| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pierre Grassou by Honore de Balzac: innocence of a lad of sixteen. Another man, one of those distrustful,
surly artists, would have noticed the diabolical look on Elie's face
and seen the twitching of the hairs of his beard, the irony of his
moustache, and the movement of his shoulders which betrayed the
satisfaction of Walter Scott's Jew in swindling a Christian.
Fougeres marched along the boulevard in a state of joy which gave to
his honest face an expression of pride. He was like a schoolboy
protecting a woman. He met Joseph Bridau, one of his comrades, and one
of those eccentric geniuses destined to fame and sorrow. Joseph
Bridau, who had, to use his own expression, a few sous in his pocket,
took Fougeres to the Opera. But Fougeres didn't see the ballet, didn't
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: trickled over his beard. "Whether man or raven, you shall still
be my son," said he, and he held the raven close in his arms and
caressed it.
He had a golden cage made for the bird, and every day he would
walk with it in the garden, talking to it as a father talks to
his son.
One day when they were thus in the garden together a strange lady
came towards them down the pathway. Over her had and face was
drawn a thick veil, so that the two could not tell who she was.
When she came close to them she raised the veil, and the raven-prince saw that her face was the
living likeness of the queen's;
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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 Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde: I hardly know
What happened, but a steaming mist of blood
Rose up between us two.
GUIDO
Oh, horrible!
DUCHESS
And then he groaned,
And then he groaned no more! I only heard
The dripping of the blood upon the floor.
GUIDO
Enough, enough.
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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 Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: queen? The thought never moves me: nay, to tell the truth, I pray
often enough that I may be spared the miseries of imbecile old age,
and that end which the old Northmen rightly called 'a cow's death'
rather than a man's. But enough of this. Mr. Leigh, you have done
wisely to-night. Poor Oxenham does not go on his voyage with a
single eye. I have talked about him with Drake and Hawkins; and I
guess why Mrs. Leigh touched him so home when she told him that he
had no child."
"Has he one, then, in the West Indies?" cried the good lady.
"God knows; and God grant we may not hear of shame and sorrow
fallen upon an ancient and honorable house of Devon. My brother
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