| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Girl with the Golden Eyes by Honore de Balzac: nights, and in the day multiplies his personality for the service,
glory, and pleasure of his fellow-citizens. This man solves the
problem of sufficing at once to his amiable wife, to his hearth, to
the /Constitutionnel/, to his office, to the National Guard, to the
opera, and to God; but, only in order that the /Constitutionnel/, his
office, the National Guard, the opera, his wife, and God may be
changed into coin. In fine, hail to an irreproachable pluralist. Up
every day at five o'clock, he traverses like a bird the space which
separates his dwelling from the Rue Montmartre. Let it blow or
thunder, rain or snow, he is at the /Constitutionnel/, and waits there
for the load of newspapers which he has undertaken to distribute. He
The Girl with the Golden Eyes |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from One Basket by Edna Ferber: pent-up emotions and thoughts of these past months were finding
an outlet at last. These things which she had never been able to
discuss with her mother she now was laying bare to Angie Hatton
and Old Man Hatton! They asked no questions. They seemed to
understand. Once Old Man Hatton interrupted with: "So that's
the kind of fellow they've got as escapement-room foreman, eh?"
Tessie, whose mind was working very clearly now, put out a quick
hand. "Say, it wasn't his fault. He's a bum, all right, but I
knew it, didn't I? It was me. I didn't care. Seemed to me it
didn't make no difference who I went with, but it does." She
looked down at her hands clasped so tightly in her lap.
One Basket |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Contrast by Royall Tyler: rendering himself disagreeable to Maria, in order to
break with her and proffer his hand to me. This is
what the delicate fellow hinted in our last conversation.
[Exit.
SCENE II. The Mall.
Enter JESSAMY.
Positively this Mall is a very pretty place. I hope
the cits won't ruin it by repairs. To be sure, it won't
do to speak of in the same day with Ranelagh or
Vauxhall; however, it's a fine place for a young fellow
|
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 An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: were then at the mercy of their ministers, men who were infinitely
stronger than they.
"Nearly all these statesmen are dead, and no secrecy is due to them.
They belong to history; and the history of that night and its
consequences has been terrible. I tell it to you now because I alone
know it; because Louis XVIII. never revealed the truth to that poor
Madame de Cinq-Cygne; and because the present government which I serve
is wholly indifferent as to whether the truth be known to the world or
not.
"All four of these personages sat down in the boudoir. The lame man
undoubtedly closed the door before a word was said; it is even thought
|
