| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Long Odds by H. Rider Haggard: their wild quest may be a "magnificent and unexampled discovery." I
greatly fear, however, that all he has discovered is death; for this
letter came a long while ago, and nobody has heard a single word of the
party since. They have totally vanished.
It was on the last evening of my stay at his house that he told the
ensuing story to me and Captain Good, who was dining with him. He had
eaten his dinner and drunk two or three glasses of old port, just to
help Good and myself to the end of the second bottle. It was an unusual
thing for him to do, for he was a most abstemious man, having conceived,
as he used to say, a great horror of drink from observing its effects
upon the class of colonists--hunters, transport riders and
Long Odds |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Letters of Two Brides by Honore de Balzac: laid your hand on causes, while other people are still puzzling over
effects. In short, you are a minister in petticoats, the only person
here capable of understanding me. It follows, then, that if I have any
sacrifice to ask from you, it is only to yourself I can turn for help
in persuading you.
"I am therefore going to explain to you, quite frankly, my former
plans, to which I still adhere. In order to recommend them to you, I
must show that they are connected with feelings of a very high order,
and I shall thus be obliged to enter into political questions of the
greatest importance to the kingdom, which might be wearisome to any
one less intelligent than you are. When you have heard me, I hope you
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum: and laden with golden dishes. But there was no
food upon the table, nor anything else except a
pitcher of water, a bundle of weeds and a handful
of pebbles. But the Giantess poured some water into
her coffee-pot, patted it once or twice with her hand,
and then poured out a cupful of steaming hot coffee.
"Would you like some?" she asked Woot.
He was suspicious of magic coffee, but it smelled so
good that he could not resist it; so he answered: "If
you please, Madam."
The Giantess poured out another cup and set it on the
The Tin Woodman of Oz |
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 Lock and Key Library by Julian Hawthorne, Ed.: name, is the meaning of this?" It was a watchman belonging to our
district. I knew his voice, he knew mine, and he replied in great
agitation:
"It is another murder, sir, at the old town councilor's, Albernass;
and this time they have made a clear house of it."
"God preserve us! Has a curse been pronounced upon this city?
What can be done? What are the magistrates going to do?"
"I don't know, sir. I have orders to run to the Black Friars,
where another meeting is gathering. Shall I say you will attend,
sir?"
"Yes--no--stop a little. No matter, you may go on; I'll follow
|
