| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lay Morals by Robert Louis Stevenson: As a matter of experience, and in nine hundred and ninety-
nine cases out of a thousand, he will instil into his wide-
eyed brat three bad things: the terror of public opinion,
and, flowing from that as a fountain, the desire of wealth
and applause. Besides these, or what might be deduced as
corollaries from these, he will teach not much else of any
effective value: some dim notions of divinity, perhaps, and
book-keeping, and how to walk through a quadrille.
But, you may tell me, the young people are taught to be
Christians. It may be want of penetration, but I have not
yet been able to perceive it. As an honest man, whatever we
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Schoolmistress and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov: bribed the police and the doctors, and they gave her a paper to
say her son had done it when delirious, not knowing what he was
doing. You can do anything with money. So he had a funeral with
priests and every honor, the music played, and he was buried in
the church; for the deceased General had built that church with
his own money, and all his family were buried there. Only this
is what happened, friends. One month passed, and then another,
and it was all right. In the third month they informed the
General's lady that the watchmen had come from that same church.
What did they want? They were brought to her, they fell at her
feet. 'We can't go on serving, your excellency,' they said. 'Look
The Schoolmistress and Other Stories |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: miles that I have travelled, the strange bed-fellows with which I
have been made acquainted, I lack the requisite literary talent to
make clear to your imagination. I speak of bed-fellows; pocket-
fellows would be a more exact expression, for the place of my abode
is in my master's righthand trouser-pocket; and there, as he waded
on the resounding beaches of Nukahiva, or in the shallow tepid
water on the reef of Fakarava, I have been overwhelmed by and
buried among all manner of abominable South Sea shells, beautiful
enough in their way, I make no doubt, but singular company for any
self-respecting paper-cutter. He, my master - or as I more justly
call him, my bearer; for although I occasionally serve him, does
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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 The Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson: heels in love with you.'
'Sir,' said I, 'I am prepared to be misjudged; but while I
continue to accept your hospitality that fact alone should be
enough to protect me from insult.'
'Pardon me,' said he: 'I offer you marriage.' And leaning
back in his chair he replaced his cigar between his lips.
I own I was confounded by an offer, not only so unprepared,
but couched in terms so singular. But he knew very well how
to obtain his purposes, for he was not only handsome in
person, but his very coolness had a charm; and to make a long
story short, a fortnight later I became the wife of the
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