| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle: "And now?" I asked.
"Our quest is practically finished. I shall call with the King
to-morrow, and with you, if you care to come with us. We will be
shown into the sitting-room to wait for the lady; but it is
probable that when she comes she may find neither us nor the
photograph. It might be a satisfaction to his Majesty to regain
it with his own hands."
"And when will you call?"
"At eight in the morning. She will not be up, so that we shall
have a clear field. Besides, we must be prompt, for this marriage
may mean a complete change in her life and habits. I must wire to
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: or hoot of an owl; there was simply perfect silence.
The lad's deep, even breathing caught Wetzel's ear, and he found himself
meditating, as he had often of late, on this new something that had crept into
his life. For Joe loved him; he could not fail to see that. The lad had
preferred to roam with the lonely Indian-hunter through the forests, to
encounter the perils and hardships of a wild life, rather than accept the
smile of fortune and of love. Wetzel knew that Colonel Zane had taken a liking
to the boy, and had offered him work and a home; and, also, the hunter
remembered the warm light he had seen in Nell's hazel eyes. Musing thus, the
man felt stir in his heart an emotion so long absent that it was unfamiliar.
The Avenger forgot, for a moment his brooding plans. He felt strangely
The Spirit of the Border |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: conjuring-trick, she thought.
The Lion had joined them while this was going on: he looked
very tired and sleepy, and his eyes were half shut. `What's
this!' he said, blinking lazily at Alice, and speaking in a deep
hollow tone that sounded like the tolling of a great bell.
`Ah, what IS it, now?' the Unicorn cried eagerly. `You'll
never guess! _I_ couldn't.'
The Lion looked at Alice wearily. `Are you animal--vegetable
--or mineral?' he said, yawning at every other word.
`It's a fabulous monster!' the Unicorn cried out, before Alice
could reply.
Through the Looking-Glass |
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 Familiar Studies of Men and Books by Robert Louis Stevenson: from Japan; and Yoshida and his followers were handed over as
prisoners to the authorities at Simoda. That night he who
had been to explore the secrets of the barbarian slept, if he
might sleep at all, in a cell too short for lying down at
full length, and too low for standing upright. There are
some disappointments too great for commentary.
Sakuma, implicated by his handwriting, was sent into his own
province in confinement, from which he was soon released.
Yoshida and the soldier suffered a long and miserable period
of captivity, and the latter, indeed, died, while yet in
prison, of a skin disease. But such a spirit as that of
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