| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: believe, a marked decrease in the number of alcoholism cases
reported as occurring amongst that species. I'm speaking
off-hand, you know."
"Never mind that: it's very good hearing."
"I know, and, talking of tight-ropes, Alice, have you seen the
March Hare lately?"
She threw her head back and laughed merrily. Then-
"We are fools, you know," she said.
"Perhaps. Still, a little folly- "
"Is a dangerous thing. And, now, when do you open?"
"To-morrow week. And, owing to the iniquitous provisions of the
The Brother of Daphne |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Frederick A. Talbot: more satisfactory.
The greatest obstacle, however, is the necessary apparatus. The
average aeroplane designed for military duty is already loaded to
the maximum. As a rule it carries the pilot and an observer, and
invariably includes a light arm for defence against an aerial
enemy, together with an adequate supply of ammunition, while
unless short sharp flights are to be made, the fuel supply
represents an appreciable load. Under these circumstances the
item of weight is a vital consideration. It must be kept within
a limit of 100 pounds, and the less the equipment weighs the more
satisfactory it is likely to prove, other things being equal.
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: sister, partly from the impulse of irresistible fondness, and
partly as a pretty hint that it is time now to unclose her eyes.
At the touch of those lips of light, Phoebe quietly awoke, and,
for a moment, did not recognize where she was, nor how those heavy
curtains chanced to be festooned around her. Nothing, indeed,
was absolutely plain to her, except that it was now early morning,
and that, whatever might happen next, it was proper, first of all,
to get up and say her prayers. She was the more inclined to devotion
from the grim aspect of the chamber and its furniture, especially
the tall, stiff chairs; one of which stood close by her bedside,
and looked as if some old-fashioned personage had been sitting there
House of Seven Gables |
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 La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac: " 'The sub-prefect set all the constabulary at his heels; but, pshaw!
he was never caught. Lepas believed that the Spaniard had drowned
himself. I, sir, have never thought so; I believe, on the contrary,
that he had something to do with the business about Madame de Merret,
seeing that Rosalie told me that the crucifix her mistress was so fond
of that she had it buried with her, was made of ebony and silver; now
in the early days of his stay here, Monsieur Feredia had one of ebony
and silver which I never saw later.--And now, monsieur, do not you say
that I need have no remorse about the Spaniard's fifteen thousand
francs? Are they not really and truly mine?'
" 'Certainly.--But have you never tried to question Rosalie?' said I.
La Grande Breteche |
