| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: thing remain in the category of undiscovered crimes?
After breakfast, Dorcas came up to me rather mysteriously, and
asked if she might have a few words with me.
"Certainly. What is it, Dorcas?"
"Well, it's just this, sir. You'll be seeing the Belgian
gentleman to-day perhaps?" I nodded. "Well, sir, you know how he
asked me so particular if the mistress, or anyone else, had a
green dress?"
"Yes, yes. You have found one?" My interest was aroused.
"No, not that, sir. But since then I've remembered what the
young gentlemen"--John and Lawrence were still the "young
The Mysterious Affair at Styles |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Letters of Two Brides by Honore de Balzac: his ridicule. I shall tell him simply that you are going to be
married, and that you wish it kept secret. Unluckily, you need neither
mother nor sister for your bridal evening. We are in October now; like
a brave woman, you are grappling with winter first. If it were not a
question of marriage, I should say you were taking the bull by the
horns. In any case, you will have in me the most discreet and
intelligent of friends. That mysterious region, known as the centre of
Africa, has swallowed up many travelers, and you seem to me to be
launching on an expedition which, in the domain of sentiment,
corresponds to those where so many explorers have perished, whether in
the sands or at the hands of natives. Your desert is, happily, only
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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 An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: Laurence during the last three months from among the least suspected
of the Bourbon adherents living in each neighborhood. The /emigres/
slept by day and travelled by night. Each brought with him two
faithful soldiers; one of whom went before to warn of danger, the
other behind to protect a retreat. Thanks to these military
precautions, this valuable detachment had at last reached, without
accident, the forest of Nodesme, which was chosen as the rendezvous.
Twenty-seven other gentlemen had entered France from Switzerland and
crossed Burgundy, guided towards Paris with the same caution.
Monsieur de Riviere counted on collecting five hundred men, one
hundred of whom were young nobles, the officers of this sacred legion.
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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 Gentle Grafter by O. Henry: so we could keep time with the barometer. At 12,' says Andy, with a
lot of anguish on his face, 'three huge polar bears sprang down the
hatchway, into the cabin. And then--'
"'What then, Lieutenant?' says a schoolma'am, excitedly.
"Andy gives a loud sob.
"'The Duchess shook me,' he cries out, and slides out of the chair and
weeps on the porch.
"Well, of course, that fixed the scheme. The women boarders all left
the next morning. The landlord wouldn't speak to us for two days, but
when he found we had money to pay our way he loosened up.
"So me and Andy had a quiet, restful summer after all, coming away
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