| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: his path; and if, by chance, a huge blockhead of a beetle came
winging his blundering flight against him, the poor varlet was
ready to give up the ghost, with the idea that he was struck with
a witch's token. His only resource on such occasions, either to
drown thought or drive away evil spirits, was to sing psalm tunes
and the good people of Sleepy Hollow, as they sat by their doors
of an evening, were often filled with awe at hearing his nasal
melody, "in linked sweetness long drawn out," floating from the
distant hill, or along the dusky road.
Another of his sources of fearful pleasure was to pass long
winter evenings with the old Dutch wives, as they sat spinning by
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy: A neighbour passed on her way home from morning service at the nearest church,
and seeing Donn engaged at the window with the razor, nodded and came in.
She at once spoke playfully to Arabella: "I zeed 'ee running
with 'un--hee-hee! I hope 'tis coming to something?"
Arabella merely threw a look of consciousness into her face
without raising her eyes.
"He's for Christminster, I hear, as soon as he can get there."
"Have you heard that lately--quite lately?" asked Arabella with a jealous,
tigerish indrawing of breath.
"Oh no! But it has been known a long time that it is his plan.
He's on'y waiting here for an opening. Ah well: he must
Jude the Obscure |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: the whip-hand.
"All right," I said wearily.
"I should think so, my son. And cheap at the price, too."
On the whole I think it was.
CHAPTER XIII
A LUCID INTERVAL
"Ausgang verboten!" said the guard.
"Yes," said Berry. "You look it."
"Hush!" said Daphne.
"Hush yourself," replied her husband. "The man is ill. I would
minister to him."
The Brother of Daphne |
