| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: meetings in the Latin quarter. And then, didn't it strike you, as it
did me, that Madame and Mademoiselle Thuillier no longer seemed
mistresses of their own house? I really felt as if I were the guest of
Madame--what IS her name? I never can remember it."
"Torna, Comtesse de Godollo," said Phellion, intervening. "The name is
euphonious enough to remember."
"Euphonious if you like, my dear; but to me it never seems a name at
all."
"It is a Magyar, or to speak more commonly, a Hungarian name. Our own
name, if we wanted to discuss it, might be said to be a loan from the
Greek language."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On Revenues by Xenophon: [49] Or, "taxes."
[50] Reading, after Zurborg, {dia ta ellimenia}. Or, if the vulg. {dia
en limeni}, transl. "an augmentation of market dues at Piraeus."
[51] I.e. as fixed capital, or, "you should expend on plant."
[52] Or, adopting Zurborg's emend, {os an pleista eggignetai}, transl.
"for the purposes of the present scheme as far as it may be
available."
Again, if there is an apprehension on the part of any that the whole
scheme[53] will crumble into nothing on the first outbreak of war, I
would only beg these alarmists to note that, under the condition of
things which we propose to bring about, war will have more terrors for
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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 Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: you knew their likes and dislikes, he said, you could make them
cure your patient and hurt your enemy, and find out the secret
causes of things. He talked of these five Planets as though they
belonged to him, or as though he were playing long games
against them. The children burrowed in the hay up to their chins,
and looked out over the half-door at the solemn, star-powdered
sky till they seemed to be falling upside down into it, while Mr
Culpeper talked about 'trines' and 'oppositions' and 'conjunctions'
and 'sympathies' and 'antipathies' in a tone that just
matched things.
A rat ran between Middenboro's feet, and the old pony stamped.
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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 Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: their clumsy old plan."
Mrs. Gregory gave a gallant, incredulous snort. "I shall be interested to
learn of anything that is done better here than in Europe."
"Oh, many things, surely! But especially the mating of the fashionable
young. They don't need any parents to arrange for them; it's much better
managed through precocity."
"Through precocity? I scarcely follow you."
And Mrs. Weguelin softly added, "You must excuse us if we do not follow
you." But her softness nevertheless indicated that if there were any one
present needing leniency, it was myself.
"Why, yes," I told them, "it's through precocity. The new-rich American
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