| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: although he be but coadjutor, whilst I, were I in his place,
though I am cardinal, should be torn to pieces. I persist,
then, madame, in my wish" (he laid an emphasis on the word),
"that your majesty should receive the coadjutor."
"And wherefore do you not say, like the rest, your will?"
replied the queen, in a low voice.
Mazarin bowed.
"Monsieur le marechal," said the queen, after a moment's
reflection, "go and find the coadjutor and bring him to me."
"And what shall I say to the people?"
"That they must have patience," said Anne, "as I have."
Twenty Years After |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Pierre Grassou by Honore de Balzac: de Lora, to reach the Academy before Bridau, to wear a rosette in his
buttonhole! What a dream! It is only commonplace men who think of
everything.
Hearing the sound of several steps on the staircase, Fougeres rubbed
up his hair, buttoned his jacket of bottle-green velveteen, and was
not a little amazed to see, entering his doorway, a simpleton face
vulgarly called in studio slang a "melon." This fruit surmounted a
pumpkin, clothed in blue cloth adorned with a bunch of
tintinnabulating baubles. The melon puffed like a walrus; the pumpkin
advanced on turnips, improperly called legs. A true painter would have
turned the little bottle-vendor off at once, assuring him that he
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: hand grasping the royal back-stay, his ear turned to the sea, but
he could hear nothing from there. The quarter-deck was filled
with subdued sounds. Suddenly, a long, shrill whistle soared,
reverberated loudly amongst the flat surfaces of motionless
sails, and gradually grew faint as if the sound had escaped and
gone away, running upon the water. Haji Wasub was on deck and
ready to carry out the white man's commands. Then silence fell
again on the brig, until Shaw spoke quietly.
"I am going forward now, sir, with the tindal. We're all at
stations."
"Aye, Mr. Shaw. Very good. Mind they don't board you--but I can
The Rescue |
