| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: the custom of the old book-binders to clothe their volumes.
In this belief, some country librarians object to opening the library
windows lest the enemy should fly in from the neighbouring woods,
and rear a brood of worms. Anyone, indeed, who has seen
a hole in a filbert, or a piece of wood riddled by dry rot,
will recognize a similarity of appearance in the channels made
by these insect enemies.
Among the paper-eating species are:--
1. The "Anobium." Of this beetle there are varieties, viz.:
"A. pertinax," "A. eruditus," and "A. paniceum." In the larval
state they are grubs, just like those found, in nuts; in this stage
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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 Pierre Grassou by Honore de Balzac: When a pupil, Fougeres had studied drawing with Servin, who was
thought a great draughtsman in academic circles. After that he went to
Schinner's, to learn the secrets of the powerful and magnificent color
which distinguishes that master. Master and scholars were all
discreet; at any rate Pierre discovered none of their secrets. From
there he went to Sommervieux' atelier, to acquire that portion of the
art of painting which is called composition, but composition was shy
and distant to him. Then he tried to snatch from Decamps and Granet
the mystery of their interior effects. The two masters were not
robbed. Finally Fougeres ended his education with Duval-Lecamus.
During these studied and these different transformations Fougeres'
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