| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: partner. You see how far he carried his spite."
"But he said all the good he could of you Simon," said Katy. "He
said you were honest and did your work well."
"Can a nuisance be honest, and do work well? Hath not a Jew
eyes?" queried Mr. Simon, with dramatic fervor.
"He didn't say anything about Jews."
"I was quoting Shakspeare, the immortal bard of Avon. Katy, Sands
knew that I was securing the respect and esteem of all his
customers; and he knew very well if I should step into a rival
establishment, I should take half his trade with me," continued
the injured Sneed.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence: like an ordinary tree, with fidgety leaves and jolly---"
He got tangled up in his own speech; but she brooded on it,
and he had a strange, roused sensation, as if his feelings were new.
She got so near him. It was a strange stimulant.
Then sometimes he hated her. Her youngest brother was only five.
He was a frail lad, with immense brown eyes in his quaint fragile
face--one of Reynolds's "Choir of Angels", with a touch of elf.
Often Miriam kneeled to the child and drew him to her.
"Eh, my Hubert!" she sang, in a voice heavy and surcharged
with love. "Eh, my Hubert!"
And, folding him in her arms, she swayed slightly from side
Sons and Lovers |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from In the Cage by Henry James: by no means quite nice. It would seem, mystifyingly, that it might
really come from all the greatness she could live with. It was
fine to hear her talk so often of dinners of twenty and of her
doing, as she said, exactly as she liked with them. She spoke as
if, for that matter, she invited the company. "They simply give me
the table--all the rest, all the other effects, come afterwards."
CHAPTER VII
"Then you DO see them?" the girl again asked.
Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous
before. "Do you mean the guests?"
Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence,
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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 Salome by Oscar Wilde: C'est un lache. Aussi il me doit de l'argent qu'il ne veut pas
payer. Il a meme insulte mes ambassadeurs. Il a dit des choses
tres blessantes. Mais Cesar le crucifiera quand il viendra e Rome.
Je suis sur que Cesar le crucifiera. Sinon il mourra mange des
vers. Le prophete l'a predit. Eh bien! Salome, qu'attendez-vous?
SALOME. J'attends que mes esclaves m'apportent des parfums et les
sept voiles et m'otent mes sandales.
[Les esclaves apportent des parfums et les sept voiles et otent les
sandales de Salome.]
HERODE. Ah! vous allez danser pieds nus! C'est bien! C'est bien!
Vos petits pieds seront comme des colombes blanches. Ils
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