| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Ivanhoe by Walter Scott: Allan-a-Dale, to chronicle me in a ballad, or if it
were but a lay?---By Saint Hermangild, the jingling
crowder is ever out of the way where there is
an apt theme for exalting valour!''
``Curtal Priest,'' said the Captain, ``thou hast
been at a wet mass this morning, as early as it is.
In the name of Saint Nicholas, whom hast thou got
here?''
``A captive to my sword and to my lance, noble
Captain,'' replied the Clerk of Copmanhurst; ``to
my bow and to my halberd, I should rather say;
Ivanhoe |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dracula by Bram Stoker: pause told him so. He answered me in a way that I did not understand,
but with the sternest look that his face could wear.
"If that were all, I would stop here where we are now, and let her
fade away into peace, for I see no light in life over her horizon."
He went on with his work with, if possible, renewed and more frenzied vigour.
Presently we both began to be conscious that the heat was beginning
to be of some effect. Lucy's heart beat a trifle more audibly
to the stethoscope, and her lungs had a perceptible movement.
Van Helsing's face almost beamed, and as we lifted her from
the bath and rolled her in a hot sheet to dry her he said to me,
"The first gain is ours! Check to the King!"
Dracula |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Daisy Miller by Henry James: carrying a large bouquet, and attended by Mr. Giovanelli.
Everyone stopped talking and turned and looked at her.
She came straight to Mrs. Walker. "I'm afraid you thought
I never was coming, so I sent mother off to tell you.
I wanted to make Mr. Giovanelli practice some things before he came;
you know he sings beautifully, and I want you to ask him to sing.
This is Mr. Giovanelli; you know I introduced him to you;
he's got the most lovely voice, and he knows the most charming
set of songs. I made him go over them this evening on purpose;
we had the greatest time at the hotel." Of all this Daisy delivered
herself with the sweetest, brightest audibleness, looking now
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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 Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: lips vociferate and our lives daily disprove. This took us comfortably
away from weddings and cakes into the subject of lynching, my violent
condemnation of which surprised him; for our discussion had led us over a
wide field, and one fertile in well-known disputes of the evergreen sort,
conducted by the North mostly with more theory than experience, and by
the South mostly with more heat than light; whereas, between John and me,
I may say that our amiability was surpassed only by our intelligence!
Each allowed for the other's standpoint, and both met in many views: he
would have voted against the last national Democratic ticket but for the
Republican upholding of negro equality, while I assured him that such
stupid and criminal upholding was on the wane. He informed me that he did
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