| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: profound sigh, on hearing of Chichikov's conduct: "Ah, Pavlushka, how
a human being may become changed! Once you were a good lad, and gave
me no trouble; but now you are become proud indeed!"
[2] Silver five kopeck piece.
Yet let it not be inferred from this that our hero's character had
grown so blase and hard, or his conscience so blunted, as to preclude
his experiencing a particle of sympathy or compassion. As a matter of
fact, he was capable both of the one and the other, and would have
been glad to assist his old teacher had no great sum been required, or
had he not been called upon to touch the fund which he had decided
should remain intact. In other words, the father's injunction, "Guard
Dead Souls |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Life in the Iron-Mills by Rebecca Davis: nerves weak, his face ( a meek, woman's face) haggard, yellow
with consumption. In the mill he was known as one of the girl-
men: "Molly Wolfe" was his sobriquet. He was never seen in the
cockpit, did not own a terrier, drank but seldom; when he did,
desperately. He fought sometimes, but was always thrashed,
pommelled to a jelly. The man was game enough, when his blood
was up: but he was no favorite in the mill; he had the taint of
school-learning on him,--not to a dangerous extent, only a
quarter or so in the free-school in fact, but enough to ruin him
as a good hand in a fight.
For other reasons, too, he was not popular. Not one of
Life in the Iron-Mills |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: "But surely the good God would not have the presumption to damn a
gentleman of M. le Marquis' quality on that account? Ah, well,
Isaac, please arrange for Monday, if it is not a feast-day or
monsieur has not some other pressing engagement. I leave it in
your hands."
He bowed with the air of a man wearied by these details, and
threading his arm through Kersain's withdrew.
"Ah, Dieu de Dieu! But what a trick of it you have," said the
Breton deputy, entirely unsophisticated in these matters.
"To be sure I have. I have taken lessons at their hands." He
laughed. He was in excellent good-humour. And Kersam was
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