| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: once granted by the count. He kept his poultry-yard, pigeon-cotes, and
cattle at the cost of the estate, but the manure of the stables was
used by the count's gardeners. All these little stealings had some
ostensible excuse.
Madame Moreau had taken into her service a daughter of one of the
gardeners, who was first her maid and afterwards her cook. The
poultry-game, also the dairy-maid, assisted in the work of the
household; and the steward had hired a discharged soldier to groom the
horses and do the heavy labor.
At Nerville, Chaumont, Maffliers, Nointel, and other places of the
neighborhood, the handsome wife of the steward was received by persons
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: enemy of hers--this other thing, this truth, this reality, which
suddenly laid hands on her, emerged stark at the back of apperarances
and commanded reluctant. Why always be drawn out and haled away? Why
not left in peace, to talk to Mr Carmichael on the lawn? It was an
exacting form of intercourse anyhow. Other worshipful objects were
content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but
this form, were it only the shape of a white lamp-shade looming on a
wicker table, roused one to perpetual combat, challenged one to a fight
in which one was bound to be worsted. Always (it was in her nature, or
in her sex, she did not know which) before she exchanged the fluidity
of life for the concentration of painting she had a few moments of
To the Lighthouse |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Daughter of Eve by Honore de Balzac: immediately, forty thousand francs."
Then she locked into a table drawer the guarantee given by Madame de
Vandenesse, after sealing it up.
"You have a delightful room," said the countess.
"Yes, but Monsieur de Nucingen is going to take it from me. He is
building a new house."
"You will doubtless give this one to your daughter, who, I am told, is
to marry Monsieur de Rastignac."
The cashier appeared at this moment with the money. Madame de Nucingen
took the bank-bills and gave him the notes of hand.
"That balances," she said.
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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 Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber: heart-sick. If the office-boy had thrown a kind word to me I'd
have broken down and wept on his shoulder."
Buck, still standing, looked down between narrowed lids at his
business partner.
"Emma McChesney," he said steadily, "do you mean that?"
Mrs. McChesney, the straightforward, looked up, looked down,
fiddled with the letter in her hand.
"Well--practically yes--that is--I thought, now that you're
going to the mountains for a month, it might give me a chance to
think--to----"
"And d'you know what I'll do meanwhile, out of revenge on the
Emma McChesney & Co. |
