| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost: had better inform Lescaut of it, in order that we might take our
measures in concert. At first he murmured, but the money in hand
induced him to enter into our views. It was then determined that
we should all meet at G---- M----'s supper table, and that, for
two reasons: first, for the amusement of passing me off as a
schoolboy, and brother to Manon; and secondly, to prevent the old
profligate from taking any liberties with his mistress, on the
strength of his liberal payments in advance. Lescaut and I were
to retire, when he went to the room where he expected to pass the
night; and Manon, instead of following him, promised to come out,
and join us. Lescaut undertook to have a coach waiting at the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Sons of the Soil by Honore de Balzac: excitements:--
"Don't you see him, there, along the rocks?"
Blondet, placed by direction of the old fellow in such a way that the
sun was in his eyes, thrashed the water with much satisfaction to
himself.
"Go on, go on!" cried Pere Fourchon; "on the rock side; the burrow is
there, to your left!"
Carried away by excitement and by his long waiting, Blondet slipped
from the stones into the water.
"Ha! brave you are, my good gentleman! Twenty good Gods! I see him
between your legs! you'll have him!-- Ah! there! he's gone--he's
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: see them a', my leddy--that is," said he, correcting himself,
"ye'll no see ony of them now, for the cook has soopit them up,
as was weel her part; but ye'll see the white broth where it was
spilt. I pat my fingers in it, and it tastes as like sour milk
as ony thing else; if that isna the effect of thunner, I kenna
what is. This gentleman here couldna but hear the clash of our
haill dishes, china and silver thegither?"
The Lord Keeper's domestic, though a statesman's attendant, and
of course trained to command his countenance upon all
occasions, was somewhat discomposed by this appeal, to which he
only answered by a bow.
The Bride of Lammermoor |
