| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw: honor, wont you?
LINA. Only a point of honor?
TARLETON. _[impulsively]_ No, by God! a point of affection as well.
LINA. _[smiling, pleased with him]_ Shake hands, old pal _[she rises
and offers him her hand frankly]._
TARLETON. _[giving his hand rather dolefully]_ Thanks. That means
no, doesnt it?
LINA. It means something that will last longer than yes. I like you.
I admit you to my friendship. What a pity you were not trained when
you were young! Youd be young still.
TARLETON. I suppose, to an athlete like you, I'm pretty awful, eh?
|
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: A little fair girl of seventeen or eighteen, with short hair, in
a short light-blue frock with a bunch of white ribbon on her
bosom, appeared in the doorway.
"Why do you stand at the door?" she said. "Take off your coats
and come into the drawing-room."
The medical student and the artist, still talking Italian, went
into the drawing-room. Vassilyev followed them irresolutely.
"Gentlemen, take off your coats!" the flunkey said sternly; "you
can't go in like that."
In the drawing-room there was, besides the girl, another woman,
very stout and tall, with a foreign face and bare arms. She was
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 The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H. P. Lovecraft: of that body's dislodgement and rolling, none was in the least
reassuring. Therefore, knowing the ways of Gugs, the ghouls set
to with something of a frenzy; and in a surprisingly short time
had the door so high that they were able to hold it still whilst
Carter turned the slab and left a generous opening. They now helped
Carter through, letting him climb up to their rubbery shoulders
and later guiding his feet as he clutched at the blessed soil
of the upper dreamland outside. Another second and they were through
themselves, knocking away the gravestone and closing the great
trap door while a panting became audible beneath. Because of the
Great One's curse no Gug might ever emerge from that portal, so
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath |
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 Gambara by Honore de Balzac: streets! What is to be said? She loves her husband like a father, and
takes care of him like a child.
"Many a young man has dined here to pay his court to madame; but not
one has succeeded," said he, emphasizing the word. "La Signora
Marianna is an honest woman, monsieur, much too honest, worse luck for
her! Men give nothing for nothing nowadays. So the poor soul will die
in harness.
"And do you suppose that her husband rewards her for her devotion?
Pooh, my lord never gives her a smile! And all their cooking is done
at the baker's; for not only does the wretched man never earn a sou;
he spends all his wife can make on instruments which he carves, and
Gambara |
