| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Dracula by Bram Stoker: the extraordinary evidences of wealth which are round me.
The table service is of gold, and so beautifully wrought
that it must be of immense value. The curtains and upholstery
of the chairs and sofas and the hangings of my bed are
of the costliest and most beautiful fabrics, and must have
been of fabulous value when they were made, for they are
centuries old, though in excellent order. I saw something
like them in Hampton Court, but they were worn and frayed and
moth-eaten. But still in none of the rooms is there a mirror.
There is not even a toilet glass on my table, and I had to get
the little shaving glass from my bag before I could either shave
Dracula |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Juana by Honore de Balzac: his ambition had induced some belief in his nature, and who showed
herself, what women are, tender and consoling in the troubles of life.
Inspired by a few words from Juana, the retired soldier came to Paris,
resolved to win in an administrative career a position to command
respect, bury in oblivion the quartermaster of the 6th of the line,
and secure for Madame Diard a noble title. His passion for that
seductive creature enabled him to divine her most secret wishes. Juana
expressed nothing, but he understood her. He was not loved as a lover
dreams of being loved; he knew this, and he strove to make himself
respected, loved, and cherished. He foresaw a coming happiness, poor
man, in the patience and gentleness shown on all occasions by his
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