| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: Slander was the weapon he used in that secret duel; the countryside
was well stocked with stories of Mr. Wilding's many indiscretions.
I do not wish to suggest that these were unfounded. Still, the
countryside, cajoled by its primitive sense of humour into that
alliteration I have mentioned, found that having given this dog its bad
name, it was under the obligation of keeping up his reputation. So it
exaggerated. Richard, exaggerating those exaggerations in his turn, had
some details, as interesting and unsavoury as they were in the main
untrue, to lay before his sister.
Now established love, it is well known, thrives wondrously on slander.
The robust growth of a maid's feelings for her accepted suitor is but
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Pocket Diary Found in the Snow by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: then suddenly his knees began to tremble. He closed the door with
difficulty, and sank down on a bench beside it. The wind had blown
out the light of his lantern; Berner was sitting in the dark
without knowing it, for a sudden terrible light had burst upon his
soul, burst upon it so sharply that he hid his eyes with his hands,
and his old lips murmured, "Horrible! Horrible! The brother
against the sister."
The next morning was clear and bright. Muller was up early, for he
had taken but a few hours sleep in one of the rooms of the station,
before he set out into the cold winter morning. At the next corner
he found Amster waiting for him. "What are you doing here?" he
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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 The White Moll by Frank L. Packard: in her woman's soul ever since that night. Better anything than
to fall into Danglar's hands! She caught her breath a little, and
shivered again as she groped her way up the dark stairs. But,
then, she never would fall into Danglar's power. There was always
an alternative. Yes, it was quite as bad as that - death at her
own hands was preferable. Balked, outwitted, the plans of the
criminal coterie, of which Danglar appeared to be the head, rendered
again and again abortive, and believing it all due to the White Moll,
all of Danglar's shrewd, unscrupulous cunning would be centered on
the task of running her down; and if, added to this, he discovered
that she was masquerading as Gypsy Nan, one of their own inner
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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 Odyssey by Homer: beyond the seas. I should have founded a city for him in Argos,
and built him a house. I should have made him leave Ithaca with
his goods, his son, and all his people, and should have sacked
for them some one of the neighbouring cities that are subject to
me. We should thus have seen one another continually, and
nothing but death could have interrupted so close and happy an
intercourse. I suppose, however, that heaven grudged us such
great good fortune, for it has prevented the poor fellow from
ever getting home at all."
Thus did he speak, and his words set them all a weeping. Helen
wept, Telemachus wept, and so did Menelaus, nor could
The Odyssey |
