| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Frederick A. Talbot: he finds himself in danger of being overtaken, the Teuton aviator
ignites these missiles and throws them overboard. The aeroplane
becomes enveloped in a cloud of thick impenetrable smoke. It is
useless to fire haphazard at the cloud, inasmuch as it does not
necessarily cover the aviator. He probably has dashed out of the
cloud in such a way as to put the screen between himself and his
pursuer.
In such tactics he has merely profited by a method which is
practised freely upon the water. The torpedo boat flotilla when
in danger of being overwhelmed by superior forces will throw off
copious clouds of smoke. Under this cover it is able to steal
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Collection of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter: ham. A pink and white pie-dish!
and so is mine; just like Ribby's
dishes; they were both bought at
Tabitha Twitchit's."
Duchess went into her larder
and took the pie off a shelf and
looked at it.
"It is all ready to put into the
oven. Such lovely pie-crust; and
I put in a little tin patty-pan to
hold up the crust; and I made a
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: I got hold of Mrs. Grose as soon after this as I could; and I can
give no intelligible account of how I fought out the interval.
Yet I still hear myself cry as I fairly threw myself into her arms:
"They KNOW--it's too monstrous: they know, they know!"
"And what on earth--?" I felt her incredulity as she held me.
"Why, all that WE know--and heaven knows what else besides!"
Then, as she released me, I made it out to her, made it out perhaps only
now with full coherency even to myself. "Two hours ago, in the garden"--
I could scarce articulate--"Flora SAW!"
Mrs. Grose took it as she might have taken a blow in the stomach.
"She has told you?" she panted.
|
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 House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: Alice, who brings no pride out of her virgin grave. All try the
picture-frame. What do these ghostly people seek? A mother lifts
her child, that his little hands may touch it! There is evidently
a mystery about the picture, that perplexes these poor Pyncheons
when they ought to be at rest. In a corner, meanwhile, stands the
figure of an elderly man, in a leathern jerkin and breeches, with
a carpenter's rule sticking out of his side pocket; he points his
finger at the bearded Colonel and his descendants, nodding,
jeering, mocking, and finally bursting into obstreperous, though
inaudible laughter.
Indulging our fancy in this freak, we have partly lost the power
House of Seven Gables |
