| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: Adolphe-Lucian), which, when anagrammed, gives Cochineal. Now observe,
he's a partner in a druggist's business in the rue des Lombards, the
Maison Matifat, which made its fortune by that identical colonial
product."
Baudoyer [entering]. "Monsieur Chazelle, I see, is not here; you will
be good enough to say I asked for him, gentlemen."
Bixiou [who had hastily stuck a hat on Chazelle's chair when he heard
Baudoyer's step]. "Excuse me, Monsieur, but Chazelle has gone to the
Rabourdins' to make an inquiry."
Chazelle [entering with his hat on his head, and not seeing Baudoyer].
"La Billardiere is done for, gentlemen! Rabourdin is head of 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 Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: WHEN I look back, I realize what a peculiar friendship it was. First, there
was Lloyd Inwood, tall, slender, and finely knit, nervous and dark. And then
Paul Tichlorne, tall, slender, and finely knit, nervous and blond. Each was
the replica of the other in everything except color. Lloyd's eyes were black;
Paul's were blue. Under stress of excitement, the blood coursed olive in the
face of Lloyd, crimson in the face of Paul. But outside this matter of
coloring they were as like as two peas. Both were high-strung, prone to
excessive tension and endurance, and they lived at concert pitch.
But there was a trio involved in this remarkable friendship, and the third was
short, and fat, and chunky, and lazy, and, loath to say, it was I. Paul and
Lloyd seemed born to rivalry with each other, and I to be peacemaker between
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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 An Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw: has only been able to snatch a few words with me when I have been
skating or walking. But there has always been at least one word
or look that meant a great deal.
"And now, who do you think he is? He says he knows you. Can you
guess? He says you know all his secrets. He says he knows your
husband well; that he treated you very badly, and that you are
greatly to be pitied. Can you guess now? He says he has kissed
you--for shame, Hetty! Have you guessed yet? He was going to tell
me something more when we were interrupted, and I have not seen
him since except at a distance. He is the man with whom you
eloped that day when you gave us all such a fright--Mr. Sidney. I
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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 Two Poets by Honore de Balzac: approved than she tried to win a general sanction. She announced a
soiree, with ices, tea, and cakes, a great innovation in a city where
tea, as yet, was sold only by druggists as a remedy for indigestion.
The flower of Angoumoisin aristocracy was summoned to hear Lucien read
his great work. Louise had hidden all the difficulties from her
friend, but she let fall a few words touching the social cabal formed
against him; she would not have him ignorant of the perils besetting
his career as a man of genius, nor of the obstacles insurmountable to
weaklings. She drew a lesson from the recent victory. Her white hands
pointed him to glory that lay beyond a prolonged martyrdom; she spoke
of stakes and flaming pyres; she spread the adjectives thickly on her
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