| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: courted than avoided interruption. When he had passed the upper
gate, he turned his horse, and looked at the castle with a fixed
eye; then set spurs to his good steed, and departed with the
speed of a demon dismissed by the exorcist.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Who comes from the bridal chamber?
It is Azrael, the angel of death.
Thalaba.
AFTER the dreadful scene that had taken place at the castle,
Lucy was transported to her own chamber, where she remained for
some time in a state of absolute stupor. Yet afterwards, in the
The Bride of Lammermoor |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories by Alice Dunbar: had gone as completely as if he had been spirited away. It was
of no use to call up the neighbors, he had never been near their
houses, they affirmed, so there was nothing to do but to go to
the railroad track where Titee had been seen so often trudging in
the shrill north-wind.
With lanterns and sticks, and his little yellow dog, the rescuing
party started down the track. The rain had ceased falling, but
the wind blew a gale, scurrying great gray clouds over a fierce
sky. It was not exactly dark, though in this part of the city
there is neither gas nor electricity, and on such a night as this
neither moon nor stars dared show their faces in so gray a sky;
The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Weir of Hermiston by Robert Louis Stevenson: was audible, then it was cut off by the intervening steepness of the
hill; and again, a great while after, the renewed beating of phantom
horse-hoofs, far in the valley of the Hermiston, showed that the horse
at least, if not his rider, was still on the homeward way.
There was a Tuesday club at the "Cross-keys" in Crossmichael, where the
young bloods of the country-side congregated and drank deep on a
percentage of the expense, so that he was left gainer who should have
drunk the most. Archie had no great mind to this diversion, but he took
it like a duty laid upon him, went with a decent regularity, did his
manfullest with the liquor, held up his head in the local jests, and got
home again and was able to put up his horse, to the admiration of
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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 Tattine by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]: "I'd go the short cut by the ford," advised Patrick; "it looks like we might
get a shower by sunset."
"Yes, I think we would better," said Rudolph, glancing toward the clouds in
the west Rudolph prided himself on his ability to forecast the weather, and
was generally able to tell correctly when a shower was pretty sure to come and
when it was likely to "go round."
So Barney was coaxed into a good gait, which he was ready as a rule to take
towards home, and the little ford by way of a farm-lane, and which saved a
good mile on the road home, was soon reached. Barney knew the place well and,
always enjoying it, picked his way carefully to the middle of the ford, and
then he took it into his stubborn little head to stand stock still, and to
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