| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: unable to appreciate them. He will await their better mood, and hold
himself as ready to assist them then as at this moment. As he draws
back from the door, an all-comprehensive benignity blazes from his
visage, indicating that he gathers Hepzibah, little Phoebe, and
the invisible Clifford, all three, together with the whole world
besides, into his immense heart, and gives them a warm bath in its
flood of affection.
"You do me great wrong, dear Cousin Hepzibah!" said he, first
kindly offering her his hand, and then drawing on his glove
preparatory to departure. "Very great wrong! But I forgive it,
and will study to make you think better of me. Of course, our
 House of Seven Gables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: before me was open.
At last the truth dawned upon me--I was following a subterranean
river which emptied into the Iss at the very point where I had hidden.
The rowers were now quite close to me. The noise of their own
paddles drowned the sound of mine, but in another instant the
growing light ahead would reveal me to them.
There was no time to be lost. Whatever action I was to take must
be taken at once. Swinging the prow of my boat toward the right,
 The Warlord of Mars |