| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: the builder's men having finished, the poles were removed, and--
alas! for the rats--the hole was closed up with bricks and cement.
Buried alive, the father and mother, with five or six of their
offspring, met with a speedy death, and not until a few years ago,
when a restoration of the Chapter House was effected, was the rat
grave opened again for a scaffold pole, and all their skeletons
and their nest discovered. Their bones and paper fragments
of the nest may now be seen in a glass case in the Chapter House,
some of the fragments being attributed to books from the press
of Caxton. This is not the case, although there are pieces of very
early black-letter books not now to be found in the Abbey library,
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: make his last guess."
"Very well, then," said the Scarecrow, with a sigh. "Run along,
little Dorothy, and may good luck go with you!"
So Dorothy, trying to be brave in spite of her fears, passed through
the doorway into the gorgeous rooms of the palace. The stillness
of the place awed her, at first, and the child drew short breaths,
and pressed her hand to her heart, and looked all around with
wondering eyes.
Yes, it was a beautiful place; but enchantments lurked in every nook
and corner, and she had not yet grown accustomed to the wizardries of
these fairy countries, so different from the quiet and sensible
Ozma of Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Lady Susan by Jane Austen: him that I shall be quite wretched if he remains here ; you know my
reasons--propriety, and so forth. I would urge them more myself, but that I
am impatient to be rid of him, as Mainwaring comes within half an hour.
Adieu !
S VERNON
XXXII
MRS. JOHNSON TO LADY SUSAN
Edward Street.
My dear Creature,--I am in agonies, and know not what to do. Mr. De
Courcy arrived just when he should not. Mrs. Mainwaring had that instant
entered the house, and forced herself into her guardian's presence, though
Lady Susan |
