| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Atheist's Mass by Honore de Balzac: morning. Desplein, who at that time never went a step without his
cab, was on foot, and slipped in by the door in the Rue du Petit-
Lion, as if he were stealing into some house of ill fame. The
house surgeon, naturally possessed by curiosity, knowing his
master's opinions, and being himself a rabid follower of Cabanis
(Cabaniste en dyable, with the y, which in Rabelais seems to
convey an intensity of devilry)--Bianchon stole into the church,
and was not a little astonished to see the great Desplein, the
atheist, who had no mercy on the angels--who give no work to the
lancet, and cannot suffer from fistula or gastritis--in short,
this audacious scoffer kneeling humbly, and where? In the Lady
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Juana by Honore de Balzac: Montefiore's infatuation went so far as to suggest to him the idea of
marrying her. He accordingly asked her history, and Perez very
willingly told him the circumstances under which she had become his
ward. The prudent Spaniard was led to make this confidence because he
had heard of Montefiore in Italy, and knowing his reputation was
desirous to let him see how strong were the barriers which protected
the young girl from the possibility of seduction. Though the good-man
was gifted with a certain patriarchal eloquence, in keeping with his
simple life and customs, his tale will be improved by abridgment.
At the period when the French Revolution changed the manners and
morals of every country which served as the scene of its wars, a
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Marie by H. Rider Haggard: Someone thrust Marais forward, and there he stood quite silent, staring
at us with a queer look upon his face and his gun in his hand, for he,
too, was ready to ride.
"Take away that gun," said Retief; "it might go off and cause
disturbance or perhaps accidents," and somebody obeyed. "Now, Henri
Marais, do you give your daughter to be married to this man?"
"No," said Marais softly.
"Very well, that is just like you, but it doesn't matter, for she is of
age and can give herself. Is she not of age, Henri Marais? Don't stand
there like a horse with the staggers, but tell me; is she not of age?"
"I believe so," he answered in the same soft voice.
Marie |
