| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Duchesse de Langeais by Honore de Balzac: centuries behind the times with your false ideas of greatness.
There, leave us to arrange your affairs, and say that Montriveau
made your servants drunk to gratify his vanity and to compromise
you----"
The Duchess rose to her feet with a spring. "In Heaven's name,
aunt, do not slander him!"
The old Princess's eyes flashed.
"Dear child," she said, "I should have liked to spare such of
your illusions as were not fatal. But there must be an end of
all illusions now. You would soften me if I were not so old.
Come, now, do not vex him, or us, or anyone else. I will
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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 Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson: 'Dear fellow, why so much excitement?' inquired Zero. 'My
dynamite is not more dangerous than toffy; had I an only
child, I would give it him to play with. You see this
brick?' he continued, lifting a cake of the infernal compound
from the laboratory-table. 'At a touch it should explode,
and that with such unconquerable energy as should bestrew the
square with ruins. Well now, behold! I dash it on the
floor.'
Somerset sprang forward, and with the strength of the very
ecstasy of terror, wrested the brick from his possession.
'Heavens!' he cried, wiping his brow; and then with more care
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