| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Edition of The Ambassadors by Henry James: real and the right."
"The very thing itself."
"And what it comes to then," Strether went on, "is that poor awful
Chad is simply too good for her."
"Ah too good was what he was after all to be; but it was she
herself, and she herself only, who was to have made him so."
It hung beautifully together, but with still a loose end. "Wouldn't
he do for her even if he should after all break--"
"With his actual influence?" Oh little Bilham had for this
enquiry the sharpest of all his controls. "How can he 'do'--on any
terms whatever--when he's flagrantly spoiled?"
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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 Riverman by Stewart Edward White: that beneath the heavy overcoat his garments were dripping.
"But surely they'll never get a line over with the mortar!" said
Carroll. "That last shot fell so far short!"
"They know it. They've shot a dozen times. Might as well do
something."
"I should think," said Mina, "that they'd shoot from the end of the
pier. They'd be ever so much nearer."
"Tried it," replied Bradford succintly. "Nearly lost the whole
business."
Nobody said anything for some time, but all looked helplessly to
where the vessels--from this elevation insignificant among the
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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 Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: telegraph poles, nothin'," moaned Red Bill; "nothin' respectable
enough nor big enough to swing the toes of a five-foot man clear
o' the ground. I give it up." He looked yearningly at that
portion of Jan's anatomy which joins the head and shoulders.
"Give it up," he repeated sadly to Lawson. "Throw the rope down.
Gawd never intended this here country for livin' purposes, an'
that's a cold frozen fact."
Jan grinned triumphantly. "I tank I go mit der tent und haf a
smoke."
"Ostensiblee y'r correct, Bill, me son," spoke up Lawson; "but y'r
a dummy, and you can lay to that for another cold frozen fact.
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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 Ebb-Tide by Stevenson & Osbourne: four-ounce jar. 'This 'ere's vitriol, this is,' said he.
The captain stared upon him with a whitening face.
'This is the stuff!' he pursued, holding it up. 'This'll burn to
the bone; you'll see it smoke upon 'im like 'ell fire! One drop
upon 'is bloomin' heyesight, and I'll trouble you for Attwater!'
'No, no, by God!' exclaimed the captain.
'Now, see 'ere, ducky,' said Huish, 'this is my bean feast, I
believe? I'm goin' up to that man single-'anded, I am. 'E's about
seven foot high, and I'm five foot one. 'E's a rifle in his 'and,
'e's on the look-out, 'e wasn't born yesterday. This is Dyvid and
Goliar, I tell you! If I'd ast you to walk up and face the music
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