| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rinehart: Selina said she knew YOU would get it, being the hostess, and
responsible, besides knowing where things are kept." He had fixed
his eyes on the orchids, and he looked shrunken, actually
shrunken. "I thought," he finished, "you might give me a few
pointers now, and I could come down in the morning, and--and fuss
up something, coffee and so on. I would say you did it! Oh, hang
it all, Kit, why don't you say something?"
"What do you want me to say?" I demanded. "That I love to cook,
and of course I'll fix trays and carry them up in the morning to
Anne Brown and Leila Mercer and the rest; and that I will have
the shaving water ready--"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: home, we cannot give you thanks enough. Go, Bud, and if there be
power in Fairy gifts, you shall be as happy as our hearts' best love
can make you."
The tidings of Bud's departure flew through the forest, and all her
friends came to say farewell, as with the morning sun she would go;
and each brought some little gift, for the land of Fairies was
far away, and she must journey long.
"Nay, you shall not go on your feet, my child," said Mother
Brown-Breast; "your friend Golden-Wing shall carry you. Call him
hither, that I may seat you rightly, for if you should fall off
my heart would break."
Flower Fables |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Prince of Bohemia by Honore de Balzac: communicate our discoveries. Further, none of us went. It has been
shown, in Bohemia, that chance discovered the identity of the fair
unknown; and at once, as by tacit convention, not one of us spoke of
her again. This fact may show how far youth possesses a sense of true
delicacy. How admirably certain natures of a finer clay know the limit
line where jest must end, and all that host of things French covered
by the slang word /blague/, a word which will shortly be cast out of
the language (let us hope), and yet it is the only one which conveys
an idea of the spirit of Bohemia.
"So we often used to joke about Claudine and the Count--'/Toujours
Claudine?/' sung to the air of /Toujours Gessle/.--'What are you
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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 Vendetta by Honore de Balzac: gold, gold, and my child has died of hunger, and his mother is dying,
too! Help me!"
He returned like one distraught to his wife, leaving the worthy mason,
and also the neighbors who heard him to gather a few things for the
needs of so terrible a want, hitherto unknown, for the two Corsicans
had carefully hidden it from a feeling of pride.
Luigi had cast his gold upon the floor and was kneeling by the bed on
which lay his wife.
"Father! take care of my son, who bears your name," she was saying in
her delirium.
"Oh, my angel! be calm," said Luigi, kissing her; "our good days are
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