| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: the health of my crew must be my excuse. The ac-
tion itself, when it came, was purely impulsive. It
was set in movement quite undiplomatically and
simply by Falk's appearance in the doorway.
The room was full by then and buzzing with
voices. I had been looked at with curiosity by
every one, but how am I to describe the sensation
produced by the appearance of Falk himself block-
ing the doorway? The tension of expectation
could be measured by the profundity of the silence
that fell upon the very click of the billiard balls.
Falk |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: Saxon: "'Ware New Forest arrows! 'Ware Red William's
arrow!" so I judged it time to end the jests, and when the boys saw
my old mail gown (for, to shoot with strangers I count the same
as war), they ceased shooting. So that was smoothed over, and we
gave our beaters ale to wash down their anger. They were
excusable! We - they had sweated to show our guests good sport,
and our reward was a flight of hunting-arrows which no man
loves, and worse, a churl's jibe over hard-fought, fair-lost
Hastings fight. So, before the next beat, Hugh and I assembled and
called the beaters over by name, to steady them. The greater part
we knew, but among the Netherfield men I saw an old, old man,
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