| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: round at his wife; he saw her so much pleased by the red braid binding
to the cotton curtains, so satisfied with the barometer and the
strictly decent statue that ornamented a large Gothic stove, that he
had not the barbarous courage to overthrow such deep convictions.
Instead of blaming his wife, Granville blamed himself, accusing
himself of having failed in his duty of guiding the first steps in
Paris of a girl brought up at Bayeux.
From this specimen, what might not be expected of the other rooms?
What was to be looked for from a woman who took fright at the bare
legs of a Caryatid, and who would not look at a chandelier or a
candle-stick if she saw on it the nude outlines of an Egyptian bust?
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Touchstone by Edith Wharton: bad enough to interfere with the girl's chances by hanging about
her to the obvious exclusion of other men, but it was worse to
seem to justify his weakness by dressing up the future in delusive
ambiguities. He saw himself sinking from depth to depth of
sentimental cowardice in his reluctance to renounce his hold on
her; and it filled him with self-disgust to think that the highest
feeling of which he supposed himself capable was blent with such
base elements.
His awakening was hardly cheered by the sight of her writing. He
tore her note open and took in the few lines--she seldom exceeded
the first page--with the lucidity of apprehension that is the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Two Poets by Honore de Balzac: wedding jewelry, I did not think that I should be sorry I spent the
money on them." He brushed his hand over his eyes as he drew the
little cases from his pocket.
He set down the tiny morocco-covered boxes on the table in front of
his mother-in-law.
"Oh! why do you think so much for me?" protested Eve, giving him a
divinely sweet smile that belied her words.
"Mamma, dear," said David, "just tell M. Postel that I will put my
name to the bill, for I can tell from your face, Lucien, that you have
quite made up your mind to go."
Lucien's head sank dejectedly; there was a little pause, then he said,
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