| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey: The crowd fell back to the tramp of heavy boots. Cowboys appeared
staggering out of the corridor with long boxes. These they
placed side by side upon the floor of the porch.
"Now, Hawe, we'll proceed with our business," said Stewart. "You
see these boxes, don't you?"
"I reckon I see a good many things round hyar," replied Hawe,
meaningly.
"Well, do you intend to open these boxes upon my say-so?"
"No!" retorted Hawe. "It's not my place to meddle with property
as come by express an' all accounted fer regular."
"You call yourself a sheriff!" exclaimed Stewart, scornfully.
The Light of Western Stars |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: himself, "perhaps Fouche does, too; who knows?"
Corentin, having started for Troyes before Malin, had made
arrangements with the commandant of the gendarmerie in that town, who
picked out a number of his most intelligent men and placed them under
orders of an able captain. Corentin chose Gondreville as the place of
rendezvous, and directed the captain to send some of his men at night
in four detachments to different points of the valley of Cinq-Cygne at
sufficient distance from each other to cause no alarm. These four
pickets were to form a square and close in around the chateau of Cinq-
Cygne. By leaving Corentin alone at Gondreville during his
consultation in the fields with Grevin, Malin had enabled him to
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: pulled already the hood of her cloak over her head and her face
within the dark cloth had turned an intense and unearthly white,
in which the violet of her eyes appeared unfathomably mysterious.
Carter started forward.--"You don't know this man," he almost
shouted.
"I do know him," she said, and before the reproachfully
unbelieving attitude of the other she added, speaking slowly and
with emphasis: "There is not, I verily believe, a single thought
or act of his life that I don't know."--"It's true--it's true,"
muttered Lingard to himself. Carter threw up his arms with a
groan. "Stand back," said a voice that sounded to him like a
The Rescue |
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 A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert: first time it was a box of shells; the second, a coffee-cup; the
third, a big doll of ginger-bread. He was growing handsome, had a good
figure, a tiny moustache, kind eyes, and a little leather cap that sat
jauntily on the back of his head. He amused his aunt by telling her
stories mingled with nautical expressions.
One Monday, the 14th of July, 1819 (she never forgot the date), Victor
announced that he had been engaged on a merchant-vessel and that in
two days he would take the steamer at Honfleur and join his sailer,
which was going to start from Havre very soon. Perhaps he might be
away two years.
The prospect of his departure filled Felicite with despair, and in
A Simple Soul |
