| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic: with its ruling note of joy only heightened by soft,
wooing interludes, and here and there the tremor of a fond,
timid little sob.
Theron turned away irresolutely, half frightened at the
undreamt-of impression this music was making upon him.
Then, all at once, he wheeled and stepped boldly into
the porch, pushing the inner door open and hearing it
rustle against its leathern frame as it swung to behind him.
He had never been inside a Catholic church before.
CHAPTER IX
Jeremiah Madden was supposed to be probably the richest
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas: flowers."
"It is, indeed, a feast in which flowers play a principal
part."
"Oh, the sweet scents! oh, the beautiful colours!" cried
Cornelius.
"Stop, that the gentleman may see," said the officer, with
that frank kindliness which is peculiar to military men, to
the soldier who was acting as postilion.
"Oh, thank you, Sir, for your kindness," replied Van Baerle,
in a melancholy tone; "the joy of others pains me; please
spare me this pang."
The Black Tulip |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde: night, and the wind was blowing and roaring round the house so
terribly that at first he thought it was merely the storm. But a
second rap came, and then a third, louder than any of the others.
"'It is some poor traveller,' said little Hans to himself, and he
ran to the door.
"There stood the Miller with a lantern in one hand and a big stick
in the other.
"'Dear little Hans,' cried the Miller, 'I am in great trouble. My
little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I am going
for the Doctor. But he lives so far away, and it is such a bad
night, that it has just occurred to me that it would be much better
|
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 Snow Image by Nathaniel Hawthorne: indistinct shapes of the neighboring mountains; and, in the upper
sky, there was a flitting congregation of clouds, still faintly
tinged with the rosy sunset, though thus far down into the valley
the sunshine had vanished long and long ago
The little boy now crept still closer to his father, as footsteps
were heard ascending the hill-side, and a human form thrust aside
the bushes that clustered beneath the trees.
"Halloo! who is it?" cried the lime-burner, vexed at his son's
timidity, yet half infected by it. "Come forward, and show
yourself, like a man, or I'll fling this chunk of marble at your
head!"
The Snow Image |
