| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: covering him with a shawl, then poured the coffee from the earthenware jug
into the saucepan, and set it on the spirit lamp to boil.
"I'm sleepy," nodded the Child-Who-Was-Tired, kneeling on the floor and
splitting the damp pine logs into little chips. "That's why I'm not
awake."
The oven took a long time to light. Perhaps it was cold, like herself, and
sleepy...Perhaps it had been dreaming of a little white road with black
trees on either side, a little road that led to nowhere.
Then the door was pulled violently open and the Man strode in.
"Here, what are you doing, sitting on the floor?" he shouted. "Give me my
coffee. I've got to be off. Ugh! You haven't even washed over 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 Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: stood speechless, having nothing but a few weak and rotten shreds
of argument in reply. But the king's son rejoiced in spirit and
with glad countenance magnified the Lord, who had made a path,
where no path was, for them tat trusted in him, who by the mouth
of a foeman and enemy was establishing the truth; and the leader
of error had proved a defender of the right cause.
But the king, although furiously enraged with Nachor, was
nevertheless unable to do him any mischief, because of the
proclamation already read before all, wherein he urged him to
plead without fear in behalf of the Christians. So he himself
made answer in many words, and by dark speeches hinted that
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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 Tattine by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]: rake and looked significantly towards the barn; "somebody who lives in the
barn, I'm thinkin'."
"Why, Joseph would not do it, nor Philip the groom, and little Joey is too
small to climb these trees."
"It's something smaller than Joey, miss. Whisht now, and see if she's not up
to mischief this minute."
Tattine's little black-and-white kitten, whose home was in the barn, had been
frisking about her feet during all the raking, but as the raking came under
the apple-trees, other thoughts came into her little black-and-white head, and
there she was stealthily clawing her way up the nearest tree. Tattine stood
aghast, but Patrick's "whisht" kept her still for a moment, while the cat made
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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 Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: candidacy in the warmest terms; and it seems that this evening, in the
house of the Minister of the Interior, where Monsieur de l'Estorade
was dining, I was discussed at some length. I ought to add that,
according to Monsieur de l'Estorade, the general impression is that I
shall certainly fail of election. The ministry might possibly fear a
candidate from the Left centre; but as for the democratic party to
which I am supposed to belong, they do not even allow that it exists.
The Left centre candidate has, however, been disposed of by a
ministerial envoy of the ablest and most active description, and at
this moment, when I set off my small balloon, the election of the
Conservative candidate is pretty well assured.
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