| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Sons of the Soil by Honore de Balzac: to ride over everybody here, and upset everything; and the government
will just say to him, 'Hush up.'"
"The government never says anything else; it can't, poor government!"
said Fourchon, seized with a sudden tenderness for the government.
"Yes, I pity it, that good government; it is very unlucky,--it hasn't
a penny, like us; but that's very stupid of a government that makes
the money itself, very stupid! Ah! if I were the government--"
"But," cried Courtecuisse, "they tell me in Ville-aux-Fayes that
Monsieur de Ronquerolles talked about our rights in the Assembly."
"That's in Monsieur Rigou's newspaper," said Vaudoyer, who in his
capacity of ex-field-keeper knew how to read and write; "I read it--"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: then to the forest. I made many trips, they said, no doubt to bury the
gold and diamonds. The valise had not been found. My remorse still
held me dumb. When I wanted to speak, a pitiless voice cried out to
me, 'YOU MEANT TO COMMIT THAT CRIME!' All was against me, even myself.
They asked me about my comrade, and I completely exonerated him. Then
they said to me: 'The crime must lie between you, your comrade, the
innkeeper, and his wife. This morning all the windows and doors were
found securely fastened.' At those words," continued the poor fellow,
"I had neither voice, nor strength, nor soul to answer. More sure of
my comrade than I could be of myself, I could not accuse him. I saw
that we were both thought equally guilty of the murder, and that I was
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: talk; but every word, insignificant as it might seem, was a mutual
interrogation, hiding the desires, hopes, and passions which agitated
them. Marie's cleverness and quick perception (for she was fully on
her guard) showed Madame du Gua that calumny and treachery could alone
avail to triumph over a rival as formidable through her intellect as
by her beauty. The mail-coach presently overtook the escort, and then
advanced more slowly. The young man, seeing a long hill before them,
proposed to the young lady that they should walk. The friendly
politeness of his offer decided her, and her consent flattered him.
"Is Madame of our opinion?" she said, turning to Madame du Gua. "Will
she walk, too?"
The Chouans |
