| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: make a start early the next morning.
Halket was released from his duty, and had come up, and lain down a little
in the background of the group who gathered round their fire.
The Colonial and the Englishman had given orders to all the men of their
mess that Halket was to be left in quiet, and no questions were to be asked
him; and the men, fearing the Colonial's size and the Englishman's nerve,
left him in peace. The men laughed and chatted round the fire, while the
big Colonial ladled out the mealies and rice into tin plates, and passed
them round to the men. Presently he passed one to Halket, who lay half
behind him leaning on his elbow. For a while Halket ate nothing, then he
took a few mouthfuls; and again lay on his elbow.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: France belong to the king."
"Yes, sire, all is yours; you are the absolute master of our lives and
fortunes; but, up to this moment, you have only taken what you need."
"Listen to me, old crony; if I help you to recover this treasure, you
can surely, and without fear, agree to divide it with me."
"No, sire, I will not divide it; I will give it all to you, at my
death. But what scheme have you for finding it?"
"I shall watch you myself when you are taking your nocturnal tramps.
You might fear any one but me."
"Ah, sire!" cried Cornelius, flinging himself at the king's feet, "you
are the only man in the kingdom whom I would trust for such a service;
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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 The Duchesse de Langeais by Honore de Balzac: "Well, I will make the advance," she told herself, as she
tossed on her bed and found no sleep there; "I will go to him.
I will not weary myself with holding out a hand to him, but I
will hold it out. A man of a thousand will see a promise of love
and constancy in every step that a woman takes towards him. Yes,
the angels must come down from heaven to reach men; and I wish to
be an angel for him."
Next day she wrote. It was a billet of the kind in which the
intellects of the ten thousand Sevignes that Paris now can number
particularly excel. And yet only a Duchesse de Langeais, brought
up by Mme la Princesse de Blamont-Chauvry, could have written
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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 Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: "Oh, this is horrible!" Mme. de Plougastel shuddered as she spoke.
"I heard of it only half an hour ago, and I came at once, to prevent
it at all costs."
The two women looked blankly, despairingly, at each other. In the
sunshine-flooded street one or two shabby idlers were pausing to
eye the handsome equipage with its magnificent bay horses, and the
two great ladies on the doorstep of the fencing-academy. From
across the way came the raucous voice of an itinerant bellows-mender
raised in the cry of his trade:
"A raccommoder les vieux soufflets!"
Madame swung to the housekeeper.
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