| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Case of The Lamp That Went Out by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: the same woman, for they were different in appearance."
"He was never seen anywhere with other men?"
"No, sir; at least not by any of us."
"He was not liked in the office?"
"No." Bormann's answer was sharp.
"For what reason?"
"I don't know; we just didn't like him. We had very little to do
with him at first because of this, and soon we noticed that he
seemed just as anxious to avoid us as we were to avoid him."
The commissioner rose and Bormann followed his example. "I am very
sorry, sir, if I have taken up your time to no purpose," said the
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin: of the inhabitants if they knew where it laid its eggs:
they said that they knew nothing of its propagation, although
well acquainted with the eggs of the land kind -- a fact,
considering how very common this lizard is, not a little
extraordinary.
We will now turn to the terrestrial species (A. Demarlii),
with a round tail, and toes without webs. This lizard,
instead of being found like the other on all the islands, is
confined to the central part of the archipelago, namely to
Albemarle, James, Barrington, and Indefatigable islands. To
the southward, in Charles, Hood, and Chatham islands, and
The Voyage of the Beagle |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: affections had fastened upon one special symbol of his passion. The
sight of gold, the possession of gold, had become a monomania. His
despotic spirit had grown in proportion to his avarice, and to part
with the control of the smallest fraction of his property at the death
of his wife seemed to him a thing "against nature." To declare his
fortune to his daughter, to give an inventory of his property, landed
and personal, for the purposes of division--
"Why," he cried aloud in the midst of a field where he was pretending
to examine a vine, "it would be cutting my throat!"
He came at last to a decision, and returned to Saumur in time for
dinner, resolved to unbend to Eugenie, and pet and coax her, that he
Eugenie Grandet |
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 Tales of Unrest by Joseph Conrad: him something that I shall really miss."
He took the ribbon out of the box, smiled at it scornfully, then with
a pair of scissors cut out a piece from the palm of the glove.
"I shall make him a thing like those Italian peasants wear, you know."
He sewed the coin in the delicate leather, sewed the leather to the
ribbon, tied the ends together. He worked with haste. Karain watched
his fingers all the time.
"Now then," he said--then stepped up to Karain. They looked close into
one another's eyes. Those of Karain stared in a lost glance, but
Hollis's seemed to grow darker and looked out masterful and
compelling. They were in violent contrast together--one motionless and
Tales of Unrest |
