| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: the main differences between beast and man. Come on" - and his arm
effected a gentle pressure upon Richard's, to move him thence. But at
that moment, down the street with a great rumble of wheels, cracking of
whips and clatter of hoofs, came a coach, bearing to Mr. Newlington's
King Monmouth escorted by his forty life-guards. Cheering broke from
the crowd as the carriage drew up, and the Duke-King as he alighted
turned his handsome face, on which shone the ruddy glow of torches,
to acknowledge these loyal acclamations. He passed up the steps,
at the top of which Mr. Newlington - fat and pale and monstrously
overdressed - stood bowing to welcome his royal visitor. Host and guest
vanished, followed by some six officers of Monmouth's, among whom were
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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 Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: listened; but he had gone upon their errand--he, a barrister,
uninstructed even by the shadow of a solicitor--upon an errand
fit only for a private detective; and alas!--and for the
hundredth time the blood surged to his brow--he had taken their
money! 'No,' said he, 'the thing is as plain as St Paul's. I
shall be dishonoured! I have smashed my career for a five-pound
note.'
Between the possibility of being hanged in all innocence, and the
certainty of a public and merited disgrace, no gentleman of
spirit could long hesitate. After three gulps of that hot,
snuffy, and muddy beverage, that passes on the streets of London
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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 Tour Through Eastern Counties of England by Daniel Defoe: gaiety of Bury Fair, it cannot be very unpleasant, especially to
the trading part of the world, to say something of this fair, which
is not only the greatest in the whole nation, but in the world;
nor, if I may believe those who have seen the mall, is the fair at
Leipzig in Saxony, the mart at Frankfort-on-the-Main, or the fairs
at Nuremberg, or Augsburg, any way to compare to this fair at
Stourbridge.
It is kept in a large corn-field, near Casterton, extending from
the side of the river Cam, towards the road, for about half a mile
square.
If the husbandmen who rent the land, do not get their corn off
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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 The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: knives, sheathed in heavy buckskin, and a bright tomahawk. He carried a long
rifle in the hollow of his arm.
"These hunters have the same kind of buckskin suits," continued Joe; "still,
it doesn't seem to me the clothes make the resemblance to each other. The way
these men stand, walk and act is what strikes me particularly, as in the case
of Wetzel."
"I know what you mean. The flashing eye, the erect poise of expectation, and
the springy step--those, my lad, come from a life spent in the woods. Well,
it's a grand way to live."
"Colonel, my horse is laid up," said Major McColloch, coming to the steps. He
bowed pleasantly to Joe.
The Spirit of the Border |
