| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: wandering in search of a house where I might be taken in. Finding none
or driven away from those I came across, happily towards evening I
perceived a wretched little Polish farm, of which nothing can give you
any idea unless you have seen the wooden houses of Lower Normandy, or
the poorest farm-buildings of la Beauce. These dwellings consist of a
single room, with one end divided off by a wooden partition, the
smaller division serving as a store-room for forage.
"In the darkness of twilight I could just see a faint smoke rising
above this house. Hoping to find there some comrades more
compassionate than those I had hitherto addressed, I boldly walked as
far as the farm. On going in, I found the table laid. Several
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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 Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter: crowds every day and bought
quantities, especially the
toffee customers. But there was
always no money; they never
paid for as much as a penny-
worth of peppermints.
But the sales were enormous,
ten times as large as
Tabitha Twitchit's.
As there was always no
money, Ginger and Pickles
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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 Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery: isn't as if birthdays were common things, Marilla. Prissy
Andrews is going to recite `Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight.' That
is such a good moral piece, Marilla, I'm sure it would do me lots
of good to hear it. And the choir are going to sing four lovely
pathetic songs that are pretty near as good as hymns. And oh,
Marilla, the minister is going to take part; yes, indeed,
he is; he's going to give an address. That will be just about
the same thing as a sermon. Please, mayn't I go, Marilla?"
"You heard what I said, Anne, didn't you? Take off your boots
now and go to bed. It's past eight."
"There's just one more thing, Marilla," said Anne, with the air
Anne of Green Gables |
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 The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: "Well," said la Peyrade, trying to bring her back to the matter in
hand; "you organized those picnics, and Madame de Godo--I mean Madame
Komorn--"
"Was one of my first lodgers. It was there she made acquaintance with
an Italian, a handsome man, and rich, a political refugee, but one of
the lofty kind. You understand it didn't suit my purposes to have
intrigues going on in my house; still the man was so lovable, and so
unhappy because he couldn't make Madame Komorn like him, that at last
I took an interest in this particular love affair; which produced a
pot of money for madame, for she managed to get immense sums out of
that Italian. Well, would you believe that when--being just then in
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