| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Beast in the Jungle by Henry James: the right--?"
"Don't KNOW--when you needn't," she mercifully urged. "You
needn't--for we shouldn't."
"Shouldn't?" If he could but know what she meant!
"No--it's too much."
"Too much?" he still asked but with a mystification that was the
next moment of a sudden to give way. Her words, if they meant
something, affected him in this light--the light also of her wasted
face--as meaning ALL, and the sense of what knowledge had been for
herself came over him with a rush which broke through into a
question. "Is it of that then you're dying?"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: their pleasures.
Again Mannaeus left the hall, covering his face with his hands.
The guests found the second delay longer than the first. It seemed
tedious to every one.
Presently a sound of footsteps was heard in the corridor without; then
silence fell again. The suspense was becoming intolerable.
Suddenly the door was flung open and Mannaeus entered, holding at
arm's length, grasping it by the hair, the head of Iaokanann. His
appearance was greeted with a burst of applause, which filled him with
pride and revived his courage.
He placed the head upon a charger and offered it to Salome, who had
Herodias |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum: responded with renewed energy. His axe fairly flashed among the Jackdaws,
and fortunately the Gump began wildly waving the two wings remaining on the
left side of its body. The flutter of these great wings filled the Jackdaws
with terror, and when the Gump by its exertions freed itself from the peg of
rock on which it hung, and sank flopping into the nest, the alarm of the
birds knew no bounds and they fled screaming over the mountains.
When the last foe had disappeared, Tip crawled from under the sofas and
assisted the Woggle-Bug to follow him.
"We are saved!" shouted the boy, delightedly.
"We are, indeed!" responded the Educated Insect, fairly hugging the stiff
head of the Gump in his joy. "and we owe it all to the flopping of the
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
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 Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: purchased from me a certain piece of goods that I thought you might
enable me to trace."
The lawyer's face became very dark. "I do not profess to
misunderstand you, Mr. Keawe," said he, "though this is an ugly
business to be stirring in. You may be sure I know nothing, but
yet I have a guess, and if you would apply in a certain quarter I
think you might have news."
And he named the name of a man, which, again, I had better not
repeat. So it was for days, and Keawe went from one to another,
finding everywhere new clothes and carriages, and fine new houses
and men everywhere in great contentment, although, to be sure, when
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