The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Distinguished Provincial at Paris by Honore de Balzac: was his, he had bought it outright. When Lucien asserted that Dauriat
was bound to publish the Marguerites by the very nature of the
contract, and the relative positions of the parties to the agreement,
Dauriat flatly contradicted him, said that no publisher could be
compelled by law to publish at a loss, and that he himself was the
best judge of the expediency of producing the book. There was,
besides, a remedy open to Lucien, as any court of law would admit--the
poet was quite welcome to take his verses to a Royalist publisher upon
the repayment of the thousand crowns.
Lucien went away. Dauriat's moderate tone had exasperated him even
more than his previous arrogance at their first interview. So the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: ordered, took away, without saying one word, and in a few minutes after
brought him his pipe and tobacco.
--Stay in the room a little, said my uncle Toby.
Trim!--said my uncle Toby, after he lighted his pipe, and smoak'd about a
dozen whiffs.--Trim came in front of his master, and made his bow;--my
uncle Toby smoak'd on, and said no more.--Corporal! said my uncle Toby--the
corporal made his bow.--My uncle Toby proceeded no farther, but finished
his pipe.
Trim! said my uncle Toby, I have a project in my head, as it is a bad
night, of wrapping myself up warm in my roquelaure, and paying a visit to
this poor gentleman.--Your honour's roquelaure, replied the corporal, has
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Daisy Miller by Henry James: without having seen that old castle."
"It's a very pretty excursion," said Winterbourne, "and very easy to make.
You can drive, you know, or you can go by the little steamer."
"You can go in the cars," said Miss Miller.
"Yes; you can go in the cars," Winterbourne assented.
"Our courier says they take you right up to the castle," the young
girl continued. "We were going last week, but my mother gave out.
She suffers dreadfully from dyspepsia. She said she couldn't go.
Randolph wouldn't go either; he says he doesn't think much of old castles.
But I guess we'll go this week, if we can get Randolph."
"Your brother is not interested in ancient monuments?"
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