| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain: mages among your things and charges a big tax, which
they call a duty because it's their duty to bust you if
they can, and if you don't pay the duty they'll hog
your sand. They call it confiscating, but that don't
deceive nobody, it's just hogging, and that's all it is.
Now if we try to carry this sand home the way we're
pointed now, we got to climb fences till we git tired --
just frontier after frontier -- Egypt, Arabia, Hindostan,
and so on, and they'll all whack on a duty, and so you
see, easy enough, we CAN'T go THAT road."
"Why, Tom," I says, "we can sail right over their
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: pastor had made no effort to find out about her. For weeks both
she and Hasty had hoped that the return of the circus might bring
Polly back to them; but now it was nearly night and there had
been no word from her. Why didn't she come running in to see
them, as Mandy had felt so sure she would? Why had the pastor
stayed away on the hills all day?
Unanswered questions were always an abomination to Mandy, so
finally she drew a quarter from the knotted gingham rag that held
her small wad of savings, and told Hasty "to go long to de show
and find out 'bout Miss Polly."
She was anxiously waiting for him, when Deacon Strong knocked at
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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 Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost: study, and I thus gave him convincing proof of the moral
reformation he was so anxious to bring about. It was nothing,
however, but rank hypocrisy--I blush to confess it. Instead of
studying, when alone I did nothing but curse my destiny. I
lavished the bitterest execrations on my prison, and the tyrants
who detained me there. If I ceased for a moment from these
lamentations, it was only to relapse into the tormenting
remembrance of my fatal and unhappy love. Manon's absence--the
mystery in which her fate was veiled--the dread of never again
beholding her; these formed the subject of my melancholy
thoughts. I fancied her in the arms of G---- M----. Far from
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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 Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard: I do not consider that a very serious matter), rather than remain
in ce triste pays. Poor Alphonse! we shall be very sorry to
part with him; but I sincerely trust, for his own sake and also
for the sake of this history, which is, I think, worth giving
to the world, that he may arrive in safety. If he does, and
can carry the treasure we have provided him with in the shape
of bars of solid gold, he will be, comparatively speaking, a
rich man for life, and well able to marry his Annette, if she
is still in the land of the living and willing to marry her Alphonse.
Anyhow, on the chance, I may as well add a word or two to
dear old Quatermain's narrative.
Allan Quatermain |
