| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: through foam and spray, till, through the parting clouds, the sunlight
shone upon her from the tranquil sky; and, guided by the mournful
sound, she floated on, till, close before her on the beach, she saw
a woman stretching forth her arms, and with a sad, imploring voice
praying the restless sea to give her back the little child it had
so cruelly borne away. But the waves dashed foaming up among the
bare rocks at her feet, mingling their cold spray with her tears,
and gave no answer to her prayer.
When Ripple saw the mother's grief, she longed to comfort her;
so, bending tenderly beside her, where she knelt upon the shore,
the little Spirit told her how her child lay softly sleeping, far down
Flower Fables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: because, in making beginnings, a chance limitation of direction is
often better than absolute freedom.'
'I see--that is, I should if I quite understood what all those
generalities mean.'
'Why, this: That an arbitrary foundation for one's work, which no
length of thought can alter, leaves the attention free to fix
itself on the work itself, and make the best of it.'
'Lateral compression forcing altitude, as would be said in that
tongue,' she said mischievously. 'And I suppose where no limit
exists, as in the case of a rich man with a wide taste who wants
to do something, it will be better to choose a limit capriciously
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from La Grenadiere by Honore de Balzac: come to the enchanting retreat to give herself up wholly to the joy of
living.
The three masters whose presence was allowed at La Grenadiere spoke
with something like admiring reverence of the touching picture that
they saw there of the close, unclouded intimacy of the life led by
this woman and the children.
The two little boys also aroused no small interest. Mothers could not
see them without a feeling of envy. Both children were like Mme.
Willemsens, who was, in fact, their mother. They had the transparent
complexion and bright color, the clear, liquid eyes, the long lashes,
the fresh outlines, the dazzling characteristics of childish beauty.
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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 Art of Writing by Robert Louis Stevenson: end. I had written it up to the map. The map was the chief
part of my plot. For instance, I had called an islet
'Skeleton Island,' not knowing what I meant, seeking only for
the immediate picturesque, and it was to justify this name
that I broke into the gallery of Mr. Poe and stole Flint's
pointer. And in the same way, it was because I had made two
harbours that the HISPANIOLA was sent on her wanderings with
Israel Hands. The time came when it was decided to
republish, and I sent in my manuscript, and the map along
with it, to Messrs. Cassell. The proofs came, they were
corrected, but I heard nothing of the map. I wrote and
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