| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: and relieve the tension.
Alison put her hand over her eyes, as if to shut out the sight of
the man she had so nearly married, and I furtively touched one of
the soft little curls that nestled at the back of her neck.
"When I was able to walk," went on the sullen voice, "I came at
once to Washington. I tried to sell the notes to Bronson, but he
was almost at the end of his rope. Not even my threat to send them
back to you, Mr. Blakeley, could make him meet my figure. He didn't
have the money.
McKnight was triumphant.
"I think you gentlemen will see reason in my theory now," he said.
The Man in Lower Ten |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lady Susan by Jane Austen: seemed to have all the Vernon milkiness; but on receiving the letter in
which I declared my intention about Sir James, she actually attempted to
elope; at least, I cannot otherwise account for her doing it. She meant, I
suppose, to go to the Clarkes in Staffordshire, for she has no other
acquaintances. But she shall be punished, she shall have him. I have sent
Charles to town to make matters up if he can, for I do not by any means
want her here. If Miss Summers will not keep her, you must find me out
another school, unless we can get her married immediately. Miss S. writes
word that she could not get the young lady to assign any cause for her
extraordinary conduct, which confirms me in my own previous explanation of
it, Frederica is too shy, I think, and too much in awe of me to tell tales,
Lady Susan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Arizona Nights by Stewart Edward White: restless and a little irritable.
He tried to show some of his wonders to Parker.
"Jed," said he, one day, "this is a great country."
"You KNOW it," replied the foreman.
"Those tourists in their nickel-plated Pullmans call this a
desert. Desert, hell! Look at them flowers!"
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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 Europeans by Henry James: as I say, in the family circle; but that circle on the evening
following Madame M; auunster's return to town, as on many
other occasions, included Robert Acton and his pretty sister.
If you had been present, it would probably not have seemed
to you that the advent of these brilliant strangers was treated
as an exhilarating occurrence, a pleasure the more in this
tranquil household, a prospective source of entertainment.
This was not Mr. Wentworth's way of treating any human occurrence.
The sudden irruption into the well-ordered consciousness
of the Wentworths of an element not allowed for in its scheme
of usual obligations required a readjustment of that sense
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