| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: his Novels, exposed the poor woman to enquiries which gave her
pain. When pressed about her brother's peculiarities, she asked,
in her turn, why they would not permit the dead to rest? To
others, who pressed for some account of her parents, she answered
in the same tone of feeling.
The author saw this poor, and, it may be said, unhappy man, in
autumn 1797 being then, as he has the happiness still to remain,
connected by ties of intimate friendship with the family of the
venerable Dr. Adam Fergusson, the philosopher and historian, who
then resided at the mansion-house of Halyards, in the vale of
Manor, about a mile from Ritchie's hermitage, the author was upon
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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 Wheels of Chance by H. G. Wells: cobbles and the stony streets branching east, west, north, and
south, at a stone cross under the shadow of the cathedral the
tracks vanished. "O Cricky!" said Mr. Hoopdriver, dismounting in
dismay and standing agape. "Dropped anything?" said an inhabitant
at the kerb. "Yes," said Mr. Hoopdriver, "I've lost the spoor,"
and walked upon his way, leaving the inhabitant marvelling what
part of a bicycle a spoor might be. Mr. Hoopdriver, abandoning
tracking, began asking people if they had seen a Young Lady in
Grey on a bicycle. Six casual people hadn't, and he began to feel
the inquiry was conspicuous, and desisted. But what was to be
done?
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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 The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: dish smash all day."
"Euphemia is in bed," Mrs. Klopton said gravely. "Is your meat cut
small enough, Mr. Lawrence?" Mrs. Klopton can throw more mystery
into an ordinary sentence than any one I know. She can say, "Are
your sheets damp, sir?" And I can tell from her tone that the
house across the street has been robbed, or that my left hand
neighbor has appendicitis. So now I looked up and asked the
question she was waiting for.
"What's the matter with Euphemia?" I inquired idly.
"Frightened into her bed," Mrs. Klopton said in a stage whisper.
"She's had three hot water bottles and she hasn't done a thing all
The Man in Lower Ten |
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 Adventure by Jack London: "What do you think of them?" she asked.
"Oh, old Von Blix is all right, a solid sort of chap in his
fashion; but Tudor is fly-away--too much on the surface, you know.
If it came to being wrecked on a desert island, I'd prefer Von
Blix."
"I don't quite understand," Joan objected. "What have you against
Tudor?"
"You remember Browning's 'Last Duchess'?"
She nodded.
"Well, Tudor reminds me of her--"
"But she was delightful."
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