| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Passion in the Desert by Honore de Balzac: the day he had familiarized himself with his perilous position; he now
almost liked the painfulness of it. At last his companion had got into
the habit of looking up at him whenever he cried in a falsetto voice,
"Mignonne."
At the setting of the sun Mignonne gave, several times running, a
profound melancholy cry. "She's been well brought up," said the
lighthearted soldier; "she says her prayers." But this mental joke
only occurred to him when he noticed what a pacific attitude his
companion remained in. "Come, ma petite blonde, I'll let you go to bed
first," he said to her, counting on the activity of his own legs to
run away as quickly as possible, directly she was asleep, and seek
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: knew without feeling it. She did not have to feel it as she had
felt the dress.
Bessie Bell looked and thought. She thought this lady looked like a
Sister--and yet there was a difference. She looked also like Just-
A-Lady, and she also looked grand and important enough for a Mama.
Bessie Bell looked and thought, but she could not tell just exactly
what this lady was.
It was best that she should ask, and then she would surely know.
So she asked: ``Are vou a Lady, ma'am?''
``I hope so, little girl,'' the lady said.
``I thought, maybe, you were a Sister,'' said Bessie Bell.
|
