| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: a quiet life here and receive few visitors, but any friend of
Professor Clyde's is welcome." Then, with a gesture which
included the two women, he added dryly: "My wife and daughter
often talk of Professor Clyde."
"Oh yes--he used to make me such nice toast; they don't
understand toast in Italy," said Mrs. Lombard in a high plaintive
voice.
It would have been difficult, from Doctor Lombard's manner and
appearance to guess his nationality; but his wife was so
inconsciently and ineradicably English that even the silhouette
of her cap seemed a protest against Continental laxities. She
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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 Hidden Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac: such rapidity and impatience that the young Poussin fancied a demon,
encased with the body of this singular being, was working his hands
fantastically like those of a puppet without, or even against, the
will of their owner. The unnatural brightness of his eyes, the
convulsive movements which seemed the result of some mental
resistance, gave to this fancy of the youth a semblance of truth which
reacted upon his lively imagination. The old man worked on, muttering
half to himself, half to his neophyte:--
"Paf! paf! paf! that is how we butter it on, young man. Ah! my little
pats, you are right; warm up that icy tone. Come, come!--pon, pon,
pon,--" he continued, touching up the spots where he had complained of
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: the means for so doing from Mrs. Hawkins.
CHAPTER XIV
HOW SALVATION YEO SLEW THE KING OF THE GUBBINGS
"Ignorance and evil, even in full flight, deal terrible backhanded
strokes at their pursuers."--HELPS.
Now I am sorry to say, for the honor of my country, that it was by
no means a safe thing in those days to travel from Plymouth to the
north of Devon; because, to get to your journey's end, unless you
were minded to make a circuit of many miles, you must needs pass
through the territory of a foreign and hostile potentate, who had
many times ravaged the dominions, and defeated the forces of her
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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 Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw: know you mustnt go on like this with a perfect stranger?
HYPATIA. Dropped down from the sky. Dont you know that you must
always go on like this when you get the chance? You must come to the
top of the hill and chase me through the bracken. You may kiss me if
you catch me.
PERCIVAL. I shall do nothing of the sort.
HYPATIA. Yes you will: you cant help yourself. Come along. _[She
seizes his sleeve]._ Fool, fool: come along. Dont you want to?
PERCIVAL. No: certainly not. I should never be forgiven if I did
it.
HYPATIA. Youll never forgive yourself if you dont.
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