| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: texture of what has been wrote, it is necessary, that upon this page and
the three following, a good quantity of heterogeneous matter be inserted to
keep up that just balance betwixt wisdom and folly, without which a book
would not hold together a single year: nor is it a poor creeping digression
(which but for the name of, a man might continue as well going on in the
king's highway) which will do the business--no; if it is to be a
digression, it must be a good frisky one, and upon a frisky subject too,
where neither the horse or his rider are to be caught, but by rebound.
The only difficulty, is raising powers suitable to the nature of the
service: Fancy is capricious--Wit must not be searched for--and Pleasantry
(good-natured slut as she is) will not come in at a call, was an empire to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: and separated only by trees, gardens, and flowers. Then he admired for
a moment the pointed roofs with their projecting eaves, the wooden
staircases, the galleries of a thousand peaceful dwellings, and the
vessels swaying to the waves in the port.
[At the moment when Monsieur Hermann uttered the name of Prosper
Magnan, my opposite neighbor seized the decanter, poured out a glass
of water, and emptied it at a draught. This movement having attracted
my attention, I thought I noticed a slight trembling of the hand and a
moisture on the brow of the capitalist.
"What is that man's name?" I asked my neighbor.
"Taillefer," she replied.
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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 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: touch here and there. I shan't let anyone see you till you are
done, and then we'll burst upon them like Cinderella and her
godmother going to the ball," said Belle in her persuasive tone.
Meg couldn't refuse the offer so kindly made, for a desire to
see if she would be `a little beauty' after touching up caused
her to accept and forget all her former uncomfortable feelings
toward the Moffats.
On the Thursday evening, Belle shut herself up with her maid,
and between them they turned Meg into a fine lady. They crimped
and curled her hair, they polished her neck and arms with some
fragrant powder, touched her lips with coralline salve to make
Little Women |
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 My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: "'I said so, my lady,' answered the man, 'but he desired me to
give you this paper.'
"She undid the billet, which was curiously folded and sealed. It
only bore the words, 'ON BUSINESS OF LIFE AND DEATH,' written in
a hand which she had never seen before. Suddenly it occurred to
her that it might concern the safety of some of her political
friends. She therefore followed the messenger to a small
apartment where the refreshments were prepared, and from which
the general company was excluded. She found an old man, who, at
her approach, rose up and bowed profoundly. His appearance
indicated a broken constitution, and his dress, though sedulously
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