| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Pool of Blood in the Pastor's Study by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: the madman bent over his worktable, seized a knife that lay there
and dropped on one knee beside the prostrate form. His hand was
raised to strike when a calm voice said: "Fie! Cardillac, for
shame! Do not belittle yourself. This man here is not worthy of
your knife, the hangman will look after him."
Varna raised his loose-jointed frame and looked about with
glistening eyes and trembling lips. His mind was completely
darkened once more. "I must kill him - I must have his
blood - there is no one to see me," he murmured. "I am a
hangman too - he has made a hangman of me," and again he bent
with uplifted hand over the man who had utilised his terrible
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Padre Ignacio by Owen Wister: Padre, putting formality to the front and his pleasure out of sight.
The stranger's face reddened beneath its sun-beaten bronze, and he became
aware of the Padre's pale features, molded by refinement and the world.
"I beg your lenience," said he, with a graceful and confident utterance,
as of equal to equal. "My name is Gaston Villere, and it was time I
should be reminded of my manners."
The Padre's hand waved a polite negative.
"Indeed, yes, Padre. But your music has amazed me. If you carried such
associations as--Ah! the days and the nights!"--he broke off. "To come
down a California mountain and find Paris at the bottom! The Huguenots,
Rossini, Herold--I was waiting for Il Trovatore."
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