| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling: spend the afternoon with me and a Roman Centurion
need a little settling dose of Magic before they go to tea
with their governess. Ohe, Parnesius!' he called.
'Here, Faun!' came the answer from Volaterrae. They
could see the shimmer of bronze armour in the beech-
crotch, and the friendly flash of the great shield uplifted.
'I have driven out the Britons.' Parnesius laughed like a
boy. 'I occupy their high forts. But Rome is merciful! You
may come up.'And up they three all scrambled.
'What was the song you were singing just now?' said
Una, as soon as she had settled herself.
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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 Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: mind; and I fear I have already tired your Lordship. I shall only
add one circumstance, That on his death-bed he declared himself a
Nonconformist, and had a fanatick preacher to be his spiritual
guide. After half an hour's conversation I took my leave, being
half stifled by the closeness of the room. I imagine he could not
hold out long, and therefore withdrew to a little coffee-house
hard by, leaving a servant at the house with orders to come
immediately, and tell me, as near as he could, the minute when
Partridge should expire, which was not above two hours after;
when, looking upon my watch, I found it to be above five minutes
after seven; by which it is clear that Mr. Bickerstaff was
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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 A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: it seems to me, young man, that your respectable mother is, at the
present moment, not exactly in the social sphere of an ambassadress.
She carried a handbag worthy of the utmost respect, and wore shoe-
strings which--"
"My mother, monsieur!" exclaimed Oscar, in a tone of indignation.
"That was the person in charge of our household."
"'Our household' is a very aristocratic term," remarked the count.
"Kings have households," replied Oscar, proudly.
A look from Georges repressed the desire to laugh which took
possession of everybody; he contrived to make Mistigris and the
painter understand that it was necessary to manage Oscar cleverly in
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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 Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: gets most votes will be elected, and I'm thinking, Bucky, that
the man with most rifles will the most votes. Now, says Diaz, in
effect, with an official wave of his hand, 'Settle your own rows,
gintlemen. I don't give a damn whether Megales or Valdez is
governor of Chihuahua, subject, of coorse, to the will of the
people.' Then he winks at Valdez wid his off eye as much as to
say: 'Go in an' win, me boy; me prayers are supporting ye. But be
sure ye do nothing too illegal.' So there ye are, Bucky. If ould
Megales was to wake up election morning and find that the
polling-places was in our hands, his soldiers disarmed or bought
over, and everything contributing smoothly to express the will of
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