| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: quailed. And as we groped along, he insisted on going through the
window first.
"If it is a trap," he whispered, "I have two arms to your one, and,
besides, as I said before, life holds much for you. As for me, the
government would merely lose an indifferent employee."
When he found I was going first he was rather hurt, but I did not
wait for his protests. I swung my feet over the sill and dropped.
I made a clutch at the window-frame with my good hand when I found
no floor under my feet, but I was too late. I dropped probably
ten feet and landed with a crash that seemed to split my ear-drums.
I was thoroughly shaken, but in some miraculous way the bandaged
The Man in Lower Ten |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: "Notes," p. 84.
[2] "Organisation in the several states."
[3] Or, "As a matter of fact it is the wealthiest members of the
state, and those who have the largest stake in civic life, that
are appointed to cavalry duties." See "Hippparch," i. 9.
[4] Cf. "Econ." iii. 10.
[5] {ego}. Hitherto the author has used the plural {emin} with which
he started.
[6] Reading {upodeigmata}, "finger-post signs," as it were, or "draft
in outline"; al. {upomnemata} = "memoranda."
[7] "Gentle, and accustomed to the hand, and fond of man."
On Horsemanship |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: with joy. She gently shook the tetrarch's shoulder, and exclaimed
exultantly:
"Caesar is our friend! Agrippa has been imprisoned!"
"Who told thee that?"
"I know it!" she replied, adding: "It was because he coveted the crown
of Caligula."
While living upon the charity of Antipas and Herodias, Agrippa had
intrigued to become king, a title for which the tetrarch was as eager
as he. But if this news were true, no more was to be feared from
Agrippa's scheming.
"The dungeons of Tiberias are hard to open, and sometimes life itself
Herodias |
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 Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: "Why not?"
And with that audacity which is seldom lacking to women when some
action attracts them, or their minds are impelled by curiosity, my
neighbor went up to the purveyor.
"Were you ever in Germany?" she asked.
Taillefer came near dropping his cup and saucer.
"I, madame? No, never."
"What are you talking about, Taillefer"; said our host, interrupting
him. "Were you not in the commissariat during the campaign of Wagram?"
"Ah, true!" replied Taillefer, "I was there at that time."
"You are mistaken," said my neighbor, returning to my side; "that's a
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