| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Confidence by Henry James: a pin for me!"
She spoke in her usual rattling, rambling voice, and brought out this
declaration with a curious absence of resentment.
"You talk about advantage," said Bernard. "I don't see what advantage
it is to you to say that."
"I want to--I must--I will! That 's the advantage!" This came
out with a sudden sharpness of tone; she spoke more excitedly.
"He does n't care a button for me, and he never did!
I don't know what he married me for. He cares for something else--
he thinks of something else. I don't know what it is--I suppose it
's chemistry!"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Altar of the Dead by Henry James: looked across at him an instant with a face wondering and scared;
he saw he had made her afraid. Then quickly rising she came
straight to him with both hands out.
"Then you COULD come? God sent you!" he murmured with a happy
smile.
"You're very ill - you shouldn't be here," she urged in anxious
reply.
"God sent me too, I think. I was ill when I came, but the sight of
you does wonders." He held her hands, which steadied and quickened
him. "I've something to tell you."
"Don't tell me!" she tenderly pleaded; "let me tell you. This
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Marriage Contract by Honore de Balzac: upon.
If you had but listened to me, you would have an English wife,
some Nabob's daughter, who would leave you the freedom of a
bachelor and the independence necessary for playing the whist of
ambition. I would concede my future wife to you if you were not
married already. But that cannot be helped, and I am not the man
to bid you chew the cud of the past.
All this preamble was needful to explain to you that for the
future my position in life will be such as a man needs if he wants
to play the great game of pitch-and-toss. I cannot do without you,
my friend. Now, then, my dear Paul, instead of setting sail for
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