| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: the message?"
He looked astounded.
"You knew I was at M-?" he stammered.
"Yes, we traced you. What about the message?"
"Well, it was this way: of course, I did not know your name, Mr.
Blakeley. The telegram said, 'Man with papers in lower ten, car
seven," and after I had made what I considered my escape, I began
to think I had left the man in my berth in a bad way.
"He would probably be accused of the crime. So, although when the
wreck occurred I supposed every one connected with the affair had
been killed, there was a chance that you had survived. I've not
The Man in Lower Ten |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen: "And haven't you written for further particulars?"
"I have been thinking of doing so. You would advise me
to write to the doctor?"
"Certainly. And what about the book?"
"It was sealed up when I got it. I don't think the
doctor had seen it."
"It is something very rare? Meyrick was a collector,
perhaps?"
"No, I think not, hardly a collector. Now, what do you
think of these Ainu jugs?"
"They are peculiar, but I like them. But aren't you
The Great God Pan |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: that require two brothers to wear a mask if the older will
succeed to the entail, and the other to the fortune of a younger
son. The whole civilization of Europe turns upon the principle of
hereditary succession as upon a pivot; it would be madness to
subvert the principle; but could we not, in an age that prides
itself upon its mechanical inventions, perfect this essential
portion of the social machinery?
If the author has preserved the old-fashioned style of address To
the Reader before a work wherein he endeavors to represent all
literary forms, it is for the purpose of making a remark that
applies to several of the Studies, and very specially to this.
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