| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: not only the most miserable of queens, but the most unhappy
of mothers, the most wretched of wives. My children, two of
them, at least, the Duke of York and the Princess Elizabeth,
are far away from me, exposed to the blows of the ambitious
and our foes; my husband, the king, is leading in England so
wretched an existence that it is no exaggeration to aver
that he seeks death as a thing to be desired. Hold!
gentlemen, here is the letter conveyed to me by Lord de
Winter. Read it."
Obeying the queen, Athos read aloud the letter which we have
already seen, in which King Charles demanded to know whether
 Twenty Years After |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: fire."
Renouard could hardly find words for a protest: "I assure you that
I never talk with Miss Moorsom - on - on - that. And if you, her
father . . . "
"I envy you your innocence," sighed the professor. "A father is
only an everyday person. Flat. Stale. Moreover, my child would
naturally mistrust me. We belong to the same set. Whereas you
carry with you the prestige of the unknown. You have proved
yourself to be a force."
Thereupon the professor followed by Renouard joined the circle of
all the inmates of the house assembled at the other end of the
 Within the Tides |