| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tales of Unrest by Joseph Conrad: sugar. The last fifteen lumps Kayerts had solemnly locked away in his
box, together with a half-bottle of Cognac, "in case of sickness," he
explained. Carlier approved. "When one is sick," he said, "any little
extra like that is cheering."
They waited. Rank grass began to sprout over the courtyard. The bell
never rang now. Days passed, silent, exasperating, and slow. When the
two men spoke, they snarled; and their silences were bitter, as if
tinged by the bitterness of their thoughts.
One day after a lunch of boiled rice, Carlier put down his cup
untasted, and said: "Hang it all! Let's have a decent cup of coffee
for once. Bring out that sugar, Kayerts!"
Tales of Unrest |
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: Conde's army might be killed at any moment; and, finally, the fortunes
of the Simeuse and the Cinq-Cygne families had been seized and wasted
by the Republic without being of any benefit to the nation. Her grave
demeanor, now lapsing into apparent stolidity, can be readily
understood.
Monsieur d'Hauteserre proved an upright and most careful guardian.
Under his administration Cinq-Cygne became a sort of farm. The good
man, who was far more of a close manager than a knight of the old
nobility, had turned the park and gardens to profit, and used their
two hundred acres of grass and woodland as pasturage for horses and
fuel for the family. Thanks to his severe economy the countess, on
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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 Purse by Honore de Balzac: to conceal, Hippolyte's mother had made inquiries among her
friends concerning Adelaide. Very justly alarmed by the calumnies
which weighed on the young girl, unknown to the Comte de
Kergarouet, whose name she learned from the porter's wife, she
went to report them to the vice-admiral; and he, in his rage,
declared "he would crop all the scoundrels' ears for them."
Then, prompted by his wrath, he went on to explain to Madame
Schinner the secret of his losing intentionally at cards, because
the Baronne's pride left him none but these ingenious means of
assisting her.
When Madame Schinner had paid her respects to Madame de Rouville,
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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 Hellenica by Xenophon: They (the Lacedaemonians), on their side, had helped to expel the
tyrant from Athens, and the Athenians, when Lacedaemon was besieged by
the Messenians, had heartly leant her a helping hand.[36] Then they
fell to enumerating all the blessings that marked the season when the
two states shared a common policy, hinting how in common they had
warred against the barbarians, and more boldly recalling how the
Athenians with the full consent and advice of the Lacedaemonians were
chosen by united Hellas leaders of the common navy[37] and guardians
of all the common treasure, while they themselves were selected by all
the Hellenes as confessedly the rightful leaders on land; and this
also not without the full consent and concurrence of the Athenians.
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