| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: jerking open the bow knot she had so painfully executed, looked out
the window for Johnson - until I recalled that he no longer belonged
in my perspective. I ended by driving frantically to the club
and getting George to do it.
I was late, of course. The drawing-room and library at the Dallas
home were empty. I could hear billiard balls rolling somewhere,
and I turned the other way. I found Alison at last on the balcony,
sitting much as she had that night on the beach, - her chin in her
hands, her eyes fixed unseeingly on the trees and lights of the
square across. She was even whistling a little, softly. But this
time the plaintiveness was gone. It was a tender little tune. She
The Man in Lower Ten |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: soldiers full of courage and confidence; and there engaging with him in
a sharp conflict, which lasted a long while, overthrew his army with
great slaughter, and took their camp. Of those that fled, some were
presently cut off by the pursuers; others, and these were the greatest
number, dispersed hither and thither, and were dispatched by the people
that came sallying out from the neighboring towns and villages.
Thus Rome was strangely taken, and more strangely recovered, having been
seven whole months in the possession of the barbarians who entered her a
little after the Ides of July, and were driven out about the Ides of
February following. Camillus triumphed, as he deserved, having saved
his country that was lost, and brought the city, so to say, back again
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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 A Straight Deal by Owen Wister: By his bull "Laudabiliter," in 1155, Pope Adrian the Fourth invited the
King of England to take charge of Ireland. In 1172 Pope Alexander the
Third confirmed this by several letters, at present preserved in the
Black Book of the Exchequer. Accordingly, Henry the Second went to
Ireland. All the archbishops and bishops of Ireland met him at Waterford,
received him as king and lord of Ireland, vowing loyal obedience to him
and his successors, and acknowledging fealty to them forever. These
prelates were followed by the kings of Cork, Limerick, Ossory, Meath, and
by Reginald of Waterford. Roderick O'Connor, King of Connaught, joined
them in 1175. All these accepted Henry the Second of England as their
Lord and King, swearing to be loyal to him and his successors forever.
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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 Virginian by Owen Wister: curiosity. Now you did not have this thing--"
He had stretched out his hand to point, but it fell, and his
utterance stopped, and he jerked his horse to a stand. My nerves
sprang like a wire at his suddenness, and I looked where he was
looking. There were the cottonwoods, close in front of us. As we
had travelled and talked we had forgotten them. Now they were
looming within a hundred yards; and our trail lay straight
through them.
"Let's go around them," said the Virginian.
When we had come back from our circuit into the trail he
continued: "You did not have that thing to do. But a man goes
The Virginian |
