| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: silk embroidered heavily on the edges and ends, and begged her to
put it over her head and arrange the ends so as to muffle her
face, leaving little more than her eyes exposed to view.--"We are
going amongst a lot of Mohammedans," he explained. --"I see. You
want me to look respectable," she jested.--"I assure you, Mrs.
Travers," he protested, earnestly, "that most of the people there
and certainly all the great men have never seen a white woman in
their lives. But perhaps you would like better one of those other
scarves? There are three in there."--"No, I like this one well
enough. They are all very gorgeous. I see that the Princess is to
be sent back to her land with all possible splendour. What a
The Rescue |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: that they wished to starve him to death as they had starved
the Marechal Ornano and the Grand Prior of Vendome; but he
refused to promise that he would not make any more drawings
and remained without any fire in the room all the winter.
His next act was to purchase a dog from one of his keepers.
With this animal, which he called Pistache, he was often
shut up for hours alone, superintending, as every one
supposed, its education. At last, when Pistache was
sufficiently well trained, Monsieur de Beaufort invited the
governor and officers of Vincennes to attend a
representation which he was going to have in his apartment
Twenty Years After |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Travels with a Donkey in the Cevenne by Robert Louis Stevenson: offended, until he had satisfied his mirth; and then, 'You must
have no pity on these animals,' said he; and, plucking a switch out
of a thicket, he began to lace Modestine about the stern-works,
uttering a cry. The rogue pricked up her ears and broke into a
good round pace, which she kept up without flagging, and without
exhibiting the least symptom of distress, as long as the peasant
kept beside us. Her former panting and shaking had been, I regret
to say, a piece of comedy.
My DEUS EX MACHINA, before he left me, supplied some excellent, if
inhumane, advice; presented me with the switch, which he declared
she would feel more tenderly than my cane; and finally taught me
|
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 Blue Flower by Henry van Dyke: both his brethren, gave a terrible shout, and rode at Martimor
like a wood lion. But he fended with his shield that the
spear went aside, and they clapped together like thunder, and
both horses were overthrown. And lightly they avoided their
horses and rushed together, tracing, rasing, and foining.
Such strokes they gave that great pieces were clipped away
from their hauberks, and their helms, and they staggered to
and fro like drunken men. Then they hurtled together like
rams and each battered other the wind out of his body. So
they sat either on one side of the bridge, to take their
breath, glaring the one at the other as two owls. Then they
|
