| 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: either of them one touch all the time I had them. I was the talk of all
the fellows round, the way I treated them. Well, I hadn't been gone a
month, when I got a letter from the man I worked with, the one who had the
woman first--he's dead now, poor fellow; they found him at his hut door
with his throat cut--and what do you think he said to me? Why, I hadn't
been gone six hours when those two women skooted! It was all the big one.
What do you think she did? She took every ounce of ball and cartridge she
could find in that hut, and my old Martini-Henry, and even the lid off the
tea-box to melt into bullets for the old muzzle-loaders they have; and off
she went, and took the young one too. The fellow wrote me they didn't
touch another thing: they left the shawls and dresses I gave them kicking
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Marie by H. Rider Haggard: his fish-like mouth. Each gasp, I remember, fashioned itself into the
word "Allemachte!" that is "Almighty," a favourite Dutch expression.
Marie was the first to perceive that I had come to life again. Shaking
herself free from the clasp of the young man, she staggered towards me
and fell upon her knees at my side, muttering words that I could not
catch, for they choked in her throat. Then Hans took in the situation,
and wriggling his unpleasant self to my other side, lifted my hand and
kissed it. Next my father spoke, saying:
"Praise be to God, he lives! Allan, my son, I am proud of you; you have
done your duty as an Englishman should."
"Had to save my own skin if I could, thank you, father," I muttered.
Marie |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: question,--
"How is it that Monsieur Claes has not told you of this?"
Happily, the notary was almost a relation,--in this wise: The
grandfather of Monsieur Claes had married a Pierquin of Antwerp, of
the same family as the Pierquins of Douai. Since the marriage the
latter, though strangers to the Claes, claimed them as cousins.
Monsieur Pierquin, a young man twenty-six years of age, who had just
succeeded to his father's practice, was the only person who now had
access to the House of Claes.
Madame Balthazar had lived for several months in such complete
solitude that the notary was obliged not only to confirm the rumor of
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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 Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: opened with a little gold key which he wore suspended from his
neck by a chain of the same metal. With discretion D'Artagnan
remained behind; but at the moment when Buckingham crossed the
threshold, he turned round, and seeing the hesitation of the
young man, "Come in!" cried he, "and if you have the good fortune
to be admitted to her Majesty's presence, tell her what you have
seen."
Encouraged by this invitation, D'Artagnan followed the duke, who
closed the door after them. The two found themselves in a small
chapel covered with a tapestry of Persian silk worked with gold,
and brilliantly lighted with a vast number of candles. Over a
The Three Musketeers |
