| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: monsieur," she said. "Those who are so fortunate as to be in Mme.
de Beauseant's company do not desire to leave it."
"Madame," Eugene said, lowering his voice, "I think that to
please my cousin I should remain with you. Before my lord Marquis
came we were speaking of you and of your exceedingly
distinguished appearance," he added aloud.
M. d'Ajuda turned and left them.
"Are you really going to stay with me, monsieur?" asked the
Baroness. "Then we shall make each other's acquaintance. Mme. de
Restaud told me about you, and has made me anxious to meet you."
"She must be very insincere, then, for she has shut her door on
Father Goriot |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: [39] Cf. "Mem." I. ii. 49.
"I admit it," Socrates replied, "in the case of education, for they
know that I have made the matter a study; and with regard to health a
man prefers to obey his doctor rather than his parents; in the public
assembly the citizens of Athens, I presume, obey those whose arguments
exhibit the soundest wisdom rather than their own relations. And is it
not the case that, in your choice of generals, you set your fathers
and brothers, and, bless me! your own selves aside, by comparison with
those whom you believe to be the wisest authorities on military
matters?"
"No doubt, Socrates," replied Meletus, "because it is expedient and
The Apology |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Distinguished Provincial at Paris by Honore de Balzac: in other words, from the concrete to the abstract. The illustrious
lady, so cruelly ridiculed under the name of Octavie by Beranger, had
conceived (so it was said) the gravest fears. The correspondence was
languishing. The more Octavie displayed her wit, the cooler grew the
royal lover. At last Octavie discovered the cause of her decline; her
power was threatened by the novelty and piquancy of a correspondence
between the august scribe and the wife of his Keeper of the Seals.
That excellent woman was believed to be incapable of writing a note;
she was simply and solely godmother to the efforts of audacious
ambition. Who could be hidden behind her petticoats? Octavie decided,
after making observations of her own, that the King was corresponding
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