| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: marquis," she said, in a guttural voice which haughtily challenged
condemnation, "know this; I am a dishonored creature, unworthy of you.
From this hour I accept my fate as a lost woman. I am weary of playing
a part,--the part of a woman to whom you had brought back the
sanctities of her soul. Virtue is a burden to me. I should despise you
if you were weak enough to marry me. The Comte de Bauvan might commit
that folly, but you--you must be worthy of your future and leave me
without regret. A courtesan is too exacting; I should not love you
like the simple, artless girl who felt for a moment the delightful
hope of being your companion, of making you happy, of doing you honor,
of becoming a noble wife. But I gather from that futile hope the
The Chouans |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Fisherman's Luck by Henry van Dyke: the smudge, known in Lower Canada as LA BOUCANE. The smudge owes
its existence to the pungent mosquito, the sanguinary black-fly, and
the peppery midge,--LE MARINGOUIN, LA MOUSTIQUE, ET LE BRULOT. To
what it owes its English name I do not know; but its French name
means simply a thick, nauseating, intolerable smoke.
The smudge is called into being for the express purpose of creating
a smoke of this kind, which is as disagreeable to the mosquito, the
black-fly, and the midge as it is to the man whom they are
devouring. But the man survives the smoke, while the insects
succumb to it, being destroyed or driven away. Therefore the
smudge, dark and bitter in itself, frequently becomes, like
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from O Pioneers! by Willa Cather: with his old, brooding gaze, while the French
girls fluttered about him in their white dresses
and ribbons, and Alexandra watched the scene
with pride. Several of the French girls, Marie
knew, were hoping that Emil would take them
to supper, and she was relieved when he took
only his sister. Marie caught Frank's arm and
dragged him to the same table, managing to get
seats opposite the Bergsons, so that she could
hear what they were talking about. Alexandra
made Emil tell Mrs. Xavier Chevalier, the
O Pioneers! |
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 Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: whose presence something at once formidable and sinister and yet
gallant seemed to breathe--the very sight of him set the mind of
Collins at work busily upon a wild guess. Surely here was a
worthy figure upon whom to set the name and reputation of the
notorious Wolf Leroy.
Yet the sheriff's eyes rested scarce an instant before they went
traveling again, for he wanted to show as yet no special interest
in the object of his suspicions. The gathering was a motley one,
picturesque in its diversity. For here had drifted not only the
stranded derelicts of a frontier civilization, but selected types
of all the turbid elements that go to make up its success.
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