| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Catherine de Medici by Honore de Balzac: his great palace at Mont Louis, between the Loire and the Cher,
perhaps the revolution of 1789 might never have taken place.
These beautiful shores still bear the marks of royal tenderness. The
chateaus of Chambord, Amboise, Blois, Chenonceaux, Chaumont, Plessis-
les-Tours, all those which the mistresses of kings, financiers, and
nobles built at Veretz, Azay-le-Rideau, Usse, Villandri, Valencay,
Chanteloup, Duretal, some of which have disappeared, though most of
them still remain, are admirable relics which remind us of the marvels
of a period that is little understood by the literary sect of the
Middle-agists.
Among all these chateaus, that of Blois, where the court was then
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: thoughtfully, and any man is pleased when thus regarded by a
pretty woman.
She was in little haste to begin. If dalliance were to his
liking, it was to hers. To him it was very comfortable, soothing
his lungs with nicotine and gazing upon her. It was snug and warm
here, while down by the water-hole began a trail which he would
soon be hitting through the chilly hours. He felt he ought to be
angry with Freda for the scene she had created, but somehow he
didn't feel a bit wrathful. Like as not there wouldn't have been
any scene if it hadn't been for that McFee woman. If he were the
Governor, he would put a poll tax of a hundred ounces a quarter
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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 The Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: my work, and making pretence to comb with my fingers the tresses
as yet ungathered into the plait.
"Yes? What a long time you are!"
Well, there was a knot.
She tried to look round into my face at that, but I vigorously
unplaited about two inches, which seemed to satisfy her. For me,
I thought of Penelope and her web and the wooers, and smiled.
"Well, what is it, Punch?"
"About the mask."
"No good!"
"But, Judy- "
The Brother of Daphne |
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 Margret Howth: A Story of To-day by Rebecca Harding Davis: It was a real treat to see how Lois enjoyed her supper, sipping
and tasting the warm coffee, her face in a glow, like an epicure
over some rare Falernian. You would be sure, from just that
little thing, that no sparkle of warmth or pleasure in the world
slipped by her which she did not catch and enjoy and be thankful
for to the uttermost. You would think, perhaps, pitifully, that
not much pleasure or warmth would ever go down so low, within her
reach. Now that she stood on the ground, she scarcely came up to
the level of the wheel; some deformity of her legs made her walk
with a curious rolling jerk, very comical to see. She laughed at
it, when other people did; if it vexed her at all, she never
Margret Howth: A Story of To-day |
