| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson: worked into so high a state of nervous tension, that he could think
of nothing better than to accelerate his pace, and continue
running. He should certainly have remembered the scene in
Kensington Gardens; he should certainly have concluded that, where
the General was his enemy, Charlie Pendragon could be no other than
a friend. But such was the fever and perturbation of his mind that
he was struck by none of these considerations, and only continued
to run the faster up the lane.
Charlie, by the sound of his voice and the vile terms that he
hurled after the secretary, was obviously beside himself with rage.
He, too, ran his very best; but, try as he might, the physical
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Familiar Studies of Men and Books by Robert Louis Stevenson: more plain than ever I was to any." (3) And out of the two
even he had chosen one, Mrs. Anne Locke, wife to Mr. Harry
Locke, merchant, nigh to Bow Kirk, Cheapside, in London, as
the address runs. If one may venture to judge upon such
imperfect evidence, this was the woman he loved best. I have
a difficulty in quite forming to myself an idea of her
character. She may have been one of the three tearful
visitors before alluded to; she may even have been that one
of them who was so profoundly moved by some passages of Mrs.
Bowes's letter, which the Reformer opened, and read aloud to
them before they went. "O would to God," cried this
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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 Mad King by Edgar Rice Burroughs: army corps will cross the border and march to our assist-
ance. If it is favorable to Austria it will none the less cross
into Lutha, but as enemies instead of allies. Serbia has
acted honorably toward Lutha. She has not violated our
neutrality. She has no desire to increase her possessions in
this direction.
"On the other hand, Austria has violated her treaty with
us. She has marched troops into our country and occupied
the town of Blentz. Constantly in the past she has incited
internal discord. She is openly championing the Blentz
cause, which at last I trust your majesty has discovered is
The Mad King |
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 Silas Marner by George Eliot: death. He felt a rush of pity at the mingled sight and remembrance,
and, recalling the relief his mother had found from a simple
preparation of foxglove, he promised Sally Oates to bring her
something that would ease her, since the doctor did her no good. In
this office of charity, Silas felt, for the first time since he had
come to Raveloe, a sense of unity between his past and present life,
which might have been the beginning of his rescue from the
insect-like existence into which his nature had shrunk. But Sally
Oates's disease had raised her into a personage of much interest and
importance among the neighbours, and the fact of her having found
relief from drinking Silas Marner's "stuff" became a matter of
Silas Marner |
