| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Book of Remarkable Criminals by H. B. Irving: that the death agony of his friend was so dreadful that he had
not the strength to remain in the room with the dying man.
Another doctor was sent for, but at ten o'clock the
following morning, after protracted suffering, Hippolyte
Ballet passed away.
A post-mortem was held on his body. It was made by Drs. Segalas
and Castaing. They stated that death was due to pleurisy
aggravated by the consumptive condition of the deceased, which,
however serious, was not of itself likely to have been so rapidly
fatal in its consequences.
Hippolyte had died, leaving a fortune of some 240,000 francs. In
A Book of Remarkable Criminals |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Maid Marian by Thomas Love Peacock: "A heinous offender," said a little round oily friar,
appropriating the portion of pasty which Sir Ralph had left.
"The earl is a worthy peer," said the tall friar whom we have already
mentioned in the chapel scene, "and the best marksman in England."
"Why this is flat treason, brother Michael," said the little round friar,
"to call an attainted traitor a worthy peer."
"I pledge you," said brother Michael. The little friar
smiled and filled his cup. "He will draw the long bow,"
pursued brother Michael, "with any bold yeoman among them all."
"Don't talk of the long bow," said the abbot, who had the sound
of the arrow still whizzing in his ear: "what have we pillars
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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 House of Dust by Conrad Aiken: Entered the darkening room, and faced the portrait,
And saw the quiet eyes
Gleaming and young in the dusk, and held the wine-cup,
And knelt, and did not rise,
And said, aloud, 'Lo-san, will you drink this wine?'
Said it three times aloud.
And at the third the faint blue smoke of incense
Rose to the walls in a cloud,
And the lips moved faintly, and the eyes, and the calm hands stirred;
And suddenly, with a sigh,
The quiet lady came slowly down from the portrait,
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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 Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: by all the tendencies of my mind and character, to that strong and
serious school of artists of another age who, finding that art is long
and life is short--/ars longa et vita brevis/--did not commit the
mistake of wasting their time and lessening their powers of creation
by silly and insipid intrigues.
But I have a better reason still to offer you. As Monsieur de
l'Estorade has told you of the really romantic incidents of my first
meeting with his wife, you know already that a /memory/ was the cause
of my studying her as a model. Well, that memory, while it attracted
me to the beautiful countess, is the strongest of all reasons to keep
me from her. This appears to you, I am sure, sufficiently enigmatical
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