| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy: "Forgive me," she said so low that he could hardly hear her.
Their eyes met, and Nekhludoff knew by the strange look of her
squinting eyes and the pathetic smile with which she said not
"Good-bye" but "Forgive me," that of the two reasons that might
have led to her resolution, the second was the real one. She
loved him, and thought that by uniting herself to him she would
be spoiling his life. By going with Simonson she thought she
would be setting Nekhludoff free, and felt glad that she had done
what she meant to do, and yet she suffered at parting from him.
She pressed his hand, turned quickly and left the room.
Nekhludoff was ready to go, but saw that the Englishman was
Resurrection |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lucile by Owen Meredith: (He broke into a fierce, angry laugh, as he said)
"Yet, lady, you knew that I loved you: you led
My love on to lay to its heart, hour by hour,
All the pale, cruel, beautiful, passionless power
Shut up in that cold face of yours! was this well?
But enough! not on you would I vent the wild hell
Which has grown in my heart. Oh, that man! first and last
He tramples in triumph my life! he has cast
His shadow 'twixt me and the sun . . . let it pass!
My hate yet may find him!"
She murmur'd, "Alas!
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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 Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: but the "wheel of Paris." Full of confidence that the trey cherished
for twenty-one years was about to triumph, she now imposed upon
herself enormous privations, that she might stake a large amount of
savings upon the last drawing of the year. When she dreamed her
cabalistic visions (for all dreams did not correspond with the numbers
of the lottery), she went and told them to Joseph, who was the sole
being who would listen, and not only not scold her, but give her the
kindly words with which an artist knows how to soothe the follies of
the mind. All great talents respect and understand a real passion;
they explain it to themselves by finding the roots of it in their own
hearts or minds. Joseph's ideas was, that his brother loved tobacco
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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 Betty Zane by Zane Grey: party of Shawnees. I plugged a chief and started to run. There was some good
runners and I couldn't shake 'em in the open country. Comin' to the Ohio I
jumped in and swum across, keepin' my rifle and powder dry by holdin' 'em up.
I hid in some bulrushes and waited. Pretty soon along comes three Injuns, and
when they saw where I had taken to the water they stopped and held a short
pow-wow. Then they all took to the water. This was what I was waitin' for.
When they got nearly acrosst I shot the first redskin, and loadin' quick got a
bullet into the others. The last Injun did not sink. I watched him go floatin'
down stream expectin' every minute to see him go under as he was hurt so bad
he could hardly keep his head above water. He floated down a long ways and the
current carried him to a pile of driftwood which had lodged against a little
Betty Zane |
