| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Study of a Woman by Honore de Balzac: the last minute, had been listening to the conversation, the meaning
of which he could not penetrate.
"Oh! nothing that would interest you," replied his wife.
Monsieur de Listomere tranquilly returned to the reading of his paper,
and presently said:--
"Ah! Madame de Mortsauf is dead; your poor brother has, no doubt, gone
to Clochegourde."
"Are you aware, monsieur," resumed the marquise, turning to Eugene,
"that what you have just said is a great impertinence?"
"If I did not know the strictness of your principles," he answered,
naively, "I should think that you wished either to give me ideas which
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rinehart: "Who's there?"
The man was so close it is a wonder I had not walked into him;
his voice was right at my ear.
"I am sorry I startled you," he said quietly. "I was afraid to
speak suddenly, or move, for fear I would do--what I have done."
It was Mr. Harbison.
"I--I thought you were--it is very late," I managed to say, with
dry lips. "Do you know where the electric switch is?"
"Mrs. Wilson!" It was clear he had not known me before. "Why, no;
don't you?"
"I am all confused," I muttered, and beat a retreat into the
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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 The Underground City by Jules Verne: would have done.
Thus also shells, zoophytes, star-fish, polypi, spirifores, even fish
and lizards brought by the water, left on the yet soft coal their
exact likeness, "admirably taken off."
Pressure seems to have played a considerable part in the formation
of carboniferous strata. In fact, it is to its degree of power that
are due the different sorts of coal, of which industry makes use.
Thus in the lowest layers of the coal ground appears the anthracite,
which, being almost destitute of volatile matter, contains the greatest
quantity of carbon. In the higher beds are found, on the contrary,
lignite and fossil wood, substances in which the quantity of carbon
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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 Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: Lawton sat beside her.
"This room looks every whit as grand as it used to look to me
when I was a boy," he said.
"It has hardly been opened, except to have it cleaned, since you
went away," replied Eudora, "and no wear has come upon it."
"And everything was rather splendid to begin with, and has
lasted. And so were you, Eudora, and you have lasted. Well,
what about my answer, dear girl?"
"You have to hear something first."
Lawton laughed. "A confession?"
Eudora held her head proudly. "No, not exactly," said she. "I am
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