| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: his elbow clamping his books against his ribs and his heavy black curls
bulging down from his gray slouch hat to his collar, how meritorious he
was compared with Bertie and Billy--with all Berties and Billies. He
may have been. Who shall say? But I will say at once that chewing the
cud of one's own virtue gives a sour stomach.
Bertie's and Billy's parents owned town and country houses in New York.
The parents of Oscar had come over in the steerage. Money filled the
pockets of Bertie and Billy; therefore were their heads empty of money
and full of less cramping thoughts. Oscar had fallen upon the reverse
of this fate. Calculation was his second nature. He had given his
education to himself; he had for its sake toiled, traded, outwitted, and
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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 Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: "Fair?" said I. "It's exquisite. Why, just to look at you's as
good as a feast, and- "
"Which reminds me I'm awfully hungry. Oh, no, no, I didn't mean
that, Adam, dear, I didn't really."
And my companion leaned against the chimney-piece, laughing
helplessly.
"That's torn it," said I, laughing too.
"And now," said Eve, recovering, "take off your coat. You must
be so tired."
I drew my pumps out of the great pockets, and threw the coat off
me and across the back of a chair. Then I kicked off my great
The Brother of Daphne |
