| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from An Episode Under the Terror by Honore de Balzac: the four servants of God and the King in a single supplication. The
holy words rang like the music of heaven through the silence. At one
moment, tears gathered in the stranger's eyes. This was during the
Pater Noster; for the priest added a petition in Latin, and his
audience doubtless understood him when he said: "Et remitte scelus
regicidis sicut Ludovicus eis remisit semetipse"--forgive the
regicides as Louis himself forgave them.
The Sisters saw two great tears trace a channel down the stranger's
manly checks and fall to the floor. Then the office for the dead was
recited; the Domine salvum fac regem chanted in an undertone that went
to the hearts of the faithful Royalists, for they thought how the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: man to his castle, and there left him to talk over the events of the
night with his little assistants.
Wisk had already rendered himself invisible and flown through the big
world to see how the children were getting along on this bright
Christmas morning; and by the time he returned, Peter had finished
telling Santa Claus of how they had distributed the toys.
"We really did very well," cried the fairy, in a pleased voice; "for I
found little unhappiness among the children this morning. Still, you
must not get captured again, my dear master; for we might not be so
fortunate another time in carrying out your ideas."
He then related the mistakes that had been made, and which he had not
 A Kidnapped Santa Claus |