| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw: and thought last night?
PRAED [coming in through the hedge] Good morning.
REV. S. Good morning. I must apologize for not having met you
at breakfast. I have a touch of--of--
FRANK. Clergyman's sore throat, Praed. Fortunately not chronic.
PRAED [changing the subject] Well I must say your house is in a
charming spot here. Really most charming.
REV. S. Yes: it is indeed. Frank will take you for a walk, Mr
Praed, if you like. I'll ask you to excuse me: I must take the
opportunity to write my sermon while Mrs Gardner is away and you
are all amusing yourselves. You wont mind, will you?
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: "Yuh, little while."
"Well?"
"Well what? Just thought I'd drop in to see how you made out in Akron."
"I did all right. What difference does it make?"
"Why, gosh, Paul, what are you sore about?"
"What are you butting into my affairs for?"
"Why, Paul, that's no way to talk! I'm not butting into nothing. I was so
glad to see your ugly old phiz that I just dropped in to say howdy."
"Well, I'm not going to have anybody following me around and trying to boss
me. I've had all of that I'm going to stand!"
"Well, gosh, I'm not--"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: shades invented to mark a degree of intimacy, to repel the audacity of
French familiarity, and humiliate conceit--"tell me, Henri, I am in
such a desperate difficulty that I can only ask advice of an old
friend who understands business, and you have practice and experience.
My daughter Clotilde, as you know, is in love with that little
Rubempre, whom I have been almost compelled to accept as her promised
husband. I have always been averse to the marriage; however, Madame de
Grandlieu could not bear to thwart Clotilde's passion. When the young
fellow had repurchased the family estate and paid three-quarters of
the price, I could make no further objections.
"But last evening I received an anonymous letter--you know how much
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