| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: put her under a great moral strain, in which there might have been
a little simple remorse, too. For she was honest - and there,
across the table, sat poor old Nelson (or Nielsen) staring at her,
round-eyed and so pathetically comic in his fierce aspect as to
touch the most lightsome heart.
He retired early to his room to soothe himself for a night's rest
by perusing his account-books. We two remained on the verandah for
another hour or so, but we exchanged only languid phrases on things
without importance, as though we had been emotionally jaded by our
long day's talk on the only momentous subject. And yet there was
something she might have told a friend. But she didn't. We parted
 'Twixt Land & Sea |
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: water. The oar was useless.
Getting a purchase on the wall with our hands, we shoved the
raft to one side; but as soon as we got to the wall on the left the
whirling stream turned us around again, and we found ourselves back
in our original position, only with a different side of the raft
against the rock. That happened three times.
Then we tried working to the right instead of the left, but
with no better success. The force of the current, coming with all
its speed against the unwieldy raft, was irresistible. Time and
again we shoved round and started upstream, after incredible labor,
only to be dashed back again against the rock.
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