| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: object was that thus the man's body would be disposed of without waste
of time. This Wilding realized, his soul rebelling against this fate
which had come upon him in the very hour when he most desired to live.
Mad thoughts of escape crossed his mind - of a leap across the dyke,
and a wild dash through the fog. But the futility of it was too
appalling. The musketeers were already blowing their matches. He would
suffer the ignominy of being shot in the back, like a coward, if he
made any such attempt.
And so, despairing but not resigned, he took his stand on the very edge
of the ditch. In an irony of obligingness he set half of his heels over
the yoid, so that he was nicely balanced upon the edge of the cutting,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from La Grenadiere by Honore de Balzac: equations with two unknown quantities; he had studied descriptive
geometry, and drew admirably well; in fact, he was prepared to pass
the entrance examination of the Ecole polytechnique.
Sometimes of an evening he went down to the bridge of Tours. There was
a lieutenant there on half-pay, an Imperial naval officer, whose manly
face, medal, and gait had made an impression on the boy's imagination,
and the officer on his side had taken a liking to the lad, whose eyes
sparkled with energy. Louis, hungering for tales of adventure, and
eager for information, used to follow in the lieutenant's wake for the
chance of a chat with him. It so happened that the sailor had a friend
and comrade in the colonel of a regiment of infantry, struck off the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: 'Dreams!' he echoed softly, drawing closer to him. 'Those are not
dreams.'
'What are,' replied the locksmith, 'if they are not?'
'I dreamed,' said Barnaby, passing his arm through Varden's, and
peering close into his face as he answered in a whisper, 'I dreamed
just now that something--it was in the shape of a man--followed me--
came softly after me--wouldn't let me be--but was always hiding
and crouching, like a cat in dark corners, waiting till I should
pass; when it crept out and came softly after me.--Did you ever see
me run?'
'Many a time, you know.'
Barnaby Rudge |
