| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: missionary.
"But there IS such a thing as right and wrong," said the
missionary; "and your ovens cannot alter that."
"Give the kava to the rest," said Akaanga to the daughters of Miru.
"I must get rid of this sea-lawyer instantly, or worse will come of
it."
The next moment the missionary came up in the midst of the sea, and
there before him were the palm trees of the island. He swam to the
shore gladly, and landed. Much matter of thought was in that
missionary's mind.
"I seem to have been misinformed upon some points," said he.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: the Count's carriage, her husband kneeling by her side. Monsieur de
Bauvan went off to fetch a doctor to give her the care she needed.
The Governor of the Conciergerie meanwhile was examining the outer
gate, and saying to his clerk:
"No expense was spared; the bars are of wrought iron, they were
properly tested, and cost a large sum; and yet there was a flaw in
that bar."
Monsieur de Granville on returning to his room had other instructions
to give to his private secretary. Massol, happily had not yet arrived.
Soon after Monsieur de Granville had left, anxious to go to see
Monsieur de Serizy, Massol came and found his ally Chargeboeuf in 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 Cratylus by Plato: wisdom rather dearly; and since they require to be paid, you, having no
money, had better learn from him at second-hand. 'Well, but I have just
given up Protagoras, and I should be inconsistent in going to learn of
him.' Then if you reject him you may learn of the poets, and in particular
of Homer, who distinguishes the names given by Gods and men to the same
things, as in the verse about the river God who fought with Hephaestus,
'whom the Gods call Xanthus, and men call Scamander;' or in the lines in
which he mentions the bird which the Gods call 'Chalcis,' and men
'Cymindis;' or the hill which men call 'Batieia,' and the Gods 'Myrinna's
Tomb.' Here is an important lesson; for the Gods must of course be right
in their use of names. And this is not the only truth about philology
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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 Ann Veronica by H. G. Wells: hundredth time. "I'll go. I don't care WHAT happens."
She awoke out of a doze, as though she had never been sleeping.
It was time to get up.
She sat on the edge of her bed and looked about her, at her room,
at the row of black-covered books and the pig's skull. "I must
take them," she said, to help herself over her own incredulity.
"How shall I get my luggage out of the house? . . ."
The figure of her aunt, a little distant, a little propitiatory,
behind the coffee things, filled her with a sense of almost
catastrophic adventure. Perhaps she might never come back to
that breakfast-room again. Never! Perhaps some day, quite soon,
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