| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: "No, sir."
"A burglar's kit?"
"No, sir."
"Did the prisoner make a statement after his arrest?"
"No, sir; he came along peaceably enough, hardly a word out of
him," acknowledged O'Ryan regretfully. He enjoyed a reputation on
the force as a "scrapper," and a willing prisoner was a
disappointment to his naturally pugnacious disposition.
"Did you search the house?"
"Sure, and haven't I been telling you I did?" answered O'Ryan; his
pride in his achievement in arresting a burglar in so fashionable
The Red Seal |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Schoolmistress and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov: His misery is immense, beyond all bounds. If Iona's heart were
to burst and his misery to flow out, it would flood the whole
world, it seems, but yet it is not seen. It has found a
hiding-place in such an insignificant shell that one would not
have found it with a candle by daylight. . . .
Iona sees a house-porter with a parcel and makes up his mind to
address him.
"What time will it be, friend?" he asks.
"Going on for ten. . . . Why have you stopped here? Drive on!"
Iona drives a few paces away, bends himself double, and gives
himself up to his misery. He feels it is no good to appeal to
The Schoolmistress and Other Stories |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: overshadow it; despair at the multitude of mine offences, because
I am now abominable and unacceptable to Christ, being a rebel and
a foeman unto him. What, then, sayest thou, dearest son, hereto?
Make known to me thine answer, and teach me that am thy father
what I should do, and lead me to the knowledge of my true weal."
When Ioasaph had received this letter, and read the words
therein, his soul was filled with mingled joy and amazement.
Forthwith he entered his closet, and falling on his face before
the image of his Master, watered the ground with his tears,
giving thanks to his Lord and confessing him, and tuning lips of
exultation to sing an hymn of praise, saying:
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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 Pupil by Henry James: would certainly put them at her disposal. He accused himself, at
bottom and not unveraciously, of a fantastic, a demoralised
sympathy with her. If misery made strange bedfellows it also made
strange sympathies. It was moreover a part of the abasement of
living with such people that one had to make vulgar retorts, quite
out of one's own tradition of good manners. "Morgan, Morgan, to
what pass have I come for you?" he groaned while Mrs. Moreen
floated voluminously down the sala again to liberate the boy,
wailing as she went that everything was too odious.
Before their young friend was liberated there came a thump at the
door communicating with the staircase, followed by the apparition
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