| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: merit. He imagined her to be such no doubt, and drew a charming
picture of her occupations by the banks of the river; but in his
other imaginations, there was some kind of peg on which to hang the
false costumes he created; windmills are big, and wave their arms
like giants; sheep in the distance are somewhat like an army; a
little boat on the river-side must look much the same whether
enchanted or belonging to millers; but except that Dulcinea is a
woman, she bears no resemblance at all to the damsel of his
imagination.'
At the time of these letters, the oldest son only was born to them.
In September of the next year, with the birth of the second,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Melmoth Reconciled by Honore de Balzac: as men walk who are crushed beneath the burden of their sorrow, seeing
everything with unseeing eyes, loitering like an idler, stopping
without cause, muttering to himself, careless of the traffic, making
no effort to avoid a blow from a plank of timber.
Imperceptibly repentance brought him under the influence of the divine
grace that soothes while it bruises the heart so terribly. His face
came to wear a look of Melmoth, something great, with a trace of
madness in the greatness--a look of dull and hopeless distress,
mingled with the excited eagerness of hope, and, beneath it all, a
gnawing sense of loathing for all that the world can give. The
humblest of prayers lurked in the eyes that saw with such dreadful
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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 Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: "I must not leave you," said Ratcliffe; "I have been repeatedly
requesting admittance to take my leave of you, and have been
refused, until your father himself sent for me. Blame me not, if
I am bold and intrusive; I have a duty to discharge which makes
me so."
"I cannot listen to you--I cannot speak to you, Mr. Ratcliffe;
take my best wishes, and for God's sake leave me."
"Tell me only," said Ratcliffe, "is it true that this monstrous
match is to go forward, and this very night? I heard the
servants proclaim it as I was on the great staircase--I heard the
directions given to clear out the chapel."
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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 Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: say, and without apologies for my language, DAMN the money!"
A Voice. "Oh, and him a Baptist!"
A Voice. "Seventeen Symbols left! Step up, gentlemen, and assume
your trust!"
There was a pause--no response.
The Saddler. "Mr. Chairman, we've got ONE clean man left, anyway,
out of the late aristocracy; and he needs money, and deserves it. I
move that you appoint Jack Halliday to get up there and auction off
that sack of gilt twenty-dollar pieces, and give the result to the
right man--the man whom Hadleyburg delights to honour--Edward
Richards."
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
