| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton: except more of the same kind of baseness? And getting more and
more blunted to it? At least, till now, I've minded certain
things; I don't want to go on till I find myself taking them for
granted."
She reached out a timid hand. "But you needn't ever, dear ...
if you'd only leave it to me ...."
He drew back sharply. "That seems simple to you, I suppose?
Well, men are different." He walked toward the dressing-table
and glanced at the little enamelled clock which had been one of
her wedding-presents.
"Time to dress, isn't it? Shall you mind if I leave you to dine
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: John, "and go up to her bedroom afterwards. She kept her most
important papers in a purple despatch-case, which we must look
through carefully."
"Yes," said the lawyer, "it is quite possible that there may be a
later will than the one in my possession."
"There *IS a later will." It was Poirot who spoke.
"What?" John and the lawyer looked at him startled.
"Or, rather," pursued my friend imperturbably, "there *WAS one."
"What do you mean--there was one? Where is it now?"
"Burnt!"
"Burnt?"
The Mysterious Affair at Styles |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Desert Gold by Zane Grey: looking up. She began to bathe his injured knuckles. He noted
the softness, the deftness of her touch, and then it seemed her
fingers were not quite as steady as they might have been. Still,
in a moment they appeared to become surer in their work. She
had beautiful hands, not too large, though certainly not small,
and they were strong, brown, supple. He observed next, with
stealthy, upward-stealing glance, that she had rolled up her sleeves,
exposing fine, round arms graceful in line. Her skin was brown--no,
it was more gold than brown. It had a wonderful clear tint. Dick
stoically lowered his eyes then, putting off as long as possible
the alluring moment when he was to look into her face. That would
Desert Gold |
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 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: "That huge place THERE?" she cried pointing.
"Do you like it?"
"I love it, but I don't see how you live there all alone."
"I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who
do interesting things. Celebrated people."
Instead of taking the short cut along the Sound we went down the road and
entered by the big postern. With enchanting murmurs Daisy admired this
aspect or that of the feudal silhouette against the sky, admired the
gardens, the sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy odor of hawthorn
and plum blossoms and the pale gold odor of kiss-me-at-the-gate.
It was strange to reach the marble steps and find no stir of bright
The Great Gatsby |
