| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Russia in 1919 by Arthur Ransome: work and rub along all right." It was quite funny to hear him
in one breath grumbling at the revolution and in the next
anxiously asking whether I did not think they had weathered
the storm, so that there would be no more disorders.
Knowing that in some country places there had been
appalling excesses, I asked him how the Red Terror that
followed the attempt on the life of Lenin had shown itself in
their district. He laughed.
"We got off very cheaply," he said. "This is what
happened. A certain rich merchant's widow had a fine
house, with enormous stores of all kinds of things, fine
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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 Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: were no new sights in Scotland, and had been witnessed long
before the time of the satirical author he had quoted. It was
many a long year," he said, "since Fordun had quoted as an
ancient proverb, 'Neque dives, neque fortis, sed nec sapiens
Scotus, praedominante invidia, diu durabit in terra.'"
"And be assured, my esteemed friend," was the answer, "that even
your long services to the state, or deep legal knowledge, will
not save you, or render your estate stable, if the Marquis of A--
-- comes in with a party in the British Parliament. You know
that the deceased Lord Ravenswood was his near ally, his lady
being fifth in descent from the Knight of Tillibardine; and I am
The Bride of Lammermoor |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: home-like room, and Kent was conscious of a keener pang for the loss
of Jimmie Turnbull and the disappearance of Philip Rochester, as he
gazed around. The lawyer and the bank cashier had been, until that
winter, congenial comrades, sharing their business success and their
apartment in complete accord; and now a shadow as black as that
enveloping the unlighted apartment hung over their good names,
threatening one or the other with the charge of forgery and of
murder. Kent sighed and turned back to the silent detective.
"I can best answer your question by telling you that the day after
Jimmie Turnbull died Mr. Clymer sent for me," he began. "I found
Colonel McIntyre with him and was told that the Colonel had lost
The Red Seal |
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 A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde: LADY STUTFIELD. Thank you, thank you. I will make a point of
repeating it.
MRS. ALLONBY. When Ernest and I were engaged, he swore to me
positively on his knees that he had never loved any one before in
the whole course of his life. I was very young at the time, so I
didn't believe him, I needn't tell you. Unfortunately, however, I
made no enquiries of any kind till after I had been actually
married four or five months. I found out then that what he had
told me was perfectly true. And that sort of thing makes a man so
absolutely uninteresting.
LADY HUNSTANTON. My dear!
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