| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Edition of The Ambassadors by Henry James: whereas the Countess, whom it so amused him to think of by that
denomination, was a case, also exquisite, of--well, he didn't know what.
"He has wonderful taste, notre jeune homme": this was what Gloriani
said to him on turning away from the inspection of a small picture
suspended near the door of the room. The high celebrity in question
had just come in, apparently in search of Mademoiselle de Vionnet,
but while Strether had got up from beside her their fellow guest,
with his eye sharply caught, had paused for a long look. The thing
was a landscape, of no size, but of the French school, as our
friend was glad to feel he knew, and also of a quality--which he
liked to think he should also have guessed; its frame was large out
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: Bagheera."
The long, low howl rose and fell, and Mowgli saw Messua's
husband flinch and turn, half minded to run back to the hut.
"Go on," Mowgli called cheerfully. "I said there might be
singing. That call will follow up to Khanhiwara. It is Favour
of the Jungle."
Messua urged her husband forward, and the darkness shut down on
them and Mother Wolf as Bagheera rose up almost under Mowgli's
feet, trembling with delight of the night that drives the Jungle
People wild.
"I am ashamed of thy brethren," he said, purring. "What? Did
The Second Jungle Book |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne: and modestly declined. - The poor little fellow pressed it upon
them with a nod of welcomeness. - PRENEZ EN - PRENEZ, said he,
looking another way; so they each took a pinch. - Pity thy box
should ever want one! said I to myself; so I put a couple of sous
into it - taking a small pinch out of his box, to enhance their
value, as I did it. He felt the weight of the second obligation
more than of the first, - 'twas doing him an honour, - the other
was only doing him a charity; - and he made me a bow down to the
ground for it.
- Here! said I to an old soldier with one hand, who had been
campaigned and worn out to death in the service - here's a couple
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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 A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: gentleman, who had served the Convention, suspected the junior's
dilemma.
"All cats are gray in the dark," said he good-humoredly. "The Chief
Justice cannot compromise himself by putting a pleader in the right
way! Especially," he went on, "when the pleader is the nephew of an
old colleague, one of the lights of the grand Council of State which
gave France the Napoleonic Code."
At a gesture from the chief magistrate of France under the Empire, the
foot-passenger got into the carriage.
"Where do you live?" asked the great man, before the footman who
awaited his orders had closed the door.
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