| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Cousin Betty by Honore de Balzac: which any enriched tradesman could have procured for money; but he
also noted such treasures as only princes can select and find, can pay
for and give away; two pictures by Greuze, two by Watteau, two heads
by Vandyck, two landscapes by Ruysdael, and two by le Guaspre, a
Rembrandt, a Holbein, a Murillo, and a Titian, two paintings, by
Teniers, and a pair by Metzu, a Van Huysum, and an Abraham Mignon--in
short, two hundred thousand francs' worth of pictures superbly framed.
The gilding was worth almost as much as the paintings.
"Ah, ha! Now you understand, my good man?" said Josepha.
She had stolen in on tiptoe through a noiseless door, over Persian
carpets, and came upon her adorer, standing lost in amazement--in the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Pathology of Lying, Etc. by William and Mary Healy: environment. His wonderful ability to get out of trouble is
evidence of these powers of adjustment, as is also, perhaps, his
keen sensing of the utility of the shadier sides of politics and
criminal procedure.
In work with numbers Adolf is still very poor. He is unable to
do long division or multiplication, and cannot add together
simple fractions. Addition he does much better, but even at his
best he makes errors in columns where he has to add five
numerals. He now can do simple subtraction such as is required
in making change, but fails on such a problem as how much change
he should get from $20 after buying goods costing $11.37. His
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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 The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: And I knew then that the First Born had stolen it from the
ships of Helium, for only they are thus geared. And I knew
too that Xodar spoke the truth when he lauded the speed of
his little craft, for nothing that cleaves the thin air
of Mars can approximate the speed of the ships of Helium.
We decided to wait for an hour at least until all the stragglers
had sought their silks. In the meantime I was to fetch the red
youth to our cell so that we would be in readiness to make our
rash break for freedom together.
I sprang to the top of our partition wall and pulled myself
up on to it. There I found a flat surface about a foot in
The Gods of Mars |
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 Cruise of the Jasper B. by Don Marquis: be quite in order for both principals."
Loge broke in quickly, with studied insolence: "I object to the
delay. Mr. Cleggett might find some excuse for changing his mind
overnight. Let us, if you please, begin at once."
"It was not I who suggested the delay," said Cleggett, haughtily.
"Then give us the pistols," cried Loge, with a sudden, grim
ferocity in his voice, "and let's make an end of it!"
"We fight with swords," said Cleggett. "I am the challenged
party."
"Ho! Swords!" cried Loge, with a harsh, jarring laugh. "A bout
with the rapiers, man to man, eh? Come, this is better and
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