| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: the consequence of scorning "book-larning," as you would say. Have
you noticed, Catherine, his frightful Yorkshire pronunciation?'
'Why, where the devil is the use on't?' growled Hareton, more ready
in answering his daily companion. He was about to enlarge further,
but the two youngsters broke into a noisy fit of merriment: my
giddy miss being delighted to discover that she might turn his
strange talk to matter of amusement.
'Where is the use of the devil in that sentence?' tittered Linton.
'Papa told you not to say any bad words, and you can't open your
mouth without one. Do try to behave like a gentleman, now do!'
'If thou weren't more a lass than a lad, I'd fell thee this minute,
Wuthering Heights |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: Haoles in his time. "Yes," he added, "I am come to buy the bottle.
What is the price by now?"
At that word the young man let his glass slip through his fingers,
and looked upon Keawe like a ghost.
"The price," says he; "the price! You do not know the price?"
"It is for that I am asking you," returned Keawe. "But why are you
so much concerned? Is there anything wrong about the price?"
"It has dropped a great deal in value since your time, Mr. Keawe,"
said the young man stammering.
"Well, well, I shall have the less to pay for it," says Keawe.
"How much did it cost you?"
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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 American by Henry James: He more than suspected that the Bellegardes were keeping
quiet about it, and allowing it, in their select circle,
but a limited resonance; and it pleased him to think that
if he were to take the trouble he might, as he phrased it,
break all the windows. No man likes being repudiated,
and yet Newman, if he was not flattered, was not exactly offended.
He had not this good excuse for his somewhat aggressive impulse
to promulgate his felicity; his sentiment was of another quality.
He wanted for once to make the heads of the house of Bellegarde
FEEL him; he knew not when he should have another chance.
He had had for the past six months a sense of the old lady
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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 Finished by H. Rider Haggard: as little as possible. I think they believed that we were only
premature tourists who had made a dash into Zululand to visit
some of the battlefields. Indeed none of us ever reported our
strange adventures, and after my experience with Kaatje we were
particularly careful to say nothing in the hearing of any
gentleman connected with the Press. But as a matter of fact
there were so many people moving about and such a continual
coming and going of soldiers and their belongings, that after we
had managed to buy some decent clothes, which we did at the
little town of Newcastle, nobody paid any attention to us.
On our way to Maritzburg one amusing thing did happen. We met
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