| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: upon her and dallying with her fingers or brushing a love-sick gnat
from her collar. But what really twirled Sir Philo's cuff links was
Lucinda's wit, her laugh, her playfulness. He relished taking the
sprightly maid hand in hand on long walks, listening to the music of
her voice and to the sentiments accompanying the music. How he loved
to play with her tresses, or when her hair was up, to steal up behind
her and kiss her unexpectedly on the back of the neck: for she would
invariably produce a little shriek of surprise and delight and
embarrassment, and then turning to him, her cheeks glowing
irresistibly, attempt to glare and call him "monster," only to spoil
her mock anger by bursting into giggles or even outright laughter.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Aspern Papers by Henry James: all the lamps, all the voices and light footsteps on marble
(the only sounds of the arcades that enclose it), is like an open-air
saloon dedicated to cooling drinks and to a still finer degustation--
that of the exquisite impressions received during the day.
When I did not prefer to keep mine to myself there was always
a stray tourist, disencumbered of his Baedeker, to discuss them with,
or some domesticated painter rejoicing in the return of the season
of strong effects. The wonderful church, with its low domes and
bristling embroideries, the mystery of its mosaic and sculpture,
looking ghostly in the tempered gloom, and the sea breeze passed
between the twin columns of the Piazzetta, the lintels of a door no
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from O Pioneers! by Willa Cather: thing, there's nothing to look forward to in my
profession. Wood-engraving is the only thing
I care about, and that had gone out before I
began. Everything's cheap metal work now-
adays, touching up miserable photographs,
forcing up poor drawings, and spoiling good
ones. I'm absolutely sick of it all." Carl
frowned. "Alexandra, all the way out from
New York I've been planning how I could de-
ceive you and make you think me a very envi-
able fellow, and here I am telling you the
 O Pioneers! |