| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Off on a Comet by Jules Verne: with his orderly, Ben Zoof."
"Ben who?" inquired the major.
"Zoof! Ben Zoof!" ejaculated Servadac, who could scarcely shout
loud enough to relieve his pent-up feelings.
Ignoring this ebullition of the captain's spleen, the count went on to say:
"Captain Servadac was naturally most anxious to get what news he could.
Accordingly, he left his servant on the island in charge of his horses,
and came on board the _Dobryna_ with me. We were quite at a loss to know
where we should steer, but decided to direct our course to what previously
had been the east, in order that we might, if possible, discover the colony
of Algeria; but of Algeria not a trace remained."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: she had given it, but he was so unhappy at going that she had not
had the courage to refuse.
Her husband was away at the time. When he returned a few days
later he picked up the little dog to pet it, and noticed that its
collar was missing. His wife told him that the dog had lost it
in the undergrowth of the park, and that she and her maids had
hunted a whole day for it. It was true, she explained to the
court, that she had made the maids search for the necklet--they
all believed the dog had lost it in the park. . .
Her husband made no comment, and that evening at supper he was in
his usual mood, between good and bad: you could never tell which.
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum: the nomes going first to light the way with their
torches. They had not proceeded far when Betsy
exclaimed:
"Why, there are jewels here, too!"
All eyes were turned upon the ground and they
found a regular trail of jewels strewn along the
rock floor.
"This is queer!" said Kaliko, much surprised. "I
must send some of my nomes to gather up these gems
and replace them in the Metal Forest, where they
belong. I wonder how they came to be here?"
Tik-Tok of Oz |
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 Nada the Lily by H. Rider Haggard: tears to his eyes that are dry with wickedness. Take him away, the
heartless brute! Oh, take him away!"
So this one also was killed, and these were but the first of
thousands, for presently Chaka grew mad with wickedness, with fury,
and with the lust of blood. He walked to and fro, weeping, going now
and again into his hut to drink beer, and I with him, for he said that
we who sorrowed must have food. And ever as he walked he would wave
his arm or his assegai, saying, "Take them away, the heartless brutes,
who do not weep because my mother is dead," and those who chanced to
stand before his arm were killed, till at length the slayers could
slay no more, and themselves were slain, because their strength had
Nada the Lily |
