| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: savage, the veritable Huron himself."
'"You had your usual luck, I hope?" she says.
'"Certainly," he says. "I cannot afford to lose even buttons in
these days."
'"Then I suppose the child of nature does not know that your
dice are usually loaded, Father Tout-a-tous," she continues. I
don't know whether she meant to accuse him of cheating. He
only bows.
'"Not yet, Mademoiselle Cunegonde," he says, and goes on
to make himself agreeable to the rest of the company. And that
was how I found out our Monsieur Peringuey was Count Charles
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sons of the Soil by Honore de Balzac: under the jurisdiction of the assize-court.
Michaud could not refrain from saying when he discovered Mother
Tonsard at the foot of the tree: "These are the persons on whom the
general and Madame la comtesse have showered benefits! Faith, if
Madame would only listen to me, she wouldn't give that dowry to the
Tonsard girl, who is more worthless than her grandmother."
The old woman raised her gray eyes and darted a venomous look at
Michaud. When the count learned who the guilty person was, he forbade
his wife to give the money to Catherine Tonsard.
"Monsieur le comte is perfectly right," said Sibilet. "I know that
Godain bought that land three days before Catherine came to speak to
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