| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Melmoth Reconciled by Honore de Balzac: bargaining with the man to take him to Versailles. Then once more the
scene changed. He recognized the sorry inn at the corner of the Rue de
l'Orangerie and the Rue des Recollets, which was kept by his old
quartermaster. It was two o'clock in the morning, the most perfect
stillness prevailed, no one was there to watch his movements. The
post-horses were put into the carriage (it came from a house in the
Avenue de Paris in which an Englishman lived, and had been ordered in
the foreigner's name to avoid raising suspicion). Castanier saw that
he had his bills and his passports, stepped into the carriage, and set
out. But at the barrier he saw two gendarmes lying in wait for the
carriage. A cry of horror burst from him but Melmoth gave him a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: a tip of five francs, had told him that the girl was a foundling,
stolen perhaps. Thaddeus now went to the Circus and saw her again. For
ten francs one of the grooms (who take the place in circuses of the
dressers at a theatre) informed him that Malaga was named Marguerite
Turquet, and lived on the fifth story of a house in the rue des
Fosses-du-Temple.
The following day Paz went to the faubourg du Temple, found the house,
and asked to see Mademoiselle Turquet, who during the summer was
substituting for the leading horsewoman at the Cirque-Olympique, and a
supernumerary at a boulevard theatre in winter.
"Malaga!" cried the portress, rushing into the attic, "there's a fine
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