| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: "Excuse me for leaving you."
"What do you mean? Where are you going?"
The thought of a heroic falsehood had come into his head.
"I--I am going to the Circus in the Champs Elysees; it opens to-night,
and I can't miss it."
"Why not?" said Clementine, questioning him by a look that was half-
anger.
"Must I tell you why?" he said, coloring; "must I confide to you what
I hide from Adam, who thinks my only love is Poland."
"Ah! a secret in our noble captain?"
"A disgraceful one--which you will perhaps understand, and pity."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: not now be alive. But when he said a few minutes ago that he was
glad--glad of it, d--him!--then I fixed it in my mind that I
would be even with him. And I am going to be!'
'What do you mean?' Mademoiselle asked, wearily interrupting
him. 'If you think that you can prejudice me against this
gentleman--'
'That is precisely what I am going to do! And a little more than
that!' he answered.
'You will be only wasting your breath!' she retorted.
'Wait! Wait, Mademoiselle---until you have heard,' he said.
'For I swear to you that if ever a black-hearted scoundrel, a
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