| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: through Cesar's veins as he listened to these words. The wily banker
retained the horrible pronunciation of the German Jews,--possibly that
he might be able to deny promises actually given, but only half-
understood.
"You shall haf a running aggont. Ve vill broceed in dis vay--" said
this great and good and venerable financier, with Alsatian good-humor.
Birotteau doubted no longer; he was a merchant, and new very well that
those who have no intention of rendering a service never enter into
the details of executing it.
"I neet not tell you dat der Bank demands of all, graat and small
alaike, dree zignatures. So denn, you traw a cheque to die order of
 Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: asked gaily.
Almost unconsciously, she let her arm slip from his. "What I
wanted--?"
"Why, haven't you--all this time?" She caught the honest wonder
of his tone. "I somehow fancied you'd rather blamed me for not
talking more openly--before-- You've made me feel, at times, that
I was sacrificing principles to expediency."
She paused a moment over her reply; then she asked quietly: "What
made you decide not to--any longer?"
She felt again the vibration of a faint surprise. "Why--the wish
to please you!" he answered, almost too simply.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson: the threshold. He was wrapped in a long waterproof,
imperfectly supplied with buttons; his boots were full of
water, his hat greasy with service; and yet he wore the air
of one exceeding well content with life. He was hailed by
the two others with exclamations of surprise and welcome.
'And did you try the detective business?' inquired Paul.
'No,' returned Harry. 'Oh yes, by the way, I did though:
twice, and got caught out both times. But I thought I should
find my - my wife here?' he added, with a kind of proud
confusion.
'What? are you married?' cried Somerset.
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