| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: and determined way that was extremely characteristic of her
she seemed resolute to break in.
She appeared as an advocate, without affection for her client
but without any hostility, of the claims of Miss Grammont to
be let alone. The elaborate pretence that Sir Richmond had
maintained to himself that he had not made love to Miss
Grammont, that their mutual attraction had been irresistible
and had achieved its end in spite of their resolute and
complete detachment, collapsed and vanished from his mind. He
admitted to himself that driven by a kind of instinctive
necessity he had led their conversation step by step to a
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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 American by Henry James: He thought of Valentin de Bellegarde, still green in the earth
of his burial--his young life clipped by this flourishing impudence.
The perfume of the young lady's finery sickened him; he turned his head
and tried to deflect his course; but the pressure of the crowd kept him
near her a few minutes longer, so that he heard what she was saying.
"Ah, I am sure he will miss me," she murmured. "It was very cruel in me
to leave him; I am afraid you will think me a very heartless creature.
He might perfectly well have come with us. I don't think he is very well,"
she added; "it seemed to me to-day that he was not very gay."
Newman wondered whom she was talking about, but just then an
opening among his neighbors enabled him to turn away, and he said
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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 Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: on the sawdust walks, that it was good just to look at them.
But on the instant Bessie Bell remembered how sorrowful it was to
cry when you could not understand things, so she quickly reached out
her little pink hand and laid it on the lady's hand--just because
she knew how sorrowful it felt to feel like crying and not to know.
``You see,'' said Bessie Bell gently, as she softly patted the lady's
hand, ``you see, you do look something like a Sister,--but,'' said
Bessie Bell, ``I believe you do look more like a Mama.''
``Little girl,'' said the lady, ``what do you mean?''
And she still looked as if she might cry.
``Yes,'' said Bessie Bell, for she had begun to think very hard,
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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 Pool in the Desert by Sara Jeanette Duncan: sauntered towards the carriage, he offering a formal hand to help
her down the uncertain steps, she gracefully accepting it.
'You--you have not been long,' said I. 'I hope you didn't hurry on
my account.'
'Miss Farnham found the marble a little cold under foot,' replied
Dacres, putting Miss Farnham in.
'You see,' explained Cecily, 'I stupidly forgot to change into
thicker soles. I have only my slippers. But, mamma, how lovely it
is! Do let us come again in the daytime. I am dying to make a
sketch of it.'
Mr. Tottenham was to leave us on the following day. In the morning,
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