| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The American by Henry James: Announced and ushered in, he found himself in a sort of paneled boudoir,
at one end of which a lady and gentleman were seated before the fire.
The gentleman was smoking a cigarette; there was no light in the room
save that of a couple of candles and the glow from the hearth.
Both persons rose to welcome Newman, who, in the firelight,
recognized Madame de Cintre. She gave him her hand with a smile
which seemed in itself an illumination, and, pointing to her companion,
said softly, "My brother." The gentleman offered Newman a frank,
friendly greeting, and our hero then perceived him to be the young
man who had spoken to him in the court of the hotel on his former
visit and who had struck him as a good fellow.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: great uneasiness, since nothing obliges you to go there."
"One likes to know one's neighbors," returned the sailor, who was
obstinate in his idea. "Tabor Island is our neighbor, and the only one!
Politeness requires us to go at least to pay a visit."
"By Jove," said Spilett, "our friend Pencroft has become very particular
about the proprieties all at once!"
"I am not particular about anything at all," retorted the sailor, who was
rather vexed by the engineer's opposition, but who did not wish to cause
him anxiety.
"Consider, Pencroft," resumed Harding, "you cannot go alone to Tabor
Island."
The Mysterious Island |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: friends declared to each other privately that Madame Mignon was
foolishly over-anxious. Madame Latournelle, who always took Modeste to
church and brought her back again, was commissioned to tell the mother
that she was mistaken about her daughter.
"Modeste," she said, "is a young girl of very exalted ideas; she works
herself into enthusiasm for the poetry of one writer or the prose of
another. You have only to judge by the impression made upon her by
that scaffold symphony, 'The Last Hours of a Convict'" (the saying was
Butscha's, who supplied wit to his benefactress with a lavish hand);
"she seemed to me all but crazy with admiration for that Monsieur Hugo.
I'm sure I don't know where such people" (Victor Hugo, Lamartine,
Modeste Mignon |
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 Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: But the domestics shrunk back in doubt and alarm. Sir Frederick
himself stepped forward towards the Recluse, as if to lay hands
on his person, when his progress was suddenly stopped by the
glittering point of a partisan, which the sturdy hand of Hobbie
Elliot presented against his bosom.
"I'll gar daylight shine through ye, if ye offer to steer him!"
said the stout Borderer; "stand back, or I'll strike ye through!
Naebody shall lay a finger on Elshie; he's a canny neighbourly
man, aye ready to make a friend help; and, though ye may think
him a lamiter, yet, grippie for grippie, friend, I'll wad a
wether he'll make the bluid spin frae under your nails. He's a
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