| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner: together, and I--well, I say a few words, and perhaps they are not wholly
lost, not quite."
"Strange coincidence," said Bonaparte; "my plan always was the same. Was
in the Free State once--solitary farm--one neighbour. Every Sunday I
called together friend and neighbour, child and servant, and said, 'Rejoice
with me, that we may serve the Lord,' and then I addressed them. Ah, those
were blessed times," said Bonaparte; "would they might return."
The German stirred at the cakes, and stirred, and stirred, and stirred. He
could give the stranger his bed, and he could give the stranger his hat,
and he could give the stranger his brandy; but his Sunday service!
After a good while he said:
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas: "So?"
"I have done what was right, my friend, at the risk of my
reputation. Adieu!"
"Not adieu, au revoir!"
"Perhaps," said the marquise, giving her hand to Fouquet to
kiss, and walking towards the door with so firm a step, that
he did not dare to bar her passage. As to Fouquet, he
retook, with his head hanging down and a fixed cloud on his
brow, the path of the subterranean passage along which ran
the metal wires that communicated from one house to the
other, transmitting, through two glasses, the wishes and
Ten Years Later |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: Diana, Temple of, 6.
Dibdin (Dr.), 110.
--sale of his Decameron, 148.--his books, 25.
D'Israeli (B.), 17.
Doraston (J.), Poem on Bookworne, 67, 76.
Dust, an enemy of books, 39.
--and neglect in a library, 39-50, 133.
Dusting books-how to do it, 136.
Dutch Church burnt, 15.
--library at Guildhall, 16.
Ecclesiastical Commissioners, 53.
|
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 In the Cage by Henry James: accounted for by the fact that, as the blast of the season roared
louder and the waves of fashion tossed their spray further over the
counter, there were more impressions to be gathered and really--for
it came to that--more life to be led. Definite at any rate it was
that by the time May was well started the kind of company she kept
at Cocker's had begun to strike her as a reason--a reason she might
almost put forward for a policy of procrastination. It sounded
silly, of course, as yet, to plead such a motive, especially as the
fascination of the place was after all a sort of torment. But she
liked her torment; it was a torment she should miss at Chalk Farm.
She was ingenious and uncandid, therefore, about leaving the
|
