| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Deserted Woman by Honore de Balzac: this feeling which I have inspired, albeit unconsciously, I am
still far from sharing it, and the step which I am about to take
will show you still more plainly that I mean what I say. I wish
besides, to use, for your welfare, that authority, as it were,
which you give me over your life; and I desire to exercise it this
once to draw aside the veil from your eyes.
"I am nearly thirty years old, monsieur; you are barely two-and-
twenty. You yourself cannot know what your thoughts will be at my
age. The vows that you make so lightly to-day may seem a very
heavy burden to you then. I am quite willing to believe that at
this moment you would give me your whole life without a regret,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Heroes by Charles Kingsley: Then, 'Tell me, heroes,' asked Alcinous, 'you who have sailed
the ocean round, and seen the manners of all nations, have
you seen such dancers as ours here, or heard such music and
such singing? We hold ours to be the best on earth.'
'Such dancing we have never seen,' said Orpheus; 'and your
singer is a happy man, for Phoebus himself must have taught
him, or else he is the son of a Muse, as I am also, and have
sung once or twice, though not so well as he.'
'Sing to us, then, noble stranger,' said Alcinous; 'and we
will give you precious gifts.'
So Orpheus took his magic harp, and sang to them a stirring
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honore de Balzac: "Hold your book right way up, miss," she muttered in a low voice,
tremulous with wrath. She snatched away the tell-tale prayer-book and
returned it with the letter-press right way up. "Do not allow your
eyes to look anywhere but at your prayers," she added, "or I shall
have something to say to you. Your father and I will talk to you after
church."
These words came like a thunderbolt on poor Augustine. She felt faint;
but, torn between the distress she felt and the dread of causing a
commotion in church she bravely concealed her anguish. It was,
however, easy to discern the stormy state of her soul from the
trembling of her prayer-book, and the tears which dropped on every
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