| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy: which had often come to her before, that in inhabiting
the fleshly tabernacle with which Nature had endowed
her she was somehow doing wrong.
"No, no! Don't beg my pardon. But since you wear a
veil to hide your good looks, why don't you keep it
down?"
She pulled down the veil, saying hastily, "It was
mostly to keep off the wind."
"It may seem harsh of me to dictate like this," he went
on; "but it is better that I should not look too often
on you. It might be dangerous."
Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: of the slow-witted Jim. He braced himself for a difficult
question.
"Will yer answer me somethin' straight?" he asked.
"Why, of course," she said as she met his gaze.
"Do you love the parson, Poll?"
She started.
"Is that it?"
Her lids fluttered and closed, she caught her breath quickly, her
lips apart, then looked far into the distance.
"Yes, Jim, I'm afraid--that's it." The little figure drooped,
and she stood before him with lowered eyes, unarmed. Jim looked
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