| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 1492 by Mary Johntson: Xaragua. But no! it was Alonzo de Carvajal with news
and a letter from San Domingo, and in the very statement
ran a thrilling something that said, ``Hark, now! I am
Fortune that turns the wheel.''
Carvajal said, ``senor, I have news and a letter for your
ear and eye alone!''
``From my brother at San Domingo?''
``Aye, and from another,'' said Carvajal. ``Two ships
have come in.''
With that the Admiral and he went into Commandant's
house.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Commission in Lunacy by Honore de Balzac: "Still, monsieur, though I often make a jest of comparing China with
the present condition of European states, I am not a Chinaman, I am a
French gentleman. If you entertain any doubts as to the financial side
of this undertaking, I can prove to you that at this moment we have
two thousand five hundred subscribers to this work, which is literary,
iconographical, statistical, and religious; its importance has been
generally appreciated; our subscribers belong to every nation in
Europe, we have but twelve hundred in France. Our book will cost about
three hundred francs, and the Comte de Nouvion will derive from it
from six to seven thousand francs a year, for his comfort was the real
motive of the undertaking. For my part, I aimed only at the
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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 Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: sir." Debray stepped forward, and cordially pressed the hand
of his interlocutor. "Believe me, dear Albert," he said,
with all the emotion he was capable of feeling, -- "believe
me, I feel deeply for your misfortunes, and if in any way I
can serve you, I am yours."
"Thank you, sir," said Albert, smiling. "In the midst of our
misfortunes, we are still rich enough not to require
assistance from any one. We are leaving Paris, and when our
journey is paid, we shall have 5,000 francs left." The blood
mounted to the temples of Debray, who held a million in his
pocket-book, and unimaginative as he was he could not help
The Count of Monte Cristo |
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 At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Will you come?"
I told him about Perry then, and Dian the Beautiful,
and how my duty was to them first. Afterward I should
return and visit him--if I could ever find his island.
"Oh, that is easy, my friend," he said. "You need merely
to come to the foot of the highest peak of the Mountains
of the Clouds. There you will find a river which flows
into the Lural Az. Directly opposite the mouth of the
river you will see three large islands far out, so far
that they are barely discernible, the one to the extreme
left as you face them from the mouth of the river is Anoroc,
At the Earth's Core |
