| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: conscience, I fell to the delight of making plans. I was for breaking camp
at once, but Hal persuaded me to stay one more day. We talked for hours.
Only one thing bothered me. Hal was jolly and glum by turns. He reveled in
the plans for my outfit, but he wanted his own chance. A thousand times I
had to repeat my promise, and the last thing he said before we slept was:
"Ken, you're going to ring me in next summer!"
II. THE MAN ON THE TRAIN
Travelling was a new experience to me, and on the first night after I left
home I lay awake until we reached Altoona. We rolled out of smoky Pittsburg
at dawn, and from then on the only bitter drop in my cup of bliss was that
the train went so fast I could not see everything out of my window.
 The Young Forester |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: entered the room, almost carried by Mademoiselle Goujet, whose red
eyes had evidently been weeping, all faces turned to her at once. The
two agents hoped as much as the household feared to see Laurence
enter. This spontaneous movement of both masters and servants seemed
produced by the sort of mechanism which makes a number of wooden
figures perform the same gesture or wink the same eye.
Madame d'Hauteserre advanced by three rapid strides towards Corentin
and said, in a broken voice but violently: "For pity's sake, monsieur,
tell me what my sons are accused of. Do you really think they have
been here?"
The abbe, who seemed to be saying to himself when he saw the old lady,
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