| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs: snake heads were split with gaping mouths bristling
with countless fangs. There were huge tortoises too,
paddling about among these other reptiles, which Perry
said were Plesiosaurs of the Lias. I didn't question his
veracity--they might have been most anything.
Dian told me they were tandorazes, or tandors of the sea,
and that the other, and more fearsome reptiles, which occasionally
rose from the deep to do battle with them, were azdyryths,
or sea-dyryths--Perry called them Ichthyosaurs.
They resembled a whale with the head of an alligator.
I had forgotten what little geology I had studied
At the Earth's Core |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: returned Herbert.
"It is more than probable, my boy; for if their stay was prolonged, and
above all, if they were still here, some accident would have at last
betrayed their presence."
"But if they were able to go away," observed the lad, "they could not
have been castaways."
"No, Herbert; or, at least, they were what might be called provisional
castaways. It is very possible that a storm may have driven them to the
island without destroying their vessel, and that, the storm over, they went
away again."
"I must acknowledge one thing," said Herbert, "it is that Captain Harding
The Mysterious Island |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: almost. "Yes! Himself, his wife, four children
--one cabin might do. Whereas if his niece
went . . ."
"And what does Mrs. Hermann say to it?" I
inquired.
Mrs. Hermann did not know whether a man of
that sort could make a girl happy--she had been
greatly deceived in Captain Falk. She had been
very upset last night.
Those good people did not seem to be able to re-
tain an impression for a whole twelve hours. I
Falk |
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 Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: be sure; but you could always go where you had come from, Billy seemed
to think. He asked, "How about Cambridge and a little Oscar to finish
off with?" Bertie frowned. This would be failure. Was Billy willing
to go back and face John the successful?
"It would only cost me five dollars," said Billy.
"Ten," Bertie corrected. He recalled to Billy the matter about the
landlady's hair.
"By Jove, that's so!" cried Billy, brightening. It seemed conclusive.
But he grew cloudy again the next moment. He was of opinion that one
could go too far in a thing.
"Where's your sand?" said Bertie.
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