| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: By the first of December, Mrs. Redburn had so far recovered her
health as to be able to take charge of the manufacturing part of
the business, and Katy was permitted to go to school, though she
supplied the girls in the morning and at noon, and settled all
their accounts.
One day she received a call from Michael, Mrs. Gordon's man,
requesting her attendance in Temple Street. She obeyed the
summons; but when she met Mrs. Gordon and Grace, she was alarmed
to see how coldly and reproachfully they looked upon her.
"I have heard a very bad story about you, Katy," said Mrs.
Gordon.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Coxon Fund by Henry James: remember that this was the moment at which I began, with
considerable emotion, to promise myself to enjoin upon Miss Anvoy
never to open any letter that should come to her in one of those
penny envelopes. My emotion, and I fear I must add my confusion,
quickly deepened; I presently should have been as glad to frighten
Mrs. Saltram as to think I might by some diplomacy restore the
Pudneys to a quieter vigilance.
"It's best you should take my view of my safety," I at any rate
soon responded. When I saw she didn't know what I meant by this I
added: "You may turn out to have done, in bringing me this letter,
a thing you'll profoundly regret." My tone had a significance
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Emma by Jane Austen: The bare possibility of it acted as a farther irritation on her spirits;
and her being left in solitary grandeur, even supposing the omission
to be intended as a compliment, was but poor comfort.
It was the arrival of this very invitation while the Westons were
at Hartfield, which made their presence so acceptable; for though her
first remark, on reading it, was that "of course it must be declined,"
she so very soon proceeded to ask them what they advised her to do,
that their advice for her going was most prompt and successful.
She owned that, considering every thing, she was not absolutely
without inclination for the party. The Coles expressed themselves
so properly--there was so much real attention in the manner of it--
Emma |
