| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker: opinion. Suppose that there are any permanent forces appertaining
to the past, what we may call 'survivals,' do these belong to good
as well as to evil? For instance, if the scent of the primaeval
monster can so remain in proportion to the original strength, can
the same be true of things of good import?"
Sir Nathaniel thought for a while before he answered.
"We must be careful not to confuse the physical and the moral. I
can see that already you have switched on the moral entirely, so
perhaps we had better follow it up first. On the side of the moral,
we have certain justification for belief in the utterances of
revealed religion. For instance, 'the effectual fervent prayer of a
 Lair of the White Worm |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: ghostly laughter, it so confessed a perishing hope.
The children stood still and listened; but there was
no result. Tom turned upon the back track at once,
and hurried his steps. It was but a little while be-
fore a certain indecision in his manner revealed an-
other fearful fact to Becky -- he could not find his way
back!
"Oh, Tom, you didn't make any marks!"
"Becky, I was such a fool! Such a fool! I never
thought we might want to come back! No -- I can't
find the way. It's all mixed up."
 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: and the little girl by whom she had been attended in her last
moments was wringing her hands and sobbing, betwixt childish fear
and sorrow, over the body of her mistress.
The Master of Ravenswood had some difficulty to compose the
terrors of the poor child, whom his unexpected appearance had at
first rather appalled than comforted; and when he succeeded, the
first expression which the girl used intimated that "he had come
too late." Upon inquiring the meaning of this expression, he
learned that the deceased, upon the first attack of the mortal
agony, had sent a peasant to the castle to beseech an interview
of the Master of Ravenswood, and had expressed the utmost
 The Bride of Lammermoor |