| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: lay like a log, while his host tossed restlessly about, the victim
of strange fantasies. As midnight drew near he suddenly threw off
the blankets and got up. It was remarkable that he could do what
he then did without ever striking a light. Perhaps it was because
of the darkness that he kept his eyes shut, and perhaps it was for
fear he would see the terrible gash on the cheek of his visitor;
but, be this as it may, it is a fact that, unseeing, he opened his
ammunition box, put a heavy charge into the muzzle of the shotgun
without spilling a particle, rammed it down with double wads, and
then put everything away and got back into bed.
Just as daylight laid its steel-gray fingers on the parchment
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac: coach-house; bring enough to wall up the door of this cupboard; you
can use the plaster that is left for cement.' Then, dragging Rosalie
and the workman close to him--'Listen, Gorenflot,' said he, in a low
voice, 'you are to sleep here to-night; but to-morrow morning you
shall have a passport to take you abroad to a place I will tell you
of. I will give you six thousand francs for your journey. You must
live in that town for ten years; if you find you do not like it, you
may settle in another, but it must be in the same country. Go through
Paris and wait there till I join you. I will there give you an
agreement for six thousand francs more, to be paid to you on your
return, provided you have carried out the conditions of the bargain.
La Grande Breteche |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Lucile by Owen Meredith: The terror of missing his life's destination,
Which in her had its mystical representation.
III.
And truly, the thought of it, scaring him, pass'd
O'er his heart, while he now through the twilight rode fast
As a shade from the wing of some great bird obscene
In a wide silent land may be suddenly seen,
Darkening over the sands, where it startles and scares
Some traveller stray'd in the waste unawares,
So that thought more than once darken'd over his heart
For a moment, and rapidly seem'd to depart.
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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 Gambara by Honore de Balzac: Piedmontese, the Savoyards, have deserted, but the connoisseurs, the
true Italians, remain. And there is no sacrifice that I would not make
for them. I often give them a dinner for five and twenty sous which
has cost me double."
Signore Giardini's speech had such a full flavor of Neapolitan cunning
that the Count was delighted, and could have fancied himself at
Gerolamo's.
"Since that is the case, my good friend," said he familiarly to the
cook, "and since chance and your confidence have let me into the
secret of your daily sacrifices, allow me to pay double."
As he spoke Andrea spun a forty-franc piece on the stove, out of which
Gambara |
