| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: and a few other particulars of that sort, in the manner
of a criminal making a reluctant and doleful confession.
He had had terrible weather on the passage out--terrible--terrible--
wife aboard, too.
By this time we were seated in the cabin and the steward brought in a
tray with a bottle and glasses. "Thanks! No." Never took liquor.
Would have some water, though. He drank two tumblerfuls.
Terrible thirsty work. Ever since daylight had been exploring
the islands round his ship.
"What was that for--fun?" I asked, with an appearance of polite interest.
"No!" He sighed. "Painful duty."
 The Secret Sharer |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: --With a kick of both heels at once, but at the same time the most natural
kick that could be kick'd in her situation--for supposing ......... to be
the sun in its meridian, it was a north-east kick--she kick'd the pin out
of her fingers--the etiquette which hung upon it, down--down it fell to the
ground, and was shiver'd into a thousand atoms.
From all which it was plain that widow Wadman was in love with my uncle
Toby.
Chapter 4.XXXIV.
My uncle Toby's head at that time was full of other matters, so that it was
not till the demolition of Dunkirk, when all the other civilities of Europe
were settled, that he found leisure to return this.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry: and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they
are wisest. They are the magi.
End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of THE GIFT OF THE MAGI.
 The Gift of the Magi |