| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Footnote to History by Robert Louis Stevenson: Bismarck, when he places "sensitiveness to small disrespects -
EMPFINDLICHKEIT UEBER MANGEL AN RESPECT," among the causes of the
wild career of Knappe. Whatever the cause, at least, the natives
had no sooner taken arms than Leary appeared with violence upon
that side. As early as the 3rd, he had sent an obscure but
menacing despatch to Brandeis. On the 6th, he fell on Fritze in
the matter of the Manono bombardment. "The revolutionists," he
wrote, "had an armed force in the field within a few miles of this
harbour, when the vessels under your command transported the
Tamasese troops to a neighbouring island with the avowed intention
of making war on the isolated homes of the women and children of
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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 Facino Cane by Honore de Balzac: Bourdon must have stood still to listen to an exile's last prayer, a
last cry of regret for a lost name, mingled with memories of Bianca.
But gold soon gained the upper hand, the fatal passion quenched the
light of youth.
"I see it always," he said; "dreaming or waking, I see it; and as I
pace to and fro, I pace in the Treasury, and the diamonds sparkle. I
am not as blind as you think; gold and diamonds light up my night, the
night of the last Facino Cane, for my title passes to the Memmi. My
God! the murderer's punishment was not long delayed! /Ave Maria/," and
he repeated several prayers that I did not heed.
"We will go to Venice!" I said, when he rose.
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