| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Pool of Blood in the Pastor's Study by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: of horror to them. The old housekeeper had succumbed to her
fright and was very ill. Liska went about her work silently,
and the farm servants walked more heavily and chattered less than
they had before. The hump-backed sexton, who had not been allowed
to enter the church and therefore had nothing to do, made an early
start for the inn, where he spent most of the day telling what
little he knew to the many who made an excuse to follow him there.
The only calm and undisturbed person in the rectory household was
Muller. He had made a thorough examination of the entire scene of
the murder, but had not found anything at all. Of one thing alone
was he certain: the murderer had come through the hidden passageway
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: "They will help me to plunge my sword into the entrails of the
Republic," replied the marquis in a thundering voice. "They will give
me Fougeres in three days, and all Brittany in ten! Monsieur," he
added in a gentler voice, "start at once for La Vendee; if d'Auticamp,
Suzannet, and the Abbe Bernier will act as rapidly as I do, if they'll
not negotiate with the First Consul, as I am afraid they will" (here
he wrung the hand of the Vendean chief) "we shall be within reach of
Paris in a fortnight."
"But the Republic is sending sixty thousand men and General Brune
against us."
"Sixty thousand men! indeed!" cried the marquis, with a scoffing
The Chouans |
