| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: measure. But now this girl threatened to wreck his scheme just as
it was being safely steered to harbour. Suddenly he swung round,
interrupting her.
"Lies, lies, lies!" he clamoured, and his interruption coming at
such a time served to impress the Duke most unfavourably - as well
it might.
"It is our wish to hear this lady out, Mr. Trenchard," the Duke
reproved him.
But Mr. Trenchard was undismayed. Indeed, he had just discovered
a hitherto neglected card, which should put an end to this dangerous
game.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: The doctor poured something into her mouth, but all that I heard was,
`She is not dead.' Then I was led off by a man to a little distance.
After awhile she was taken to the carriage, and we came home together.
I heard my master say to a gentleman who stopped him to inquire,
that he hoped no bones were broken, but that she had not spoken yet."
When Lord George took Ginger for hunting, York shook his head;
he said it ought to be a steady hand to train a horse for the first season,
and not a random rider like Lord George.
Ginger used to like it very much, but sometimes when she came back
I could see that she had been very much strained, and now and then
she gave a short cough. She had too much spirit to complain,
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: polite a fashion, that the lass got up; not without making those
little excuses and grimaces that they all make when one invites them
to eat, or to take what they like. The sheep paired off with the
shepherd, the mule jogged along after the fashion of mules, while the
girl slipped now this way now that, riding so uncomfortably that the
priest pointed out to her, after leaving Ballan, that she had better
hold on to him; and immediately my lady put her plump arms around the
waist of her cavalier, in a modest and timorous manner.
"There, you don't slip about now. Are you comfortable?" said the
vicar.
"Yes, I am comfortable. Are you?"
Droll Stories, V. 1 |
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 Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: the day after his inauguration, it was practically the one he had
in his mind from the beginning.
A President is elected by popular vote early in November, but he
is not inaugurated until the following fourth of March. Until the
day of his inauguration, when he takes the oath of office and
begins to discharge his duties, he is not only not President--he
has no more power in the affairs of the Government than the
humblest private citizen. It is easy to imagine the anxieties and
misgivings that beset Mr. Lincoln during the four long months
that lay between his election and his inauguration. True to their
threats never to endure the rule of a "Black Republican"
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