| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Melmoth Reconciled by Honore de Balzac: myself at his feet and say, 'I have taken ten thousand francs
belonging to you, sir; I am twenty-two years of age, and I am in love
with Euphrasia--that is my story. My father is rich, he will pay you
back; do not ruin me! Have not you yourself been twenty-two years old
and madly in love?' But these beggarly landowners have no souls! He
would be quite likely to give me up to the public prosecutor, instead
of taking pity upon me. Good God! if it were only possible to sell
your soul to the Devil! But there is neither a God nor a Devil; it is
all nonsense out of nursery tales and old wives' talk. What shall I
do?"
"If you have a mind to sell your soul to the Devil, sir," said the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: fortune of a hundred families--which is far worse than killing a man--
if a banker is insolvent, all these catastrophes are forgotten in
Paris in few months, and buried under the oceanic surges of the great
city.
The colossal fortunes of Jacques Coeur, of the Medici, of the Angos of
Dieppe, of the Auffredis of la Rochelle, of the Fuggers, of the
Tiepolos, of the Corners, were honestly made long ago by the
advantages they had over the ignorance of the people as to the sources
of precious products; but nowadays geographical information has
reached the masses, and competition has so effectually limited the
profits, that every rapidly made fortune is the result of chance, or
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