| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Where There's A Will by Mary Roberts Rinehart: came over to me.
"There is going to be an awful fuss, Minnie," she said. "Think
of Aunt Honoria--and Oskar!"
"Let them fuss!" I said grandly. "If the worst comes, you can
spend your honeymoon in the shelter-house. I'm so used to
carrying meals there now that it's second nature."
And at that they both made for me, and as Mr. Pierce kissed me
Doctor Barnes opened the door. He stood for a moment, looking
queer and wild, and then he slammed the door and we heard him
stamping down the steps.
Mr. Pierce had to bring him back.
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson: as usual, a clear account of how you came into the possession of
the object?' he continued. 'Still your uncle's cabinet? A
remarkable collector, sir!'
And the little pale, round-shouldered dealer stood almost on tip-
toe, looking over the top of his gold spectacles, and nodding his
head with every mark of disbelief. Markheim returned his gaze with
one of infinite pity, and a touch of horror.
'This time,' said he, 'you are in error. I have not come to sell,
but to buy. I have no curios to dispose of; my uncle's cabinet is
bare to the wainscot; even were it still intact, I have done well
on the Stock Exchange, and should more likely add to it than
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Case of the Registered Letter by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: "H'm!" Muller and the commissioner exchanged glances.
"I think we can venture to hear more of this," said the commissioner,
as if in answer to their unspoken thought. "Can you give us the
details now, Madam? Who is, or rather who was, this John Siders?"
"John Siders came to our village a little over a year ago," continued
Miss Graumann. "He came from Chicago; he told us, although he was
evidently a German by birth. He bought a nice little piece of
property, not far from our home, and settled down there. He was a
quiet man and made few friends, but he seemed to take to Albert and
came to see us frequently. Albert had spent some years in America,
in Chicago, and Siders liked to talk to him about things and people
|
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 Daisy Miller by Henry James: Mr. Miller wanted Daisy to see Europe for herself. But I wrote to
Mr. Miller that it seems as if I couldn't get on without Dr. Davis.
At Schenectady he stands at the very top; and there's a great deal
of sickness there, too. It affects my sleep."
Winterbourne had a good deal of pathological gossip with Dr. Davis's patient,
during which Daisy chattered unremittingly to her own companion.
The young man asked Mrs. Miller how she was pleased with Rome.
"Well, I must say I am disappointed," she answered. "We had heard so much
about it; I suppose we had heard too much. But we couldn't help that.
We had been led to expect something different."
"Ah, wait a little, and you will become very fond of it," said Winterbourne.
|
