| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: could only glean instead of gathering a harvest. She was amused to see
that pleasure in a cotton dress was so very like pleasure robed in
satin, and that the girls of the middle class danced quite as well as
ladies--nay, sometimes better. Most of the women were simply and
suitably dressed. Those who in this assembly represented the ruling
power, that is to say, the country-folk, kept apart with wonderful
politeness. In fact, Mademoiselle Emilie had to study the various
elements that composed the mixture before she could find any subject
for pleasantry. But she had not time to give herself up to malicious
criticism, or opportunity for hearing many of the startling speeches
which caricaturists so gladly pick up. The haughty young lady suddenly
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Unseen World and Other Essays by John Fiske: apparently, by running out through a door, when she was at once
caught by the guards; secondly, by jumping from a high window,
when the shock of the fall was so great that she lay insensible
on the ground until discovered. She was then removed to
Beaurevoir, where she remained until the beginning of November.
By this time, Philip "the Good," Duke of Burgundy, had made up
his mind to sell her to the English for 10,000 francs; and Jeanne
was accordingly taken to Arras, and thence to Cotoy, where she
was delivered to the English by Philip's officers. So far, all is
clear; but here it may be asked, WAS she really delivered to the
English, or did Philip, pocketing his 10,000 francs, cheat and
The Unseen World and Other Essays |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Amazing Interlude by Mary Roberts Rinehart: a certain gun which moved on a railway track, back and forth, behind the
German lines, doing the work of many. He had tried to get to that gun,
and failed. And he hated failure.
Certainly in this story of Sara Lee and of Henri, whose other name must
not be known, allowance must be made for all those things. Yet - perhaps
no allowance is enough.
Sara Lee told him that evening of her recall, told him when the shuffling
of many feet in the street told of the first weary men from the trenches
coming up the road.
He heard her in a dazed silence. Then:
"But you will not go?" he said. "It is impossible! You - you are
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