| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Octopus by Frank Norris: embraces that encircled him, however he might disintegrate and
scatter the band of foes that heaped themselves upon him, however
he might gain one instant of comparative liberty, some one of his
assailants always hung, doggedly, blindly to an arm, a leg, or a
foot, and the others, drawing a second's breath, closed in again,
implacable, unconquerable, ferocious, like hounds upon a wolf.
At length, two of the men managed to bring Dyke's wrists close
enough together to allow the sheriff to snap the handcuffs on.
Even then, Dyke, clasping his hands, and using the handcuffs
themselves as a weapon, knocked down Delaney by the crushing
impact of the steel bracelets upon the cow-puncher's forehead.
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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 Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: CHAPTER XXX
FINER DETAILS
At ten minutes before two the following day, Monday, I arrived at
my office. I had spent the morning putting my affairs in shape,
and in a trip to the stable. The afternoon would see me either a
free man or a prisoner for an indefinite length of time, and, in
spite of Johnson's promise to produce Sullivan, I was more prepared
for the latter than the former.
Blobs was watching for me outside the door, and it was clear that
he was in a state of excitement bordering on delirium. He did
nothing, however, save to tip me a wink that meant "As man to man,
The Man in Lower Ten |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tales and Fantasies by Robert Louis Stevenson: well, you didn't, don't you see, and there's an end. The
fact is, this has been going on too long. Stir up the mud,
and you'll get K- into the most unholy trouble; you'll be in
a shocking box yourself. So will I, if you come to that. I
should like to know how any one of us would look, or what the
devil we should have to say for ourselves, in any Christian
witness-box. For me, you know there's one thing certain -
that, practically speaking, all our subjects have been
murdered.'
'Macfarlane!' cried Fettes.
'Come now!' sneered the other. 'As if you hadn't suspected
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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 Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson: Shelton on the back.
And just then Dick's quick ear caught a rapid brushing in the
arras. He leaped towards the sound, and the next moment a piece of
the wall-hanging had been torn down, and Dick and the spy were
sprawling together in its folds. Over and over they rolled,
grappling for each other's throat, and still baffled by the arras,
and still silent in their deadly fury. But Dick was by much the
stronger, and soon the spy lay prostrate under his knee, and, with
a single stroke of the long poniard, ceased to breathe.
CHAPTER III - THE DEAD SPY
Throughout this furious and rapid passage, Lawless had looked on
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