| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: agents in themselves powerless. It was as if
Schomberg's baseless gossip had the power to bring
about the thing itself or the abstract enmity of
Falk could put my ship ashore.
I have already explained how fatal this last
would have been. For my further action, my
youth, my inexperience, my very real concern for
the health of my crew must be my excuse. The ac-
tion itself, when it came, was purely impulsive. It
was set in movement quite undiplomatically and
simply by Falk's appearance in the doorway.
Falk |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: of M. de La Tour d'Azyr.
CHAPTER XV
SAFE-CONDUCT
Across the body of that convulsively sobbing woman, the mother of
one and the mistress of the other, the eyes of those mortal enemies
met, invested with a startled, appalled interest that admitted of
no words.
Beyond the table, as if turned to stone by this culminating horror
of revelation, stood Aline.
M. de La Tour d'Azyr was the first to stir. Into his bewildered
mind came the memory of something that Mme. de Plougastel had said
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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 Herland by Charlotte Gilman: that is. In the case of one tree, in which they took especial pride,
it had originally no fruit at all--that is, none humanly edible--
yet was so beautiful that they wished to keep it. For nine hundred
years they had experimented, and now showed us this particularly
lovely graceful tree, with a profuse crop of nutritious seeds.
They had early decided that trees were the best food plants,
requiring far less labor in tilling the soil, and bearing a larger
amount of food for the same ground space; also doing much to
preserve and enrich the soil.
Due regard had been paid to seasonable crops, and their fruit
and nuts, grains and berries, kept on almost the year through.
Herland |
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 Finished by H. Rider Haggard: "So Zikali still lives, does he? He should have been dead long
ago."
"You know well that he lives, Macumazahn, for how could he die
till his work was accomplished? Moreover, you will remember that
he spoke to you when last moon was but just past her full--in a
dream, Macumazahn. I brought that dream, although you did not
see me."
"Pish!" I exclaimed. "Have done with your talk of dreams. Who
thinks anything of dreams?"
"You do," she replied even more placidly than before, "you whom
that dream has brought hither--with others."
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