| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: is the greatest miser in Issoudun. I do not know what he does with
his money; he does not give twenty francs a year to his
grandchildren. As for borrowing the money, I should have to get
his signature, and he would refuse it. I have not even attempted
to speak to your brother, who lives with a concubine, to whom he
is a slave. It is pitiable to see how the poor man is treated in
his own home, when he might have a sister and nephews to take care
of him.
I have hinted to you several times that your presence at Issoudun
might save your brother, and rescue a fortune of forty, perhaps
sixty, thousand francs a year from the claws of that slut; but you
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Vendetta by Honore de Balzac: she was in danger if she stayed there longer.
"Until to-morrow, then," she said, giving the officer a gentle smile
by way of a parting consolation.
Seeing that smile, which threw a new light on Ginevra's features, the
stranger forgot all else for an instant.
"To-morrow," he said, sadly; "but to-morrow, Labedoyere--"
Ginevra turned, put a finger on her lips, and looked at him, as if to
say: "Be calm, be prudent."
And the young man cried out in his own language:
"Ah! Dio! che non vorrei vivere dopo averla veduta?--who would not
wish to live after seeing her?"
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