| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: the neighbouring vales of Agordo and Auronzo, across the mountains,
and from Cadore, the peasants, men and women and children, had come
in to the Sagro at Cortina. The piazza--which is really nothing
more than a broadening of the road behind the church--was quite
thronged. There must have been between two and three thousand
people.
The ceremonies of the day began with general church-going. The
people here are honestly and naturally religious. I have seen so
many examples of what can only be called "sincere and unaffected
piety," that I cannot doubt it. The church, on Cortina's feast-
day, was crowded to the doors with worshippers, who gave every
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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 Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: So he pitches a lot of paper on the floor, set fire to it, and
starts in a hurry rummaging for more valuables. Did you ever? He
told that East-End parson that the devil tempted him. First God's
mercy - then devil's work. Turn and turn about. . .
"Any squirming skunk can talk like that. He was so busy with the
drawers that the first thing he heard was a shout, Great Heavens.
He looks up and there was the door open (Cloete had left the key in
the lock) and Captain Harry holding on, well above him, very fierce
in the light of the burning papers. His eyes were starting out of
his head. Thieving, he thunders at him. A sailor! An officer!
No! A wretch like you deserves no better than to be left here to
 Within the Tides |