| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift: mind; and I fear I have already tired your lordship. I shall only
add one circumstance, that on his death-bed he declared himself a
Nonconformist, and had a fanatic preacher to be his spiritual
guide. After half an hour's conversation I took my leave, being
half stifled by the closeness of the room. I imagined he could not
hold out long, and therefore withdrew to a little coffee-house hard
by, leaving a servant at the house with orders to come immediately
and tell me, as nearly as he could, the minute when Partridge
should expire, which was not above two hours after, when, looking
upon my watch, I found it to be above five minutes after seven; by
which it is clear that Mr. Bickerstaff was mistaken almost four
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: eyes full of hatred, curiosity, and despair, face to face with that
degraded crew. Not a gleam of gladness! all is gloom--the place and
the men. All is speechless--the walls and men's consciences. To these
hapless creatures danger lies everywhere; excepting in the case of an
alliance as ominous as the prison where it was formed, they dare not
trust each other.
The police, all-pervading, poisons the atmosphere and taints
everything, even the hand-grasp of two criminals who have been
intimate. A convict who meets his most familiar comrade does not know
that he may not have repented and have made a confession to save his
life. This absence of confidence, this dread of the nark, marks the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Blix by Frank Norris: other. Just see, K. D. B. is a good housekeeper, and wants a
respectable middle-aged gentleman. Captain Jack is a respectable
middle-aged gentleman, and wants a good housekeeper. Oh, and
besides, I can read between the lines! I just feel they would be
congenial. If they know what's best for themselves, they would
write to each other right away."
"But wouldn't you love to be there and see them meet!" exclaimed
Condy.
"Can't we fix it up some way," said Blix, "to bring these two
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