| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Mad King by Edgar Rice Burroughs: that suffused the king's face, and then he shot the bolt that
he had come to fire, but which he had not dared to hope
would find its target so denuded of defense.
"Your majesty," he whispered, coming quite close to the
king, "all Lutha is inclined to believe that you fear Prince
von der Tann. Only a few of us know the truth to be the
contrary. For the sake of your prestige you must take some
step to counteract this belief and stamp it out for good and
all. I have planned a way--hear it.
"Von der Tann's hatred of Peter of Blentz is well known.
No man in Lutha believes that he would permit you to have
The Mad King |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tales of Unrest by Joseph Conrad: superiors. And now, dull as they were to the subtle influences of
surroundings, they felt themselves very much alone, when suddenly left
unassisted to face the wilderness; a wilderness rendered more
strange, more incomprehensible by the mysterious glimpses of the
vigorous life it contained. They were two perfectly insignificant and
incapable individuals, whose existence is only rendered possible
through the high organization of civilized crowds. Few men realize
that their life, the very essence of their character, their
capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their
belief in the safety of their surroundings. The courage, the
composure, the confidence; the emotions and principles; every great
Tales of Unrest |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Commission in Lunacy by Honore de Balzac: flowers, and decorations in which Popinot's initials were surrounded
by hearts and everlasting flowers. Here were boxes of elaborate and
useless cabinet work; there letter-weights carved in the style of work
done by convicts in penal servitude. These masterpieces of patience,
enigmas of gratitude, and withered bouquets gave the lawyer's room the
appearance of a toyshop. The good man used these works of art as
hiding-places which he filled with bills, worn-out pens, and scraps of
paper. All these pathetic witnesses to his divine charity were thick
with dust, dingy, and faded.
Some birds, beautifully stuffed, but eaten by moth, perched in this
wilderness of trumpery, presided over by an Angora cat, Madame
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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 A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: Though there were three windows to the room, looking out on a country-
town garden, laid out in formal square beds edged with box, the room
was so dark that it was difficult to discern, on the wall opposite the
windows, three pictures of sacred subjects painted by a skilled hand,
and purchased, no doubt, during the Revolution by old Bontems, who, as
governor of the district, had never neglected his opportunities. From
the carefully polished floor to the green checked holland curtains
everything shone with conventual cleanliness.
The young man's heart felt an involuntary chill in this silent retreat
where Angelique dwelt. The habit of frequenting the glittering Paris
drawing-rooms, and the constant whirl of society, had effaced from his
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