| 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: must give in your schedule and make an assignment. Even supposing that
by some contrivance you could meet the payments for to-morrow, you
would have to pay down at least three hundred thousand francs before
you could borrow on those lands. Your liabilities are five hundred
thousand. To meet them you have assets that are very promising, very
productive, but not convertible at present; you must fail within a
given time. My opinion is that it is better to jump out of the window
than to roll downstairs."
"That is my advice, too, dear child," said Pillerault.
Derville left, and Madame Cesar and Pillerault went with him to the
door.
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Altar of the Dead by Henry James: this lady lived apart from public affairs, and the only time
perfectly clear to her would have been the time following the dawn
of her own drama. A man in her place would have "looked up" the
past - would even have consulted old newspapers. It remained
remarkable indeed that in her long contact with the partner of her
retrospect no accident had lighted a train; but there was no
arguing about that; the accident had in fact come: it had simply
been that security had prevailed. She had taken what Hague had
given her, and her blankness in respect of his other connexions was
only a touch in the picture of that plasticity Stransom had supreme
reason to know so great a master could have been trusted to
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Tanach: Proverbs 17: 6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Proverbs 17: 7 Overbearing speech becometh not a churl; much less do lying lips a prince.
Proverbs 17: 8 A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it; whithersoever he turneth, he prospereth.
Proverbs 17: 9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that harpeth on a matter estrangeth a familiar friend.
Proverbs 17: 10 A rebuke entereth deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred stripes into a fool.
Proverbs 17: 11 An rebellious man seeketh only evil; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Proverbs 17: 12 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
Proverbs 17: 13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Proverbs 17: 14 The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water; therefore leave off contention, before the quarrel break out.
Proverbs 17: 15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, even they both are an abomination to the LORD.
Proverbs 17: 16 Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, seeing he hath no understanding?
The Tanach |
