| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: oppressive carcass which, however, did not remain exactly
perpendicular for two seconds together.
"The innocent Arthur . . . Yes. We've got him," the Editor became
very business-like. "Yes, this letter has done it."
He plunged into an inside pocket for it, slapped the scrap of paper
with his open palm. "From that old woman. William had it in his
pocket since this morning when Miss Moorsom gave it to him to show
me. Forgot all about it till an hour ago. Thought it was of no
importance. Well, no! Not till it was properly read."
Renouard and Miss Moorsom emerged from the shadows side by side, a
well-matched couple, animated yet statuesque in their calmness and
Within the Tides |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Selected Writings of Guy De Maupassant by Guy De Maupassant: about his adventures as chief of the insurgents at Prague and
then at Dresden; of his first death sentence; about his
imprisonment at Olmutz, in the casemates of the fortress of St.
Peter and St. Paul, and in a subterranean dungeon at
Schusselburg; about his exile to Siberia and his wonderful escape
down the river Amour, on a Japanese coasting-vessel, and about
his final arrival, by way of Yokohama and San Francisco, in London,
whence he was directing all the operations of Nihilism.
" 'You see,' she said, 'he is a thorough adventurer, and now all
his adventures are over. He got married at Tobolsk and became a
mere respectable, middle-class man. And then he has no individual
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Kenilworth by Walter Scott: small parcel wrapped in scarlet silk, "and with it a token to
the Queen of his Affections." With eager speed the lady hastened
to undo the silken string which surrounded the little packet, and
failing to unloose readily the knot with which it was secured,
she again called loudly on Janet, "Bring me a knife--scissors--
aught that may undo this envious knot!"
"May not my poor poniard serve, honoured madam?" said Varney,
presenting a small dagger of exquisite workmanship, which hung in
his Turkey-leather sword-belt.
"No, sir," replied the lady, rejecting the instrument which he
offered--"steel poniard shall cut no true-love knot of mine."
Kenilworth |
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 Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: What could the amphibious creature have been, who, by this terrible blow
had destroyed the formidable dugong? No one could tell, and much interested
in this incident, Harding and his companions returned to the Chimneys.
Chapter 17
The next day, the 7th of May, Harding and Gideon Spilett, leaving Neb to
prepare breakfast, climbed Prospect Heights, while Herbert and Pencroft
ascended by the river, to renew their store of wood.
The engineer and the reporter soon reached the little beach on which the
dugong had been stranded. Already flocks of birds had attacked the mass of
flesh, and had to be driven away with stones, for Cyrus wished to keep the
fat for the use of the colony. As to the animal's flesh it would furnish
The Mysterious Island |
