| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart: room, bedroom and dressing-room were as they had been when we
came. They occupied the end of the east wing, beyond the
circular staircase, and we had not even opened them.
The girl herself was too ill to notice what was being done.
When, with the help of the doctor, who was a fatherly man with a
family of girls at home, we got her to the house and up the
stairs into bed, she dropped into a feverish sleep, which lasted
until morning. Doctor Stewart--that was the Englewood doctor--
stayed almost all night, giving the medicine himself,
and watching her closely. Afterward he told me that she had had
a narrow escape from pneumonia, and that the cerebral symptoms
The Circular Staircase |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: your griefs to me; my heart is large enough to hold them all. Oh!
you might rend my heart in pieces, and every fragment would make
a father's heart. If only I could bear all your sorrows for you!
. . . Ah! you were so happy when you were little and still with
me. . . ."
"We have never been happy since," said Delphine. "Where are the
old days when we slid down the sacks in the great granary?"
"That is not all, father," said Anastasie in Goriot's ear. The
old man gave a startled shudder. "The diamonds only sold for a
hundred thousand francs. Maxime is hard pressed. There are twelve
thousand francs still to pay. He has given me his word that he
Father Goriot |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Master Key by L. Frank Baum: He turned the cylinder to "South Africa," and, opening the lid, at
once became interested. An English column, commanded by a brave but
stubborn officer, was surrounded by the Boer forces and fighting
desperately to avoid capture or annihilation.
"This would be interesting to King Edward," thought the boy. "Guess
I'll hunt him up and tell him about it."
A few steps away stood a policeman. Rob approached him and asked:
"Where's the king to-day?"
The officer looked at him with mingled surprise and suspicion.
"'Is Majesty is sojournin' at Marlb'ro 'Ouse, just now," was the
reply. "Per'aps you wants to make 'im a wissit," he continued, with
The Master Key |
