| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Wheels of Chance by H. G. Wells: help me."
Clearly there was only one course open to a gentleman under the
circumstances. "In that case," said Mr. Hoopdriver, "if you don't
mind trusting yourself to a stranger, we might continue as we are
perhaps. For a day or so. Until you heard." (Suppose thirty
shillings a day, that gives four days, say four thirties is hun'
and twenty, six quid,--well, three days, say; four ten.)
"You are very good to me."
His expression was eloquent.
"Very well, then, and thank you. It's wonderful--it's more than I
deserve that you--" She dropped the theme abruptly. "What was our
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Gambara by Honore de Balzac: a word; he took up his parable as soon as Andrea seemed to have ended,
and a little stir of revived attention was evident among the guests,
of whom several had been about to leave.
"You attack the Italian school with much vigor," said Gambara,
somewhat warmed to his work by the champagne, "and, for my part, you
are very welcome. I, thank God, stand outside this more or less
melodic frippery. Still, as a man of the world, you are too ungrateful
to the classic land whence Germany and France derived their first
teaching. While the compositions of Carissimi, Cavalli, Scarlatti, and
Rossi were being played throughout Italy, the violin players of the
Paris opera house enjoyed the singular privilege of being allowed to
Gambara |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Hiero by Xenophon: [8] Or, "if true affection still retain its virgin purity." As to this
extraordinary passage, see Hartman, op. cit. p. 242 foll.
So sovereign a good do I, for my part, esteem it to be loved, that I
do verily believe spontaneous blessings are outpoured from gods and
men on one so favoured.
This is that choice possession which, beyond all others, the monarch
is deprived of.
But if you require further evidence that what I say is true, look at
the matter thus: No friendship, I presume, is sounder than that which
binds parents to their children and children to their parents,
brothers and sisters to each other,[9] wives to husbands, comrade to
|
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 To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: passed, took the greatest pains; first they mixed their own colours, and
then they ground them, and then they put damp cloths to keep them moist.
So Mr Tansley supposed she meant him to see that that man's picture was
skimpy, was that what one said? The colours weren't solid? Was that what
one said? Under the influence of that extraordinary emotion which had been
growing all the walk, had begun in the garden when he had wanted to take
her bag, had increased in the town when he had wanted to tell her
everything about himself, he was coming to see himself, and everything he
had ever known gone crooked a little. It was awfully strange.
There he stood in the parlour of the poky little house where she had taken
him, waiting for her, while she went upstairs a moment to see a woman. He
To the Lighthouse |
