| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: involuntary shuddering. Dame Gourlay knew how to avail herself
of this imperfect confidence. She directed Lucy's thoughts to
the means of inquiring into futurity--the surest mode perhaps, of
shaking the understanding and destroying the spirits. Omens were
expounded, dreams were interpreted, and other tricks of jugglery
perhaps resorted to, by which the pretended adepts of the period
deceived and fascinated their deluded followers. I find it
mentioned in the articles of dittay against Ailsie Gourlay--for
it is some comfort to know that the old hag was tried, condemned,
and burned on the top of North Berwick Law, by sentence of a
commission from the privy council--I find, I say, it was charged
The Bride of Lammermoor |
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 The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: Top still barked, and Jup, running towards the dog, uttered shrill cries.
The colonists followed him, and reached the borders of the little stream,
shaded by large trees. And there, in the bright moonlight, what did they
see? Five corpses, stretched on the bank!
They were those of the convicts who, four months previously, had landed
on Lincoln Island!
Chapter 13
How had it happened? who had killed the convicts? Was it Ayrton? No, for a
moment before he was dreading their return.
But Ayrton was now in a profound stupor, from which it was no longer
possible to rouse him. After uttering those few words he had again become
The Mysterious Island |
