| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: francs, picked up by the sweat of my brow, helped you to give balls.
There you are, dressed like the queen of France in woollen which you
sheared off the backs of poor sheep such as me! Good God! it would
burn my shoulders, that it would, to wear stolen goods! I've got
nothing but rabbit-skin to cover my carcass, but it is mine! Brigands,
thieves, my money or--"
She darted at a pretty inlaid box containing toilet articles.
"Put that down, madame!" said Cesar, coming forward, "nothing here is
mine; everything belongs to my creditors. I own nothing but my own
person; if you wish to seize that and put me in prison, I give you my
word of honor"--the tears fell from his eyes--"that I will wait here
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Underground City by Jules Verne: "Do you know the writing?" he asked.
"No, father," replied Harry.
"And had this letter the Aberfoyle postmark?" inquired Simon Ford.
"Yes, like yours," replied James Starr.
"What do you think of that, Harry?" said his father, his brow darkening.
"I think, father," returned Harry, "that someone has had some
interest in trying to prevent Mr. Starr from coming to the place
where you invited him."
"But who," exclaimed the old miner, "who could have possibly
guessed enough of my secret?" And Simon fell into a reverie,
from which he was aroused by his wife.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: desolate manner, I should end my life. The tears would run
plentifully down my face when I made these reflections; and
sometimes I would expostulate with myself why Providence should
thus completely ruin His creatures, and render them so absolutely
miserable; so without help, abandoned, so entirely depressed, that
it could hardly be rational to be thankful for such a life.
But something always returned swift upon me to check these
thoughts, and to reprove me; and particularly one day, walking with
my gun in my hand by the seaside, I was very pensive upon the
subject of my present condition, when reason, as it were,
expostulated with me the other way, thus: "Well, you are in a
Robinson Crusoe |
