| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Marriage Contract by Honore de Balzac: having lived! When my husband married me I had nothing but my name and
my person. My name alone was a fortune to him, which dwarfed his own.
What wealth can equal that of a great name? My dowry was beauty,
virtue, happiness, birth, education. Can money give those treasures?
If Natalie's father could overhear this conversation, his generous
soul would be wounded forever, and his happiness in paradise
destroyed. I dissipated, foolishly, perhaps, a few of his millions
without a quiver ever coming to his eyelids. Since his death, I have
grown economical and orderly in comparison with the life he encouraged
me to lead--Come, let us break this thing off! Monsieur de Manerville
is so disappointed that I--"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: Here Bickley groaned aloud.
"This one is much greater," went on Oro, casting a glance at
Bickley that must have penetrated him like a searchlight. Then he
opened the map of Europe and with his finger indicated Germany
and Austria-Hungary. "I know nothing of the peoples of these
lands," he added, "but as you belong to one of them and are my
guests, I trust that yours may succeed in the war."
"What way?" we asked with one voice.
"Since Bickley is so clever, surely he should know better than
an illusion such as I. All I can tell you is that I have learned
that there is war between this country and that," and he pointed
 When the World Shook |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: plant known as "baaras" grew even in Machaerus, the power of which
rendered its consumer invulnerable against all attacks; but to cure
disease without seeing or touching the afflicted person was clearly
impossible, unless, indeed, the man Jesus called in the assistance of
evil spirits.
The friends of Antipas and the men from Galilee nodded wisely, saying:
"It is evident that he is aided by demons of some sort!"
Jacob, standing between their table and that of the priests,
maintained a silence at once lofty and respectful.
Several voices exclaimed: "Prove his power to us!"
Jacob leaned over the priests' table, and said slowly, in a half-
 Herodias |