| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: The complicated simpleton. He had an awful awakening though."
In such words did Professor Moorsom give his "young friend" to
understand the state of his feelings toward the lost man. It was
evident that the father of Miss Moorsom wished him to remain lost.
Perhaps the unprecedented heat of the season made him long for the
cool spaces of the Pacific, the sweep of the ocean's free wind
along the promenade decks, cumbered with long chairs, of a ship
steaming towards the Californian coast. To Renouard the
philosopher appeared simply the most treacherous of fathers. He
was amazed. But he was not at the end of his discoveries.
"He may be dead," the professor murmured.
Within the Tides |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Touchstone by Edith Wharton: Glennard, with a shrug, withdrew into the study. "I'm going to
shut the door; I want to be quiet," he explained from the
threshold; and she nodded without lifting her eyes from the book.
He sank into a chair, staring aimlessly at the outspread papers.
How was he to work, while on the other side of the door she sat
with that volume in her hand? The door did not shut her out--he
saw her distinctly, felt her close to him in a contact as painful
as the pressure on a bruise.
The sensation was part of the general strangeness that made him
feel like a man waking from a long sleep to find himself in an
unknown country among people of alien tongue. We live in our own
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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 American by Henry James: with his eyes closed--a figure very shocking to Newman,
who had seen it hitherto awake to its finger tips.
M. de Grosjoyaux's colleague pointed to an open door beyond,
and whispered that the doctor was within, keeping guard.
So long as Valentin slept, or seemed to sleep, of course Newman
could not approach him; so our hero withdrew for the present,
committing himself to the care of the half-waked bonne.
She took him to a room above-stairs, and introduced him
to a bed on which a magnified bolster, in yellow calico,
figured as a counterpane. Newman lay down, and, in spite
of his counterpane, slept for three or four hours.
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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 The Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: of his name; thus preferring his happiness to her own, and sacrificing
her future to his interests,--for it was not to be supposed that
Mademoiselle de Temninck would marry late in life and without property
when, young and wealthy, she had met with no aspirant.
A few days later, Balthazar Claes made the acquaintance of
Mademoiselle de Temninck; with whom he fell deeply in love. At first,
Josephine de Temninck thought herself the object of a mere caprice,
and refused to listen to Monsieur Claes; but passion is contagious;
and to a poor girl who was lame and ill-made, the sense of inspiring
love in a young and handsome man carries with it such strong seduction
that she finally consented to allow him to woo her.
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