| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Lesson of the Master by Henry James: "No indeed - she led me rather to suppose you had."
"Yes - that's much more what she'd do. Doesn't she shed a rosy
glow over life? But you didn't believe her?" asked St. George.
"No, not when you came to us there."
"Did I pretend? did I pretend badly?" But without waiting for an
answer to this St. George went on: "You ought always to believe
such a girl as that - always, always. Some women are meant to be
taken with allowances and reserves; but you must take HER just as
she is."
"I like her very much," said Paul Overt.
Something in his tone appeared to excite on his companion's part a
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: "No, Felix," she said, "that cannot be, any more than your priesthood.
I thank you from my heart as a mother, but as a woman who loves you
sincerely I can never allow you to be the victim of your attachment to
me. Such a position would be a social discredit to you, and I could
not allow it. No! I cannot be an injury to you in any way. You,
Vicomte de Vandenesse, a tutor! You, whose motto is 'Ne se vend!' Were
you Richelieu himself it would bar your way in life; it would give the
utmost pain to your family. My friend, you do not know what insult
women of the world, like my mother, can put into a patronizing glance,
what degradation into a word, what contempt into a bow."
"But if you love me, what is the world to me?"
The Lily of the Valley |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde: what a pity that in life we only get our lessons when they are of
no use to us! For even if she doesn't tell, I must. Oh! the shame
of it, the shame of it. To tell it is to live through it all
again. Actions are the first tragedy in life, words are the
second. Words are perhaps the worst. Words are merciless. . . Oh!
[Starts as LORD WINDERMERE enters.]
LORD WINDERMERE. [Kisses her.] Margaret - how pale you look!
LADY WINDERMERE. I slept very badly.
LORD WINDERMERE. [Sitting on sofa with her.] I am so sorry. I
came in dreadfully late, and didn't like to wake you. You are
crying, dear.
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