| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Muse of the Department by Honore de Balzac: top of the tower, between the brackets that supported the embrasures.
" 'Monsieur,' said the man, 'you must take care to saw through the
iron low enough to get your body through.'
" 'I will get through, never fear,' said the prisoner.
" 'But high enough to leave a stanchion to fasten a cord to,' the
warder went on.
" 'And where is the cord?' asked Beauvoir.
" 'Here,' said the man, throwing down a knotted rope. 'It is made of
raveled linen, that you may be supposed to have contrived it yourself,
and it is long enough. When you have got to the bottom knot, let
yourself drop gently, and the rest you must manage for yourself. You
The Muse of the Department |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: experiments, he did at last so satisfy and convince himself, that,
after a longer silence than he had yet maintained, he laid down his
knife and fork on either side his plate, drank a long draught from
a tankard beside him (still keeping his eyes on Joe), and leaning
backward in his chair and fetching a long breath, said, as he
looked all round the board:
'It's been took off!'
'By George!' said the Black Lion, striking the table with his hand,
'he's got it!'
'Yes, sir,' said Mr Willet, with the look of a man who felt that he
had earned a compliment, and deserved it. 'That's where it is.
Barnaby Rudge |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: spoke of if you'd get a suit like mine and wear a knife and tomahawk,"
interposed Joe, cheerfully. "Then, if you couldn't convert, you could scalp
them."
"Well, well, let us hope for the best," said Colonel Zane, when the laughter
had subsided. "We'll go over to dinner now. Come, all of you. Jonathan, bring
Wetzel. Betty, make him come, if you can."
As the party slowly wended its way toward the colonel's cabin Jim and Nell
found themselves side by side. They had not exchanged a word since the evening
previous, when Jim had kissed her. Unable to look at each other now, and
finding speech difficult, they walked in embarrassed silence.
"Doesn't Joe look splendid in his hunting suit?" asked Jim, presently.
The Spirit of the Border |
