| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy: But he made no reply, and without further pause the pedestrian
plunged towards the umbrageous nook, and paced cautiously over the
dead leaves which nearly buried the road or street of the hamlet.
As very few people except themselves passed this way after dark, a
majority of the denizens of Little Hintock deemed window-curtains
unnecessary; and on this account Mr. Percombe made it his business
to stop opposite the casements of each cottage that he came to,
with a demeanor which showed that he was endeavoring to
conjecture, from the persons and things he observed within, the
whereabouts of somebody or other who resided here.
Only the smaller dwellings interested him; one or two houses,
The Woodlanders |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: cannot, indeed, refuse to allow the justice of your reasoning;
but yet, being convinced against my will, you will gain little by
your motion. You might as well read to an infatuated lover the
catalogue of his mistress's imperfections; for when he has been
compelled to listen to the summary, you will only get for answer
that 'he lo'es her a' the better.'"
I was not sorry to have changed the gloomy train of Aunt
Margaret's thoughts, and replied in the same tone, "Well, I can't
help being persuaded that our good King is the more sure of Mrs.
Bothwell's loyal affection, that he has the Stewart right of
birth as well as the Act of Succession in his favour."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas: have good advice," replied Mazarin, greatly delighted.
Colbert resumed his pedantic look. "My lord," interrupted
he, "I think it would be quite as well to examine whether
what the Theatin said is not a snare."
"Oh! no; a snare? What for? The Theatin is an honest man."
"He believed your eminence to be at death's door, because
your eminence consulted him. Did not I hear him say --
`Distinguish that which the king has given you from that
which you have given yourself.' Recollect, my lord, if he
did not say something a little like that to you? -- that is
quite a theatrical speech."
Ten Years Later |
