| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: family into her own house during his absence on the Continent.
Sir Philip readily assented to a proposition which saved expense,
silenced the foolish people who might have talked of a deserted
wife and family, and gratified Lady Bothwell, for whom he felt
some respect, as for one who often spoke to him, always with
freedom and sometimes with severity, without being deterred
either by his raillery or the PRESTIGE of his reputation.
A day or two before Sir Philip's departure, Lady Bothwell took
the liberty of asking him, in her sister's presence, the direct
question, which his timid wife had often desired, but never
ventured, to put to him:--
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: contempt, Lysander sending some ships, as usual, to look out,
commanded the masters of them that when they saw the Athenians go to
land, they should row back again with all their speed, and that when
they were about half-way across, they should lift up a brazen shield
from the foredeck, as the sign of battle. And he himself sailing
round, encouraged the pilots and masters of the ships, and exhorted
them to keep all their men to their places, seamen and soldiers
alike, and as soon as ever the sign should be given, to row up boldly
to their enemies. Accordingly when the shield had been lifted up
from the ships, and the trumpet from the admiral's vessel had sounded
for battle, the ships rowed up, and the foot soldiers strove to get
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: appeared by enchantment before me holding up my overcoat. I let
her help me into it. And then (again as if by enchantment) she had
my hat in her hand.
"No. Madame isn't happy," I whispered to her distractedly.
She let me take my hat out of her hand and while I was putting it
on my head I heard an austere whisper:
"Madame should listen to her heart."
Austere is not the word; it was almost freezing, this unexpected,
dispassionate rustle of words. I had to repress a shudder, and as
coldly as herself I murmured:
"She has done that once too often."
The Arrow of Gold |
