| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Main Street by Sinclair Lewis: shoulder and his eyes dared me not to admire him. I'd be
afraid of him. I hate him! . . . Oh, the inconceivable
egotistic imagination of women! All this stew of analysss.
about a man, a good, decent, friendly, efficient man, because he
was kind to me, as Will's wife!"
IV
The Kennicotts, the Elders, the Clarks, and Bresnahan went
fishing at Red Squaw Lake. They drove forty miles to the lake
in Elder's new Cadillac. There was much laughter and bustle
at the start, much storing of lunch-baskets and jointed poles,
much inquiry as to whether it would really bother Carol to
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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 Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: "Of course I did."
"There wasn't a baby in the carriage."
"Well, what on earth was it, then? A cat?"
Eudora, if possible, looked prouder. "It was a package of soiled
linen from the Lancaster girls."
"Oh, good heavens, Eudora!"
"Yes," said Eudora, proudly. "I lost nearly everything when that
railroad failed. I had enough left to pay the taxes, and that
was all. After I had used a small sum in the savings-bank there
was nothing. One day I went over to the Lancasters', and
I--well, I had not had much to eat for several days. I was a
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Research Magnificent by H. G. Wells: and already they had Garvin. Quite a number of Benham's friends
pointed out to him the value of working out some special aspect of
our national political interests. A very useful speciality was the
Balkans. Mr. Pope, the well-known publicist, whose very sound and
considerable reputation was based on the East Purblow Labour
Experiment, met Benham at lunch and proposed to go with him in a
spirit of instructive association to the Balkans, rub up their Greek
together, and settle the problem of Albania. He wanted, he said, a
foreign speciality to balance his East Purblow interest. But Lady
Beach Mandarin warned Benham against the Balkans; the Balkans were
getting to be too handy for Easter and summer holidays, and now that
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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 Poems by Bronte Sisters: And all my once waste energy
To weighty purpose bent.
Yet--sayst thou, spies around us roam,
Our aims are termed conspiracy?
Haply, no more our English home
An anchorage for us may be?
That there is risk our mutual blood
May redden in some lonely wood
The knife of treachery?
Sayst thou, that where we lodge each night,
In each lone farm, or lonelier hall
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