| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Village Rector by Honore de Balzac: swollen by the water of the rains, now formed three ponds in the
valley of the Gabou, carefully placed at different levels so as to
create a steady reserve in case of a severe drought. At certain places
where the valley widened Gerard had taken advantage of a few hillocks
to make islands and plant them with trees of varied foliage. These
vast operations completely changed the face of the country; but five
or six years were of course needed to bring out their full character.
"The country was naked," said Farrabesche, "and madame has clothed
it."
Since these great undertakings were begun, Veronique had been called
"Madame" throughout the whole neighborhood. When the rains ceased in
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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 Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson: first interview made a mystery that was beyond my plummet. One thing I
learned long after, the hours of the Sunday had been well employed, the
bank porter had been found and examined, my visit to Charles Stewart
was discovered, and the deduction made that I was pretty deep with
James and Alan, and most likely in a continued correspondence with the
last. Hence this broad hint that was given me across the harpsichord.
In the midst of the piece of music, one of the younger misses, who was
at a window over the close, cried on her sisters to come quick, for
there was "GREY EYES again." The whole family trooped there at once,
and crowded one another for a look. The window whither they ran was in
an odd corner of that room, gave above the entrance door, and flanked
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