| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Melmoth Reconciled by Honore de Balzac: threaded his way along the Boulevard de Gand, "haven't I taken proper
precautions? Let me think! Two clear days, Sunday and Monday, then a
day of uncertainty before they begin to look for me; altogether, three
days and four nights' respite. I have a couple of passports and two
different disguises; is not that enough to throw the cleverest
detective off the scent? On Tuesday morning I shall draw a million
francs in London before the slightest suspicion has been aroused. My
debts I am leaving behind for the benefit of my creditors, who will
put a 'P'* on the bills, and I shall live comfortably in Italy for the
rest of my days as the Conte Ferraro. [*Protested.] I was alone with
him when he died, poor fellow, in the marsh of Zembin, and I shall
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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 Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy: meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I
was a stranger and ye took Me not in: naked, and
ye clothed Me not; sick, and in prison, and ye
visited Me not. Then shall they also answer
Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hun-
gred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick,
or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?
Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say
unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the
least of these, ye did it not to Me. And these
shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the
The Forged Coupon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Pool in the Desert by Sara Jeanette Duncan: Gordon's account of the afternoon's tandem racing; but there was a
furious beating in her breast, and she thought she could never draw
a breath long enough to control it. It helped her that there was
food to swallow, wine to drink, and Captain Gordon to listen to; and
under cover of these things she gradually, consciously, prepared
herself for the shock of encounter which should be conclusive.
Presently she leaned a little forward and let her glance, in which
no outsider could see the steady recognition, rest upon the lady on
the General's right, until that person's agreeable blue eyes
wandered down the table and met it. Perhaps Madeline's own eyelids
fluttered a little as she saw the sudden stricture in the face that
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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 The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: and they said: "Greeting, Kotick! This year we are all
holluschickie, and we can dance the Fire-dance in the breakers off
Lukannon and play on the new grass. But where did you get that
coat?"
Kotick's fur was almost pure white now, and though he felt
very proud of it, he only said, "Swim quickly! My bones are
aching for the land." And so they all came to the beaches where
they had been born, and heard the old seals, their fathers,
fighting in the rolling mist.
That night Kotick danced the Fire-dance with the yearling
seals. The sea is full of fire on summer nights all the way down
The Jungle Book |
