| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: will wrench round your neck."
The attack which Dalgetty made upon Argyle's person was so sudden
and unexpected, that he easily prostrated him on the floor of the
dungeon, and held him down with one hand, while his right,
grasping the Marquis's throat, was ready to strangle him on the
slightest attempt to call for assistance.
"Lord of Argyle," he said, "it is now my turn to lay down the
terms of capitulation. If you list to show me the private way by
which you entered the dungeon, you shall escape, on condition of
being my LOCUM TENENS, as we said at the Mareschal-College, until
your warder visits his prisoners. But if not, I will first
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: you my aunt's words would come true,--you would make the men commit
the mortal sin of envy, and the women the sin of jealousy."
The compliment went to Eugenie's heart and set it beating, though she
did not understand its meaning.
"Oh! cousin," she said, "you are laughing at a poor little country
girl."
"If you knew me, my cousin, you would know that I abhor ridicule; it
withers the heart and jars upon all my feelings." Here he swallowed
his buttered sippet very gracefully. "No, I really have not enough
mind to make fun of others; and doubtless it is a great defect. In
Paris, when they want to disparage a man, they say: 'He has a good
Eugenie Grandet |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Touchstone by Edith Wharton: WERE--why, you could get any money for Margaret Aubyn's love-
letters."
Glennard was silent.
"Are the letters interesting in themselves? I mean apart from the
association with her name?"
"I'm no judge." Glennard took up his hat and thrust himself into
his overcoat. "I dare say I sha'n't do anything about it. And,
Flamel--you won't mention this to anyone?"
"Lord, no. Well, I congratulate you. You've got a big thing."
Flamel was smiling at him from the hearth.
Glennard, on the threshold, forced a response to the smile, while
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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 Complete Angler by Izaak Walton: is, long kept before they be used: and in case you have not been so
provident, then the way to cleanse and scour them quickly, is, to put
them all night in water, if they be lob-worms, and then put them into
your bag with fennel. But you must not put your brandlings above an
hour in water, and then put them into fennel, for sudden use: but if you
have time, and purpose to keep them long, then they be best preserved
in an earthen pot, with good store of moss, which is to be fresh every
three or four days in summer, and every week or eight days in winter;
or, at least, the moss taken from them, and clean washed, and wrung
betwixt your hands till it be dry, and then put it to them again. And
when your worms, especially the brandling, begins to be sick and lose
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