| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Two Poets by Honore de Balzac: perceptible difference in the population for this purpose, it would
take a quarter of a century and a great revolution in habits of life,
trade, and agriculture. And if the supply of linen rags is not enough
to meet one-half nor one-third of the demand, some cheaper material
than linen rags must be found for cheap paper. This deduction is based
on facts that came under my knowledge here. The Angouleme paper-
makers, the last to use pure linen rags, say that the proportion of
cotton in the pulp has increased to a frightful extent of late years."
In answer to a question from Eve, who did not know what "pulp" meant,
David gave an account of paper-making, which will not be out of place
in a volume which owes its existence in book form to the paper
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: His first words were characteristic. "She DOES despise me,
then?" he exclaimed.
"She thinks the pound of flesh you took was a little too near the
heart."
He was excessively pale. "Please tell me exactly what she said
of me."
"She did not speak much of you: she is proud. But I gather that
while she understands love or indifference, her eyes have never
been opened to the many intermediate shades of feeling. At any
rate, she expressed an unwillingness to be taken with
reservations--she thinks you would have loved her better if you
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