| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: never to have existed in the country where one of the greatest
citizens that France has ever known ruined himself to keep six
thousand weavers in work without orders. Richard Lenoir fed them, and
the government was thickheaded enough to allow him to suffer from the
fall of the prices of textile fabrics brought about by the Revolution
of 1814. Richard Lenoir is the one case of a merchant that deserves a
statue. And yet the subscription set on foot for him has no
subscribers, while the fund for General Foy's children reached a
million francs. Lyons has drawn her own conclusions; she knows France,
she knows that there is no religion left. The story of Richard Lenoir
is one of those blunders which Fouche condemned as worse than a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: called to the servants to come and shut the door."
As is my habit, or my weakness, or my gift, I don't know which, I
visualized the story for myself. I really can't help it. And the
vision of Mrs. Fyne dressed for a rather special afternoon function,
engaged in wrestling with a wild-eyed, white-faced girl had a
certain dramatic fascination.
"Really!" I murmured.
"Oh! There's no doubt that she struggled," said Mrs. Fyne. She
compressed her lips for a moment and then added: "As to her being a
comedian that's another question."
Mrs. Fyne had returned to her attitude of folded arms. I saw before
Chance |
