| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for charities, he
was now no less distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was
much in the open air, he did good; his face seemed to open and
brighten, as if with an inward consciousness of service; and for
more than two months, the doctor was at peace.
On the 8th of January Utterson had dined at the doctor's with
a small party; Lanyon had been there; and the face of the host had
looked from one to the other as in the old days when the trio were
inseparable friends. On the 12th, and again on the 14th, the door
was shut against the lawyer. "The doctor was confined to the
house," Poole said, "and saw no one." On the 15th, he tried again,
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: Ayrshire, was a sort of country capital, where the local aristocracy
had their town mansions for the winter; and there is a certain baron
still alive and, I am told, extremely penitent, who found means to
ruin himself by high living in this village on the hills. He
certainly has claims to be considered the most remarkable spendthrift
on record. How he set about it, in a place where there are no
luxuries for sale, and where the board at the best inn comes to
little more than a shilling a day, is a problem for the wise. His
son, ruined as the family was, went as far as Paris to sow his wild
oats; and so the cases of father and son mark an epoch in the history
of centralisation in France. Not until the latter had got into the
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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 Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: and in an instant the entire thirty-one judges were on their feet
with upraised swords in token of the unanimity of their verdict.
If the people did not hear Zat Arras' charge, they certainly
did hear the verdict of the tribunal. A sullen murmur
rose louder and louder about the packed coliseum, and then
Kantos Kan, who had not left the platform since first he had
taken his place near me, raised his hand for silence. When he
could be heard he spoke to the people in a cool and level voice.
"You have heard the fate that the men of Zodanga would
mete to Helium's noblest hero. It may be the duty of
the men of Helium to accept the verdict as final. Let each
The Gods of Mars |
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 Hero of Our Time by M.Y. Lermontov: to be in his place at that moment. He took the
captain aside and said something to him with
great warmth. His lips were blue, and I saw
them trembling; but the captain turned away
from him with a contemptuous smile.
"You are a fool," he said to Grushnitski rather
loudly. "You can't understand a thing! . . .
Let us be off, then, gentlemen!"
The precipice was approached by a narrow
path between bushes, and fragments of rock
formed the precarious steps of that natural stair-
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