| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: every year at the Ursuline convent. More than that, the good Mother,
without giving any explanation, intimates that she has a lever of some
kind on the Comte de Gondreville known to herself only; in fact, the
life of that old regicide--turned senator, then count of the Empire,
then peer of France under two dynasties--has wormed itself through too
many tortuous underground ways not to allow us to suppose the
existence of secrets he might not care to have unmasked.
Now Gondreville is Grevin,--his confidant, and, as they say, his tool,
his catspaw for the last fifty years. But even supposing that by an
utter impossibility their close union should, under present
circumstances, be sundered, we are certainly sure of Achille Pigoult,
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Elizabeth and her German Garden by Marie Annette Beauchamp: if she could, in intelligent conversation, went with them
into the garden to study their ways when they were sleighing,
drawn by a big dog, and generally made their lives a burden to them.
This went on for three days, and then she settled down to write
the result with the Man of Wrath's typewriter, borrowed whenever
her notes for any chapter have reached the state of ripeness
necessary for the process she describes as "throwing into form."
She writes everything with a typewriter, even her private letters.
"Don't forget to put in something about a mother's knee," said Irais;
"you can't write effectively about children without that." <187>
"Oh, of course I shall mention that," replied Minora.
Elizabeth and her German Garden |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: evening you detect her gazing fixedly at a middle-aged man wearing a
decoration, who bows and goes out. She has ordered her carriage, and
goes.
"You are not the rose, but you have been with the rose, and you go to
bed under the golden canopy of a delicious dream, which will last
perhaps after Sleep, with his heavy finger, has opened the ivory gates
of the temple of dreams.
"The lady, when she is at home, sees no one before four; she is shrewd
enough always to keep you waiting. In her house you will find
everything in good taste; her luxury is for hourly use, and duly
renewed; you will see nothing under glass shades, no rags of wrappings
|
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 Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: stones be made loaves.' In that place, upon the hill, was wont to
be a fair church; but it is all destroyed, so that there is now but
an hermitage, that a manner of Christian men hold, that be clept
Georgians, for Saint George converted them. Upon that hill dwelt
Abraham a great while, and therefore men clepe it Abraham's Garden.
And between the hill and this garden runneth a little brook of
water that was wont to be bitter; but, by the blessing of Elisha
the prophet, it became sweet and good to drink. And at the foot of
this hill, toward the plain, is a great well, that entereth into
from Jordan.
From that hill to Jericho, that I spake of before, is but a mile in
|
