| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: himself as John listened in his pyjamas.
"Why, I'm sorry," said he, "but I don't believe they'll get back very
soon."
"They have gone away?" asked Oscar, sharply.
"Ah--yes," returned the reticent John. "An unexpected matter of
importance."
"But, my dear sir, those gentlemen know nothing! Philosophy 4 is
tomorrow, and they know nothing."
"They'll have to stand it, then," said John, with a grin.
"And my time. I am waiting here. I am engaged to teach them. I have
been waiting here since ten. They engaged me all day and this evening.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Daughter of Eve by Honore de Balzac: "How much do you want?" asked du Tillet, who was not sorry to get his
sister-in-law into his meshes.
"Ah, monsieur! but I have told you already we do not wish to let our
husbands into this affair," said Madame de Vandenesse, cautiously,--
aware that if she took his money, she would put herself at the mercy
of the man whose portrait Eugenie had fortunately drawn for her not
ten minutes earlier. "I will come to-morrow and talk with Eugenie."
"To-morrow?" said the banker. "No; Madame du Tillet dines to-morrow
with a future peer of France, the Baron de Nucingen, who is to leave
me his place in the Chamber of Deputies."
"Then permit her to join me in my box at the Opera," said the
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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 Chance by Joseph Conrad: the hotel, that he and his wife were the only bond with the land
Captain Anthony had. Who else could he have asked?
"I explained to him that he was breaking this bond," declared Fyne
solemnly. "Breaking it once for all. And for what--for what?"
He glared at me. I could perhaps have given him an inkling for
what, but I said nothing. He started again:
"My wife assures me that the girl does not love him a bit. She goes
by that letter she received from her. There is a passage in it
where she practically admits that she was quite unscrupulous in
accepting this offer of marriage, but says to my wife that she
supposes she, my wife, will not blame her--as it was in self-
Chance |
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 Roads of Destiny by O. Henry: it necessary for him even to reach for his weapon.
But in this affair the Kid had not felt the grim thirst for encounter
that usually urged him on to battle. It had been a purely chance row,
born of the cards and certain epithets impossible for a gentleman to
brook that had passed between the two. The Kid had rather liked the
slim, haughty, brown-faced young chap whom his bullet had cut off in
the first pride of manhood. And now he wanted no more blood. He wanted
to get away and have a good long sleep somewhere in the sun on the
mesquit grass with his handkerchief over his face. Even a Mexican
might have crossed his path in safety while he was in this mood.
The Kid openly boarded the north-bound passenger train that departed
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