| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mosses From An Old Manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne: foot that he considers it a sin to travel in any other fashion.
Besides, the old fellow had entered so heartily into the ancient
feud with Prince Beelzebub that he would have been perpetually at
blows or ill language with some of the prince's subjects, and
thus have embroiled us anew. So, on the whole, we were not sorry
when honest Greatheart went off to the Celestial City in a huff
and left us at liberty to choose a more suitable and
accommodating man. Yonder comes the engineer of the train. You
will probably recognize him at once."
The engine at this moment took its station in advance of the
cars, looking, I must confess, much more like a sort of
Mosses From An Old Manse |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: " 'Adieu, dear Anastasie, may you be happy! As for me, by to-morrow my
troubles will be over.'
" 'Sir!' cried the lady, turning to Gobseck. 'I accept your offer.'
" 'Come, now,' returned Gobseck. 'You have been a long time in coming
to it, my fair lady.'
"He wrote out a cheque for fifty thousand francs on the Bank of
France, and handed it to the Countess.
" 'Now,' continued he with a smile, such a smile as you will see in
portraits of M. Voltaire, 'now I will give you the rest of the amount
in bills, thirty thousand francs' worth of paper as good as bullion.
This gentleman here has just said, "My bills will be met when they are
Gobseck |
