| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Contrast by Royall Tyler: suit come; she sent over her measure, and it fits her
to a hair; it is immensely dressy, and made for a
court-hoop. I thought they said the large hoops were
going out of fashion.
CHARLOTTE
Did you see the hat? Is it a fact that the deep laces
round the border is still the fashion?
DIMPLE within. Upon my honour, Sir.
MARIA
Ha! Dimple's voice! My dear, I must take leave
of you. There are some things necessary to be done
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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 Jolly Corner by Henry James: clear delight with which he was finally to sacrifice it. They
might come in now, the builders, the destroyers - they might come
as soon as they would. At the end of two flights he had dropped to
another zone, and from the middle of the third, with only one more
left, he recognised the influence of the lower windows, of half-
drawn blinds, of the occasional gleam of street-lamps, of the
glazed spaces of the vestibule. This was the bottom of the sea,
which showed an illumination of its own and which he even saw paved
- when at a given moment he drew up to sink a long look over the
banisters - with the marble squares of his childhood. By that time
indubitably he felt, as he might have said in a commoner cause,
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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 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle: happened to live at no very great distance from Paddington
Station, I got a few patients from among the officials. One of
these, whom I had cured of a painful and lingering disease, was
never weary of advertising my virtues and of endeavoring to send
me on every sufferer over whom he might have any influence.
One morning, at a little before seven o'clock, I was awakened by
the maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had come
from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room. I
dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases
were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended, my
old ally, the guard, came out of the room and closed the door
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
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 Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: lustre.
'He is not hurt,' said the traveller at length, raising his head
and the lantern together.
'You have found that out at last, have you?' rejoined the old man.
'My eyes have seen more light than yours, but I wouldn't change
with you.'
'What do you mean?'
'Mean! I could have told you he wasn't hurt, five minutes ago.
Give me the light, friend; ride forward at a gentler pace; and good
night.'
In handing up the lantern, the man necessarily cast its rays full
Barnaby Rudge |
