| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson: early errors."
"And in the meantime," said the Doctor, "let me go and bury my
oldest friend."
(And this, observes the erudite Arabian, is the fortunate
conclusion of the tale. The Prince, it is superfluous to mention,
forgot none of those who served him in this great exploit; and to
this day his authority and influence help them forward in their
public career, while his condescending friendship adds a charm to
their private life. To collect, continues my author, all the
strange events in which this Prince has played the part of
Providence were to fill the habitable globe with books. But the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: When they had gone she shed a few bitter tears at the necessity
which the circumstances imposed upon her of working while her
heart revolted at the idea of being anywhere but at the bedside
of her sick mother. Then she lamented that they had not dispensed
with many articles of luxury while they had plenty of money, and
saved more of it for such a sad time as the present. But it was
of no use to repine; she had only to make the best of her
situation.
Amid all these discouragements came a bright ray of sunshine--the
brightest that could possibly have shone on the pathway of the
weeping daughter.
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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 Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: herself received from the son. Her instinctive kindness had
doubly inspired her. In devoting herself to her service,
Nadia secured to her youth and beauty the protection af-
forded by the age of the old prisoner.
On the crowd of unhappy people, embittered by suffer-
ings, this silent pair -- one seeming to be the grandmother,
the other the grand-daughter -- imposed a sort of respect.
After being carried off by the Tartar scouts on the
Irtych, Nadia had been taken to Omsk. Kept prisoner in
the town, she shared the fate of all those captured by Ivan
Ogareff, and consequently that of Marfa Strogoff.
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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 Blue Flower by Henry van Dyke: Winfried laughed. "Nay, my son Gregor," said he, "thou
hast tripped, even now, upon thy text. For David said only,
'I take no pleasure in the legs of a man.' And so say I, for
I am not minded to spare thy legs or mine, until we come farther
on our way, and do what must be done this night. Draw thy
belt tighter, my son, and hew me out this tree that is fallen
across the road, for our campground is not here."
The youth obeyed; two of the foresters sprang to help him;
and while the soft fir-wood yielded to the stroke of the axes,
and the snow flew from the bending branches, Winfried turned
and spoke to his followers in a cheerful voice, that refreshed
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