| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: her habit to walk in the cool of the day. Or, rather, there were
two terraced temples, one dedicated to Fate like that in the
underground city of Nyo, and the other to Love. Of the temple to
Fate she told me her father had been the High Priest, and of the
temple to Love she was the High Priestess.
Then it was that I understood why she had brought me here.
She led the way to a marble block covered with worn-out carvings
and almost buried in the debris. This, she said, was the altar of
offerings. I asked her what offerings, and she replied with a
smile:
"Only wine, to signify the spirit of life, and flowers to
When the World Shook |
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 Chouans by Honore de Balzac: The government will pardon; it will be merciful to repentance; its
mercy will be complete and absolute; but it will punish whosoever,
after this declaration, shall dare to resist the national
sovereignty.
"Well," said Hulot, after the public reading of this Consular
manifesto, "Isn't that paternal enough? But you'll see that not a
single royalist brigand will be changed by it."
The commandant was right. The proclamation merely served to strengthen
each side in their own convictions. A few days later Hulot and his
colleagues received reinforcements. The new minister of war notified
them that General Brune was appointed to command the troops in the
The Chouans |
