| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane: feets was no bigger dan yer t'umb an' she weared worsted boots,
Miss Smith," she cried, raising her streaming eyes.
"Ah, me poor Mary," sobbed the woman in black. With low,
coddling cries, she sank on her knees by the mourner's chair,
and put her arms about her. The other women began to groan
in different keys.
"Yer poor misguided chil' is gone now, Mary, an' let us hope
it's fer deh bes'. Yeh'll fergive her now, Mary, won't yehs, dear,
all her disobed'ence? All her t'ankless behavior to her mudder an'
all her badness? She's gone where her ter'ble sins will be judged."
The woman in black raised her face and paused. The inevitable
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Under the Andes by Rex Stout: And she sent me a glance half defiant, half indifferent, which
plainly said: "If I fight you, I shall win; but I really care very
little about it one way or the other."
After breakfast she went to her room--to have her hair
dressed, she said--and I led Harry to a secluded corner of the
magnificent grounds surrounding the hotel. During the walk we were
both silent: Harry, I suppose, was wondering what I was going to
say, while I was trying to make up my own mind.
"I suppose," he began abruptly, "you are going to tell me I
have acted like a fool. Go ahead; the sooner it's over the
better."
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: that deep booming voice of his, "there spoke a traitor! You do not
care, you say, what plots may be hatched against His Majesty's life
and crown! Yet you ask me to believe you a true and loyal subject."
Blake was angered; he was at best a short-tempered man. Deliberately
he floundered further into the mire.
"I have not asked Your Grace to believe me anything," he answered
hotly. "It is all one to me what Your Grace believes me. I take it
I have not been fetched hither to be confronted with what Your Grace
believes. You have preferred a lying charge against me; I ask for
proofs, not Your Grace's beliefs and opinions."
"By God, sir, you are a daring rogue!" cried Albemarle.
|
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 Drama on the Seashore by Honore de Balzac: within his air, and so they always look which way the wind is before
they pass this rock. If it's nor'-westerly they wouldn't go by, no,
not if their errand was to get a bit of the true cross; they'd go
back, frightened. Others--they are the rich folks of Croisic--they say
that Cambremer has made a vow, and that's why people call him the Man
of the Vow. He is there night and day, he never leaves the place. All
these sayings have some truth in them. See there," he continued,
turning round to show us a thing we had not remarked, "look at that
wooden cross he has set up there, to the left, to show that he has put
himself under the protection of God and the holy Virgin and the
saints. But the fear that people have of him keeps him as safe as if
|
