| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from In the Cage by Henry James: paling and the patchy lamplight and the rumbling cabs and 'buses.
A strange emotion had come to her, and she felt indeed excitement
within excitement; above all a conscious joy in testing him with
chances he didn't take. She had an intense desire he should know
the type she really conformed to without her doing anything so low
as tell him, and he had surely begun to know it from the moment he
didn't seize the opportunities into which a common man would
promptly have blundered. These were on the mere awkward surface,
and THEIR relation was beautiful behind and below them. She had
questioned so little on the way what they might be doing that as
soon as they were seated she took straight hold of it. Her hours,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Inland Voyage by Robert Louis Stevenson: an antidote to 'French Conscripts' and much other doleful
versification.
We had left the boats over-night in the custody of one whom we
shall call Carnival. I did not properly catch his name, and
perhaps that was not unfortunate for him, as I am not in a position
to hand him down with honour to posterity. To this person's
premises we strolled in the course of the day, and found quite a
little deputation inspecting the canoes. There was a stout
gentleman with a knowledge of the river, which he seemed eager to
impart. There was a very elegant young gentleman in a black coat,
with a smattering of English, who led the talk at once to 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 A Horse's Tale by Mark Twain: in four days I could shoot very well with it and beat any white boy
of my size at the post; and I have been to those camps plenty of
times since; and I have learned to ride, too, BB taught me, and
every day he practises me and praises me, and every time I do
better than ever he lets me have a scamper on Soldier Boy, and
THAT'S the last agony of pleasure! for he is the charmingest horse,
and so beautiful and shiny and black, and hasn't another color on
him anywhere, except a white star in his forehead, not just an
imitation star, but a real one, with four points, shaped exactly
like a star that's hand-made, and if you should cover him all up
but his star you would know him anywhere, even in Jerusalem or
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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 Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: the secretary for presuming to interfere with her private parties, to
which she admitted only a select few. She left the room without bowing
to Rabourdin, who remained alone with des Lupeaulx; the latter was
twisting in his fingers the confidential letter to the minister which
Rabourdin had intrusted to La Briere. Rabourdin recognized it.
"You have never really known me," said des Lupeaulx. "Friday evening
we will come to a full understanding. Just now I must go and receive
callers; his Excellency saddles me with that burden when he has other
matters to attend to. But I repeat, Rabourdin, don't worry yourself;
you have nothing to fear."
Rabourdin walked slowly through the corridors, amazed and confounded
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