The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: trained to revenge--the young eagle must learn from the old how
to stoop on his foes. I will purchase for his sake my life and my
freedom, by discovering my secret to the Knight of Ardenvohr."
"You may attain your end more easily," said a third voice,
mingling in the conference, "by entrusting it to me."
All Highlanders are superstitious. "The Enemy of Mankind is
among us!" said Ranald MacEagh, springing to his feet. His
chains clattered as he rose, while he drew himself as far as they
permitted from the quarter whence the voice appeared to proceed.
His fear in some degree communicated itself to Captain Dalgetty,
who began to repeat, in a sort of polyglot gibberish, all the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: The year 1815 arrives, my banker calls in his capital, buys up
Government stock before the battle of Waterloo, suspends payment again
in the thick of the crisis, and meets his engagements with shares in
the Wortschin mines, which he himself issued at twenty per cent more
than he gave for them! Yes, gentlemen!--He took a hundred and fifty
thousand bottles of champagne of Grandet to cover himself (forseeing
the failure of the virtuous parent of the present Comte d'Aubrion),
and as much Bordeaux wine of Duberghe at the same time. Those three
hundred thousand bottles which he took over (and took at thirty sous
apiece, my dear boy) he supplied at the price of six francs per bottle
to the Allies in the Palais Royal during the foreign occupation,
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