| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: that he had not the slightest interest in social questions, and
simply wanted the explosive machine for a purely family matter, in
which no one was concerned but himself.
Count Rouvaloff looked at him for some moments in amazement, and
then seeing that he was quite serious, wrote an address on a piece
of paper, initialled it, and handed it to him across the table.
'Scotland Yard would give a good deal to know this address, my dear
fellow.'
'They shan't have it,' cried Lord Arthur, laughing; and after
shaking the young Russian warmly by the hand he ran downstairs,
examined the paper, and told the coachman to drive to Soho Square.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: contradict the character of the face, which was altogether melancholy.
The prominent arch of the upper eyelid, though very beautifully cut,
overshadowed the glance of the eye, and added a physical sadness,--if
we may so call it,--produced by the droop of the lid over the eyeball.
This inward doubt or eclipse--which is put into language by the word
modesty--was expressed in his whole person. Perhaps we shall be able
to make his appearance better understood if we say that the logic of
design required greater length in the oval of his head, more space
between the chin, which ended abruptly, and the forehead, which was
reduced in height by the way in which the hair grew. The face had, in
short, a rather compressed appearance. Hard work had already drawn
Modeste Mignon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Rig Veda: In Arjikiya, cheers thee best.
12 Hasten thou hitherward, and drink this for munificence to-day,
Delightful for thine eager draught.
HYMN LIV. Indra.
1. THOUGH, Indra, thou art called by men from east and west,
from
north and soutb,
Come hither quickly with fleet steeds
The Rig Veda |
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 A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: silently and stealthily across to the arid lands upon the other
side. It required five hours to make one of these crossings
without a single halt, and the other consumed the entire night,
so that we were just leaving the confines of the high-walled
fields when the sun broke out upon us.
Crossing in the darkness, as we did, I was unable to see
but little, except as the nearer moon, in her wild and
ceaseless hurtling through the Barsoomian heavens, lit up
little patches of the landscape from time to time, disclosing
walled fields and low, rambling buildings, presenting much
the appearance of earthly farms. There were many trees,
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