| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart: fight again for Dick.
"But they let him go," she protested. "Men do shoot in the West,
don't they? There must have been a reason for it. You know Dick
as well as I do. He couldn't do a wrong thing."
He let that pass. "Nothing was done about it at the time," he said.
"And Dick came here and lived his useful life among us. He wouldn't
have known the man's name if he heard it. But do you see,
sweetheart, where this is taking us? He went back, and they tried
to get him, for a thing he didn't remember doing."
"Father!" she said, and went very white. "Is that where he is?
In prison?"
The Breaking Point |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Z. Marcas by Honore de Balzac: strong nature, my ideas, would work like poison in you; twice you have
tricked me, twice have I overthrown you. If we unite a third time, it
must be a very serious matter. I should kill myself if I allowed
myself to be duped; for I should be to blame, not you."
Then we heard the humblest entreaties, the most fervent adjuration,
not to deprive the country of such superior talents. The man spoke of
patriotism, and Marcas uttered a significant "/Ouh! ouh!/" He laughed
at his would-be patron. Then the statesman was more explicit; he bowed
to the superiority of his erewhile counselor; he pledged himself to
enable Marcas to remain in office, to be elected deputy; then he
offered him a high appointment, promising him that he, the speaker,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Egmont by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: thou make that proud remark in reference to thyself? Thou, whom all the
people love?
Egmont. Would that I had done something for them! That I could do
anything for them! It is their own good pleasure to love me.
Clara. Thou hast doubtless been with the Regent to-day?
Egmont. I have.
Clara. Art thou upon good terms with her?
Egmont So it would appear. We are kind and serviceable to each other.
Clara. And in thy heart?
Egmont. I like her. True, we have each our own views; but that is nothing
to the purpose. She is an excellent woman, knows with whom she has to
Egmont |
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 When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: walking down the path on the cliff face, and, standing below,
made salutations and entered into a conversation with us of which
I give the substance--that is, so far as we could understand it.
He reproached us for not having come to him as he expected we
would do. We replied that we preferred to remain where we were
until we were sure of our greeting and asked him what was the
position. He explained that only once before, in the time of his
grandfather, had any people reached their shores, also during a
great storm as we had done. They were dark-skinned men like
themselves, three of them, but whence they came was never known,
since they were at once seized and sacrificed to the god Oro,
When the World Shook |
