| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad: would be good for him. His spare time he occupied by drawing
circles with compass and pencil on a piece of paper. He applied
himself to that pastime with great industry, with his elbows spread
out and bowed low over the kitchen table. Through the open door of
the parlour at the back of the shop Winnie, his sister, glanced at
him from time to time with maternal vigilance.
CHAPTER II
Such was the house, the household, and the business Mr Verloc left
behind him on his way westward at the hour of half-past ten in the
morning. It was unusually early for him; his whole person exhaled
the charm of almost dewy freshness; he wore his blue cloth overcoat
The Secret Agent |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith: family, to order his servants to get drunk, and then to tell me, "This
house is mine, sir." By all that's impudent, it makes me laugh. Ha!
ha! ha! Pray, sir (bantering), as you take the house, what think you
of taking the rest of the furniture? There's a pair of silver
candlesticks, and there's a fire-screen, and here's a pair of
brazen-nosed bellows; perhaps you may take a fancy to them?
MARLOW. Bring me your bill, sir; bring me your bill, and let's make no
more words about it.
HARDCASTLE. There are a set of prints, too. What think you of the
Rake's Progress, for your own apartment?
MARLOW. Bring me your bill, I say; and I'll leave you and your
She Stoops to Conquer |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin: observations out of the pot; but whatever it referred to, Gluck had
no inclination to dispute the dictum.
"Wouldn't it, sir?" said Gluck very mildly and submissively
indeed.
"No," said the dwarf, conclusively, "no, it wouldn't." And
with that the dwarf pulled his cap hard over his brows and took two
turns, of three feet long, up and down the room, lifting his legs up
very high and setting them down very hard. This pause gave time for
Gluck to collect his thoughts a little, and, seeing no great reason
to view his diminutive visitor with dread, and feeling his curiosity
overcome his amazement, he ventured on a question of peculiar
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