| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Case of The Lamp That Went Out by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: this end of the Thorne property. Muller had already known, for
the last twenty-four hours at least, that the owner of the fine
old estate was an artist by the name of Herbert Thorne. His own
landlady had informed him of this. He himself was new to the
neighbourhood, having moved out there recently, and he had verified
her statements by the city directory. As he was now passing the
Thorne property, in his slow, sauntering walk, he had just come
within a dozen paces of the little wooden gate in the fence when
this gate opened. Muller's naturally soft tread was made still
more noiseless by the fact that he wore wide soft shoes. Years
before he had acquired a bad case of chilblains, in fact had been
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: A scarcely perceptible smile on de Marsay's pale lips made Delphine de
Nucingen color.
"How we do forget!" said the Baron de Nucingen.
The great banker's simplicity was so extremely droll, that his wife,
who was de Marsay's "second," could not help laughing like every one
else.
"You are all ready to condemn the woman," said Lady Dudley. "Well, I
quite understand that she did not regard her marriage as an act of
inconstancy. Men will never distinguish between constancy and
fidelity.--I know the woman whose story Monsieur de Marsay has told
us, and she is one of the last of your truly great ladies."
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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 Vailima Prayers & Sabbath Morn by Robert Louis Stevenson: grateful memory survive in the hour of darkness. If there be in
front of us any painful duty, strengthen us with the grace of
courage; if any act of mercy, teach us tenderness and patience.
ANOTHER IN TIME OF RAIN
LORD, Thou sendest down rain upon the uncounted millions of the
forest, and givest the trees to drink exceedingly. We are here
upon this isle a few handfuls of men, and how many myriads upon
myriads of stalwart trees! Teach us the lesson of the trees. The
sea around us, which this rain recruits, teems with the race of
fish; teach us, Lord, the meaning of the fishes. Let us see
ourselves for what we are, one out of the countless number of the
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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 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy: No room for us, and Father a-forced to go away, and we turned
out to-morrow; and yet you be going to have another of us soon! ...
'Tis done o' purpose!--'tis--'tis!" He walked up and down sobbing.
"Y-you must forgive me, little Jude!" she pleaded, her bosom heaving now as
much as the boy's. "I can't explain--I will when you are older. It does seem--
as if I had done it on purpose, now we are in these difficulties!
I can't explain, dear! But it--is not quite on purpose--I can't help it!"
"Yes it is--it must be! For nobody would interfere with us,
like that, unless you agreed! I won't forgive you, ever, ever!
I'll never believe you care for me, or Father, or any of us
any more!"
Jude the Obscure |
