| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: of light; with persecution and torture, with the dragonnades of
Louis XIV., with the murder of Calas and of Urban Grandier; with
celibacy, hysteria, demonology, witchcraft, and the shameful public
scandals, like those of Gauffredi, Grandier, and Pere Giraud, which
had arisen out of mental disease; with forms of worship which seemed
to them (rightly or wrongly) idolatry, and miracles which seemed to
them (rightly or wrongly) impostures; that the clergy interfered
perpetually with the sanctity of family life, as well as with the
welfare of the state; that their evil counsels, and specially those
of the Jesuits, had been patent and potent causes of much of the
misrule and misery of Louis XIV.'s and XV.'s reigns; and that with
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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 Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton: to marry you?" As the news took possession of her mind Ellie
became dithyrambic. "But, my dearest, what a miracle of luck!
Of course I always knew he was awfully gone on you: Fred
Davenant used to say so, I remember ... and even Nelson, who's
so stupid about such things, noticed it in Venice .... But then
it was so different. No one could possibly have thought of
marrying him then; whereas now of course every woman is trying
for him. Oh, Susy, whatever you do, don't miss your chance!
You can't conceive of the wicked plotting and intriguing there
will be to get him--on all sides, and even where one least
suspects it. You don't know what horrors women will do-and
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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 Enemies of Books by William Blades: Soon after Sir C. Anderson, of Lea (author of Ancient Models), came
in and took away the book to collate, but brought it back in the morning
having found it imperfect in the middle, and offered L5 for it.
Sir Charles had no book of reference to guide him to its value.
But in the meantime, Stark had employed a friend to obtain for him
the refusal of it, and had undertaken to give for it a little more than
any sum Sir Charles might offer. On finding that at least L5 could be
got for it, Smith went to the chemist and gave him two guineas, and then
sold it to Stark's agent for seven guineas. Stark took it to London,
and sold it at once to the Rt. Hon. Thos. Grenville for seventy
pounds or guineas.
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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 House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: old place, was fain to smother, in some degree, her own intuitions
as to Judge Pyncheon's character. And as for her cousin's testimony
in disparagement of it, she concluded that Hepzibah's judgment
was embittered by one of those family feuds which render hatred
the more deadly by the dead and corrupted love that they
intermingle with its native poison.
IX Clifford and Phoebe
TRULY was there something high, generous, and noble in the
native composition of our poor old Hepzibah! Or else,--and it
was quite as probably the case,--she had been enriched by
poverty, developed by sorrow, elevated by the strong and solitary
House of Seven Gables |
