| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Virginibus Puerisque by Robert Louis Stevenson: marines, who cannot read and knows nothing of past history
beyond the reminiscences of his grandmother? But whichever
supposition you make, the fact is unchanged. They died while
the question still hung in the balance; and I suppose their
bones were already white, before the winds and the waves and
the humour of Indian chiefs and Spanish governors had decided
whether they were to be unknown and useless martyrs or
honoured heroes. Indeed, I believe this is the lesson: if it
is for fame that men do brave actions, they are only silly
fellows after all.
It is at best but a pettifogging, pickthank business to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Under the Andes by Rex Stout: was slow; the guide was continually turning to beckon us on with
gestures of impatience.
At length he halted and stood facing us. The guard that
followed gathered close in the rear, the guide made a curious
upward movement with his arm, and when we stood motionless repeated
it several times.
"I suppose he wants us to fly," said Harry with so genuine a
tone of sarcasm that I gave an involuntary smile.
The guide's meaning was soon evident. It took some seconds
for my eye to penetrate the darkness, and then I saw a spiral stair
ascending perpendicularly, apparently carved from the solid rock.
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