| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bab:A Sub-Deb, Mary Roberts Rinehart by Mary Roberts Rinehart: put my things in on top of the masculine articles, not daring to
leave any of them in the closet, owing to house-cleaning, which is
always done before our return in the fall.
On the train I had a very unpleasant experience, due to Sis opening
my Suitcase to look for a magazine, and drawing out a soiled
gentleman's coller. She gave me a very peircing Glance, but said
nothing and at the next opportunity I threw it out of a window,
concealed in a newspaper.
We now approach the Catastrofe. My book on playwriting divides
plays into Introduction, Development, Crisis, Denouement and
Catastrofe. And so one may devide life. In my case the Cinder
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: tion when we sighted them this time than on the
occasion following the tempest. Now they were moving
rapidly in pursuit of us, all well within the radius
of a mile. Five of them were leading, all abreast, and
were scarce two hundred yards from us. When I glanced
over my shoulder I could see that the archers had
already fitted arrows to their bows in readiness to fire
upon us the moment that they should draw within
range.
Hope was low in my breast. I could not see the
slightest chance of escaping them, for they were over-
Pellucidar |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner: we pull the green leaves softly into pieces to see the silk threads run
across.
Beyond the kopje grow some pale-green, hairy-leaved bushes. We are so
small, they meet over our head, and we sit among them, and kiss them, and
they love us back; it seems as though they were alive.
One day we sit there and look up at the blue sky, and down at our fat
little knees; and suddenly it strikes us, Who are we? This I, what is it?
We try to look in upon ourselves, and ourself beats back upon ourself.
Then we get up in great fear and run home as hard as we can. We can't tell
any one what frightened us. We never quite lose that feeling of self
again.
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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 Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: he had fallen; but presently the ashes cleared away, and I saw him
standing safely on the lava rim that surrounds the crater.
Now, I thought, he will surely make a stand, for could he have
found courage it had been easy for him to kill me with his sword,
which he still wore, as I climbed from the ice to the hot lava. It
seemed that he thought of it, for he turned and glared at me like a
devil, then went on again, leaving me wondering where he believed
that he would find refuge. Some three hundred paces from the edge
of the ice, the smoke and steam of the crater rose into the air,
and between the two was lava so hot that in places it was difficult
to walk upon it. Across this bed, that trembled as I passed over
Montezuma's Daughter |
