-finding
society would have dared to exhibit. This album contained portraits,
about thirty in number, of her intimate friends, whom the world, first
and last, had given her as lovers. The number was a calumny; but had
rumor said ten, it might have been, as her friend Madame d'Espard
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: half of it." The young man has now successfully concluded the
negotiations for what he wished; for his father has acceded to
all his desires. But the empress was sorely grieved when she
heard of the journey which her son was about to take. Yet,
whoever may grieve or sorrow, and whoever may attribute his
intention to youthful folly, and ever may blame and seek to
dissuade him, the youth ordered his ships to be made ready as
soon as possible, desiring to tarry no longer in his native land.
At his command the ships were freighted that very night with
wine, meat, and biscuit.
(Vv. 235-338.) The ships were loaded in the port, and the next
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Finished by H. Rider Haggard: influence. Indeed, as I discovered before the day was over, he
had quite a little hospital at the back of the house in which
were four or five beds occupied by Kaffirs and served by two male
native nurses whom he had trained. Also numbers of out-patients
visited him, some of whom travelled from great distances, and
occasionally, but not often, he attended white people who chanced
to be in the neighbourhood.
The three of us breakfasted in a really charming room from the
window of which could be studied a view as beautiful as any I
know. The Kaffirs who waited were well trained and dressed in
neat linen uniforms. The cooking was good; there was real silver
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