| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: should have taught herself to be very calm. But she had now
begun to tell Mr. Wentworth that she was extremely anxious.
She was proceeding to develop this idea, to enumerate the objects
of her anxiety, when Felix came in.
Mr. Wentworth sat there, with his legs crossed, lifting his dry,
pure countenance from the Boston "Advertiser." Felix entered smiling,
as if he had something particular to say, and his uncle looked at him
as if he both expected and deprecated this event. Felix vividly
expressing himself had come to be a formidable figure to his uncle,
who had not yet arrived at definite views as to a proper tone.
For the first time in his life, as I have said, Mr. Wentworth shirked
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: men into the house. The circumstances of these crimes, the manner in
which they were perpetrated, showed plainly that the robbers had
secret communication with its inmates. Become by this time more than
ever suspicious and vindictive, the old Fleming laid the matter before
Louis XI., who placed it in the hands of his grand provost. A trial
was promptly had and promptly ended. The inhabitants of Tours blamed
Tristan l'Hermite secretly for unseemly haste. Guilty or not guilty,
the young Touraineans were looked upon as victims, and Cornelius as an
executioner. The two families thus thrown into mourning were much
respected; their complaints obtained a hearing, and little by little
it came to be believed that all the victims whom the king's
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