| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Muse of the Department by Honore de Balzac: Jan Diaz, waited for information from Sancerre, and learned that Jan
Diaz was a pseudonym assumed by a woman.
Then, in and around Sancerre, Madame de la Baudraye became the rage;
she was the future rival of George Sand. From Sancerre to Bourges a
poem was praised which, at any other time, would certainly have been
hooted. The provincial public--like every French public, perhaps--does
not share the love of the King of the French for the happy medium: it
lifts you to the skies or drags you in the mud.
By this time the good Abbe, Madame de la Baudraye's counselor, was
dead; he would certainly have prevented her rushing into public life.
But three years of work without recognition weighed on Dinah's soul,
 The Muse of the Department |
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 Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: practices--the one you are buying, and the other I will build up for
you. You ought almost to pay me fifteen per cent on my loan.'
" 'So be it, but no more,' said I, with the firmness which means that
a man is determined not to concede another point.
"Daddy Gobseck's face relaxed; he looked pleased with me.
" 'I shall pay the money over to your principal myself,' said he, 'so
as to establish a lien on the purchase and caution-money.'
" 'Oh, anything you like in the way of guarantees.'
" 'And besides that, you will give me bills for the amount made
payable to a third party (name left blank), fifteen bills of ten
thousand francs each.'
 Gobseck |