| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: took leave of the king, inviting him to come the next day to view the
work already done upon the dyke.
On returning in the evening to his quarters at the bridge of La Pierre,
the cardinal found, standing before the house he occupied, D'Artagnan,
without his sword, and the three Musketeers armed.
This time, as he was well attended, he looked at them sternly, and made
a sign with his eye and hand for D'Artagnan to follow him.
D'Artagnan obeyed.
"We shall wait for you, D'Artagnan," said Athos, loud enough for the
cardinal to hear him.
His Eminence bent his brow, stopped for an instant, and then kept on his
 The Three Musketeers |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells: me extremely, and I had a queer reminiscence of the childish days
when I used to be forbidden to meddle. I came back through the
corridor. The Time Traveller met me in the smoking-room. He was
coming from the house. He had a small camera under one arm and a
knapsack under the other. He laughed when he saw me, and gave me
an elbow to shake. `I'm frightfully busy,' said he, `with that
thing in there.'
`But is it not some hoax?' I said. `Do you really travel
through time?'
`Really and truly I do.' And he looked frankly into my eyes.
He hesitated. His eye wandered about the room. `I only want
 The Time Machine |