| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Some Reminiscences by Joseph Conrad: were absolutely idle--idle to the point of blushing with shame
when the thought struck us that all the time our salaries went
on. Young Cole was aggrieved because, as he said, we could not
enjoy any sort of fun in the evening after loafing like this all
day: even the banjo lost its charm since there was nothing to
prevent his strumming on it all the time between the meals. The
good Paramor--he was really a most excellent fellow--became
unhappy as far as was possible to his cheery nature, till one
dreary day I suggested, out of sheer mischief, that he should
employ the dormant energies of the crew in hauling both cables up
on deck and turning them end for end.
Some Reminiscences |
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 Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: not being convinced;" and if it was such appeal, why, then, taken with
his resolve to do right at any cost, and his night of inward contention,
it was poignant. "I believe that you will help your friend." Those words
sounded better. But--"tell him a Southern gentleman ought to be shot
either way." What was the meaning of this? A chill import rose from it
into my thoughts, but that I dismissed. To die on account of Hortense!
Such a thing was not to be conceived. And yet, given a high-strung
nature, not only trapped by its own standards, but also wrought upon
during many days by increasing exasperation and unhappiness while
helpless in the trap, and with no other outlook but the trap: the chill
import returned to me more than once, and was reasoned away, as, with no
attention to my surroundings, I took a pair of oars, and got into a boat
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