| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: progressing--how am I to tell what floods of glory brightened the
autumnal countryside; how, unless the reader were an amateur
himself, describe the heights of idiotic vanity to which the
carrier climbed? One significant fact shall paint the situation:
thenceforth it was Harker who played, and the military gentleman
listened and approved.
As he listened, however, he did not forget the habit of soldierly
precaution, looking both behind and before. He looked behind and
computed the value of the carrier's load, divining the contents
of the brown-paper parcels and the portly hamper, and briefly
setting down the grand piano in the brand-new piano-case as
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne: at intervals rose almost to a storm, but happily blew from
the south-west, and thus aided the steamer's progress.
The captain as often as possible put up his sails,
and under the double action of steam and sail the vessel made
rapid progress along the coasts of Anam and Cochin China.
Owing to the defective construction of the Rangoon, however,
unusual precautions became necessary in unfavourable weather;
but the loss of time which resulted from this cause, while it
nearly drove Passepartout out of his senses, did not seem
to affect his master in the least. Passepartout blamed the captain,
the engineer, and the crew, and consigned all who were connected
Around the World in 80 Days |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Case of the Golden Bullet by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: most brilliant achievements. It's a sort of incorrigible humbleness
of nature - and then, you know, he had the misfortune to be unjustly
sentenced to a term in prison in his early youth."
"No, I did not know that."
"The stigma stuck to his name, and finally drove him to take up
this work. I don't think Muller realised, when he began, just
how greatly he is gifted. I don't know that he really knows now.
He seems to do it because he likes it - he's a queer sort of man."
While the commissioners drove through the streets to the police
station the man of whom they were speaking sat in Johann's little
room in close consultation with the valet.
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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 Tour Through Eastern Counties of England by Daniel Defoe: Upon this second message Sir William Masham and the Parliament
Committee and other gentlemen, who were prisoners in the town, sent
a message in writing under their hands to the Lord Fairfax,
entreating him to enter into a treaty for peace; but the Lord
Fairfax returned, he could take no notice of their request, as
supposing it forced from them under restraint; but that if the Lord
Goring desired peace, he might write to the Parliament, and he
would cause his messenger to have a safe conduct to carry his
letter. There was a paper sent enclosed in this paper, signed
Capel, Norwich, Charles Lucas, but to that the general would return
no answer, because it was signed by Sir Charles for the reasons
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