| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: shutters with the violence of panic terror. Tristan, who was not
accustomed to respect the populace of those days (inasmuch as they
were not yet the sovereign people), cared little for a probable riot.
"Push on! push on!" he said to his men.
At the voice of their leader the archers spurred their horses towards
the end of the street. The crowd, seeing one or two of their number
knocked down by the horses and trampled on, and some others pressed
against the sides of the horses and nearly suffocated, took the wiser
course of retreating to their homes.
"Make room for the king's justice!" cried Tristan. "What are you doing
here? Do you want to be hanged too? Go home, my friends, go home; your
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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 Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: "There, enough of that, my good fellow!" replied the sailor harshly,
in a sneering tone that was nothing less than insulting. At the same
time the Count raised his hunting-crop as if to strike his horse, and
touched the young fellow's shoulder, saying, "A liberal citizen is a
reasoner; every reasoner should be prudent."
The young man went up the bankside as he heard the sarcasm; then he
crossed his arms, and said in an excited tone of voice, "I cannot
suppose, monsieur, as I look at your white hairs, that you still amuse
yourself by provoking duels----"
"White hairs!" cried the sailor, interrupting him. "You lie in your
throat. They are only gray."
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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 Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey: "Wait till I git my breath," replied Euchre. He sat silent a
little while, fanning himself with a sombrero, though the night
was cool, and then he went into the cabin to return presently
with a lighted pipe.
"Fine night," he said; and his tone further acquainted Duane
with Euchre's quaint humor. "Fine night for love-affairs, by
gum!"
"I'd noticed that," rejoined Duane, dryly.
"Wal, I'm a son of a gun if I didn't stand an' watch Bland
choke his wife till her tongue stuck out an' she got black in
the face."
The Lone Star Ranger |
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 Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: housekeeper's room, bade me good-morning, stood for two minutes by
the fire, said a few words about the weather and the 'rather rough'
journey I must have had yesterday; petted her youngest child - a
boy of ten - who had just been wiping his mouth and hands on her
gown, after indulging in some savoury morsel from the house-
keeper's store; told me what a sweet, good boy he was; and then
sailed out, with a self-complacent smile upon her face: thinking,
no doubt, that she had done quite enough for the present, and had
been delightfully condescending into the bargain. Her children
evidently held the same opinion, and I alone thought otherwise.
After this she looked in upon me once or twice, during the absence
Agnes Grey |
