| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: you successful business men."
"Two stone heavier than I, if he's a pound," thought Andreas. "The man may
be all right in his profession--but heaven preserve me."
"Off you go, my beauty." Doctor Erb flicked the little brown mare. "Did
your wife get any sleep last night?"
"No; I don't think she did," answered Andreas shortly. "To tell you the
truth, I'm not satisfied that she hasn't a nurse."
"Oh, your mother's worth a dozen nurses," cried the doctor, with immense
gusto. "To tell you the truth, I'm not keen on nurses--too raw--raw as
rump-steak. They wrestle for a baby as though they were wrestling with
Death for the body of Patroclus...Ever seen that picture by an English
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: "How extremely dangerous," said I.
"It is only the beauty of danger, or the danger of beauty" said the
Advanced Lady--"and there you have the ideal of my book--that woman is
nothing but a gift."
I smiled at her very sweetly. "Do you know," I said, "I, too, would like
to write a book, on the advisability of caring for daughters, and taking
them for airings and keeping them out of kitchens!"
I think the masculine element must have felt these angry vibrations: they
ceased from singing, and together we climbed out of the wood, to see
Schlingen below us, tucked in a circle of hills, the white houses shining
in the sunlight, "for all the world like eggs in a bird's nest", as Herr
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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 Hated Son by Honore de Balzac: must be the work of nature and not of your will. He will love
artlessly, and will accomplish by his heart's desire that which you
wish him to do for the sake of your name. But if you give your son a
proud, ungainly woman of the world, a great lady, he will flee to his
rocks. More than that; though sudden terror would surely kill him, I
believe that any sudden emotion would be equally fatal. My advice
therefore is to leave Etienne to choose for himself, at his own
pleasure, the path of love. Listen to me, monseigneur; you are a great
and powerful prince, but you understand nothing of such matters. Give
me your entire confidence, your unlimited confidence, and you shall
have a grandson."
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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 Amazing Interlude by Mary Roberts Rinehart: anyhow? Leading a charge? She was running a soup kitchen. That's all."
He hung up the receiver with a jerk, but shortly after that he fell to
pacing his small office. She had not said anything about being decorated,
but the reporters had said it had been in a London newspaper. If she
had not told him that, there were probably many things she had not told
him. But of course there had been very little time. He would see if
she mentioned it that night.
Sara Lee had had a hard day. The children loved her. In the intervals
of calls they crawled over her, and the littlest one called her Saralie.
She held the child in her arms close.
"Saralie!" said the child, over and over; "Saralie! That's your name.
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