| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: "We are eager to hear from you," Miss Van Vluyck continued, "if
the pessimistic tendency of the book is an expression of your own
convictions or--"
"Or merely," Miss Glyde hastily thrust in, "a sombre background
brushed in to throw your figures into more vivid relief. ARE you
not primarily plastic?"
"I have always maintained," Mrs. Ballinger interposed, "that you
represent the purely objective method--"
Osric Dane helped herself critically to coffee. "How do you
define objective?" she then inquired.
There was a flurried pause before Laura Glyde intensely murmured:
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: "10th December, 18--.
"Dear Lanyon,--You are one of my oldest friends; and
although we may have differed at times on scientific questions, I
cannot remember, at least on my side, any break in our affection.
There was never a day when, if you had said to me, `Jekyll, my
life, my honour, my reason, depend upon you,' I would not have
sacrificed my left hand to help you. Lanyon my life, my honour,
my reason, are all at your mercy; if you fail me to-night, I am
lost. You might suppose, after this preface, that I am going to
ask you for something dishonourable to grant. Judge for yourself.
"I want you to postpone all other engagements for to-night--
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: third suggested. At this they seemed to wait. I felt something
curious in all this last talk.
"Oh, did he get away?" said the prisoner, then.
Again they waited; and a new voice spoke huskily:- "I built that
fire, boys." It was the prisoner in the gray flannel shirt.
"Too late, Ed," they told him kindly. "You ain't a good liar."
"What makes you laugh, Steve?" said some one.
"Oh, the things I notice."
"Meaning Ed was pretty slow in backing up your play? The joke is
really on you, Steve. You'd ought never to have cursed the
fire-builder if you wanted us to believe he was present. But we'd
The Virginian |
