| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Man of Business by Honore de Balzac: The Middle Classes
Chaboisseau
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
The Government Clerks
Chocardelle, Mademoiselle
Beatrix
A Prince of Bohemia
Cousin Betty
The Member for Arcis
Claparon, Charles
A Bachelor's Establishment
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: magnifies or reduces them by sentimental considerations. At the
same time, that he should contemplate the taking of life with such
complete and cynical equanimity, whatever the justification, is
quite incredible.
Similarly now, it is not to be believed that in coming straight
from the Bois de Boulogne, straight from the killing of a man, he
should be sincerely expressing his nature in alluding to the fact
in terms of such outrageous flippancy. Not quite to such an extent
was he the incarnation of Scaramouche. But sufficiently was he so
ever to mask his true feelings by an arresting gesture, his true
thoughts by an effective phrase. He was the actor always, a man
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James: the hard blow the tears had come into my eyes. So for a while we
sat and looked at each other; after which I slowly rose, I was
wondering if some day she would accept me; but this was not what I
brought out. I said as I smoothed down my hat: "I know what to
think then. It's nothing!"
A remote disdainful pity for me gathered in her dim smile; then she
spoke in a voice that I hear at this hour: "It's my LIFE!" As I
stood at the door she added: "You've insulted him!"
"Do you mean Vereker?"
"I mean the Dead!"
I recognised when I reached the street the justice of her charge.
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