| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Betty Zane by Zane Grey: household duties, Betty had nothing to divert her but her embroidery and her
reading. These she found very tiresome. Her maid was devoted to her and never
left a thing undone. Annie was old Sam's daughter, and she had waited on Betty
since she had been a baby. The cleaning or mending or darning--anything in the
shape of work that would have helped pass away the monotonous hours for Betty,
was always done before she could lift her hand.
During the day she passed hours in her little room, and most of them were
dreamed away by her window. Lydia and Alice came over sometimes and whiled
away the tedious moments with their bright chatter and merry laughter, their
castle-building, and their romancing on heroes and love and marriage as girls
always will until the end of time. They had not forgotten Mr. Clarke, but as
Betty Zane |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: however she or her sister might be occupied.
One morning, having sought and waylaid Mr. Weston, they returned in
high glee to give me an account of their interview. 'And he asked
after you again,' said Matilda, in spite of her sister's silent but
imperative intimation that she should hold her tongue. 'He
wondered why you were never with us, and thought you must have
delicate health, as you came out so seldom.'
'He didn't Matilda - what nonsense you're talking!'
'Oh, Rosalie, what a lie! He did, you know; and you said - Don't,
Rosalie - hang it! - I won't be pinched so! And, Miss Grey,
Rosalie told him you were quite well, but you were always so buried
Agnes Grey |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: before the king's judgement seat. When the king saw him in such
vile and coarse raiment who before had been clad in rich apparel,
-- saw him, who had lived in the lap of luxury, shrunken and
wasted by the severe practice of discipline, and bearing about in
his body outward and visible signs of his hermit-life, he was
filled with mingled grief and fury, and, in speech blended of
these two passions, he spake unto him thus:
"O thou dullard and mad man, wherefore hast thou exchanged thine
honour for shame, and thy glorious estate for this unseemly show?
To what end hath the president of my kingdom, and chief commander
of my realm made himself the laughingstock of boys, and not only
|
