| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: pirouetting in an eddy of moonlit water. After a time it also
sank, and no trace of Mr. Podgers was visible. Once he thought
that he caught sight of the bulky misshapen figure striking out for
the staircase by the bridge, and a horrible feeling of failure came
over him, but it turned out to be merely a reflection, and when the
moon shone out from behind a cloud it passed away. At last he
seemed to have realised the decree of destiny. He heaved a deep
sigh of relief, and Sybil's name came to his lips.
'Have you dropped anything, sir?' said a voice behind him suddenly.
He turned round, and saw a policeman with a bull's-eye lantern.
'Nothing of importance, sergeant,' he answered, smiling, and
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tarzan the Untamed by Edgar Rice Burroughs: had to run at top speed to keep up with them. This she real-
ized she could not do, and so she was forced to lag behind,
much to the chagrin of Zu-tag, who constantly kept running
back and urging her to greater speed. Once he took her by the
arm and tried to draw her along. Her protests were of no avail
since the beast could not know that they were protests, nor did
he desist until she caught her foot in some tangled grass and
fell to the ground. Then indeed was Zu-tag furious and
growled hideously. His apes were waiting at the edge of the
forest for him to lead them. He suddenly realized that this
poor weak she could not keep up with them and that if they
Tarzan the Untamed |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield: stopped him. She tugged at his sleeve, and to his astonishment, this time,
instead of laughing, she looked like a little girl who was going to cry.
"Then why, if you understand, are you so un-unhappy?" she wailed. "Why do
you mind so fearfully? Why do you look so aw-awful?"
Reggie gulped, and again he waved something away. "I can't help it," he
said, "I've had a blow. If I cut off now, I'll be able to--"
"How can you talk of cutting off now?" said Anne scornfully. She stamped
her foot at Reggie; she was crimson. "How can you be so cruel? I can't
let you go until I know for certain that you are just as happy as you were
before you asked me to marry you. Surely you must see that, it's so
simple."
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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 The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: Duc de Verneuil, died, after duly recognizing me as his daughter and
making provisions for me by his will, which considerably reduced the
fortune of my brother, his legitimate son. I found myself one day
without a home and without a protector. My brother contested the will
which made me rich. Three years of my late life had developed my
vanity. By satisfying all my fancies my father had created in my
nature a need of luxury, and given me habits of self-indulgence of
which my own mind, young and artless as it then was, could not
perceive either the danger or the tyranny. A friend of my father, the
Marechal Duc de Lenoncourt, then seventy years old, offered to become
my guardian, and I found myself, soon after the termination of the
The Chouans |
