| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Juana by Honore de Balzac: followed her pronunciation of the words from the text. They all three
stopped and looked at Diard, who stood in the doorway with his hands
in his pockets; overcome, perhaps, by finding himself in this calm
scene, so softly lighted, so beautiful with the faces of his wife and
children. It was a living picture of the Virgin between her son and
John.
"Juana, I have something to say to you."
"What has happened?" she asked, instantly perceiving from the livid
paleness of her husband that the misfortune she had daily expected was
upon them.
"Oh, nothing; but I want to speak to you--to you, alone."
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett: belongs to simplicity is charming enough to make up for whatever a
simple life may lack, and the gifts of peace are not for those who
live in the thick of battle.
I was to take the small unpunctual steamer that went down the
bay in the afternoon, and I sat for a while by my window looking
out on the green herb garden, with regret for company. Mrs. Todd
had hardly spoken all day except in the briefest and most
disapproving way; it was as if we were on the edge of a quarrel.
It seemed impossible to take my departure with anything like
composure. At last I heard a footstep, and looked up to find that
Mrs. Todd was standing at the door.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: I was in and plumbing the depths. I suppose I didn't
really go very far down, but it seemed to me that I
should never stop. When at last I dared curve my
hands upward and divert my progress toward the sur-
face, I thought that I should explode for air before
I ever saw the sun again except through a swirl of
water. But at last my bead popped above the waves,
and I filled my lungs with air.
Before me was the boat, from which Juag and Dian
were clambering. I couldn't understand why they were
deserting it now, when we were about to set out for
Pellucidar |
