| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Vendetta by Honore de Balzac: if speaking to himself. "But it MUST be destroyed, at any cost."
Bonaparte was silent for a few moments, and Lucien made a sign to
Piombo not to speak. The Corsican was swaying his head from right to
left in deep disapproval.
"Live here, in Paris," resumed the First Consul, addressing
Bartolomeo; "we will know nothing of this affair. I will cause your
property in Corsica to be bought, to give you enough to live on for
the present. Later, before long, we will think of you. But, remember,
no more vendetta! There are no woods here to fly to. If you play with
daggers, you must expect no mercy. Here, the law protects all
citizens; and no one is allowed to do justice for himself."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: among the bachelors, were his superiors as well in age as in
skill and training. As said before, the bachelors had enforced
from the younger boys a fagging sort of attendance on their
various personal needs, and it was upon this point that Myles
first came to grief. As it chanced, several days passed before
any demand was made upon him for service to the heads of the
squirehood, but when that demand was made, the bachelors were
very quick to see that the boy who was bold enough to speak up to
Sir James Lee was not likely to be a willing fag for them.
"I tell thee, Francis," he said, as Gascoyne and he talked over
the matter one day--"I tell thee I will never serve them.
Men of Iron |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: "I beg pardon, sir," said Mr. Spoker. "But what is precisely the
difference between shaving in a sinking ship and smoking in a
powder magazine?"
"Or doing anything at all in any conceivable circumstances?" cried
the Captain. "Perfectly conclusive; give me a cigar!"
Two minutes afterwards the ship blew up with a glorious detonation.
III - THE TWO MATCHES.
ONE day there was a traveller in the woods in California, in the
dry season, when the Trades were blowing strong. He had ridden a
long way, and he was tired and hungry, and dismounted from his
horse to smoke a pipe. But when he felt in his pocket he found but
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Bronte Sisters: would be impossible that a whole day should pass and no one
traverse the road but ourselves. As for what he might choose to
say hereafter, I would take my chance about it: if he told lies, I
would contradict him; if he told the truth, I would bear it as best
I could. I was not obliged to enter into explanations further than
I thought proper. Perhaps he might choose to be silent on the
subject, for fear of raising inquiries as to the cause of the
quarrel, and drawing the public attention to his connection with
Mrs. Graham, which, whether for her sake or his own, he seemed so
very desirous to conceal.
Thus reasoning, I trotted away to the town, where I duly transacted
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall |
