| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Nana, Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille by Emile Zola: rude weight. Yet she was smilingly submissive withal. He postured
there for some moments, for he felt that together they formed a
tableau.
"One can't help liking ye, eh?" he continued. "Zounds, I was afraid
I should get bored, and I said to myself, 'Here goes.'"
But he interrupted himself with an oath.
"Oh, damn!"
Simonne had taken a step too quickly forward, and his foot had just
felt his full weight. He gave her a rough push, but she, still
smiling away and ducking her pretty head as some animal might that
is afraid of a beating, held him up with all the strength a little
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: is sliced short off with the cold steel. This won't do at all for
the men," he added. "Just stand by till I fix it up more natural."
"Any guess what it all means?" I asked.
"Well, it means one thing," said he. "It means Trent was a liar.
I guess the story of the Flying Scud was a sight more
picturesque than he gave out."
Half an hour later, the whaleboat was lying astern of the Norah
Creina; and Nares and I sought our bunks, silent and half-
bewildered by our late discoveries.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE CABIN OF THE "FLYING SCUD."
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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 Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain: year there in real-estate matters. The 'boom' was something wonderful.
Everybody bought, everybody sold--except widows and preachers;
they always hold on; and when the tide ebbs, they get left.
Anything in the semblance of a town lot, no matter how situated,
was salable, and at a figure which would still have been high if the ground
had been sodded with greenbacks.
The town has a population of fifteen thousand now, and is progressing with
a healthy growth. It was night, and we could not see details, for which we
were sorry, for Keokuk has the reputation of being a beautiful city.
It was a pleasant one to live in long ago, and doubtless has advanced,
not retrograded, in that respect.
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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 Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: on foot, without money; he was blind, and if Nadia, his
only guide, were to be separated from him, he could only
lie down by the side of the road and there perish miserably.
But if, on the other hand, by energetic perseverance he could
reach Krasnoiarsk, all was perhaps not lost, since the gover-
nor, to whom he would make himself known, would not
hesitate to give him the means of reaching Irkutsk.
Michael walked on, speaking little, absorbed in his own
thoughts. He held Nadia's hand. The two were in in-
cessant communication. It seemed to them that they had
no need of words to exchange their thoughts. From time
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