The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan by Honore de Balzac: with her. This promise might have proved rash had it not been for the
name of the princess, a meeting with whom was not a matter of
indifference to the great writer.
Daniel d'Arthez, one of the rare men who, in our day, unite a noble
character with great talent, had already obtained, not all the
popularity his works deserve, but a respectful esteem to which souls
of his own calibre could add nothing. His reputation will certainly
increase; but in the eyes of connoisseurs it had already attained its
full development. He is one of those authors who, sooner or later, are
put in their right place, and never lose it. A poor nobleman, he had
understood his epoch well enough to seek personal distinction only. He
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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 Touchstone by Edith Wharton: obtained Miss Trent's promise not to sail with her aunt he had
tried to imagine himself irrevocably committed. After that, he
argued, his first duty was to her--she had become his conscience.
The sum obtained from the publishers by Flamel's adroit
manipulations and opportunely transferred to Dinslow's successful
venture, already yielded a return which, combined with Glennard's
professional earnings, took the edge of compulsion from their way
of living, making it appear the expression of a graceful
preference for simplicity. It was the mitigated poverty which can
subscribe to a review or two and have a few flowers on the dinner-
table. And already in a small way Glennard was beginning to feel
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