| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Betty Zane by Zane Grey: his nose high in the air and had sniffed at the cold wind.
"Well, Tige, old fellow, what is it?" said Jonathan Zane, for this was he.
The dog answered with a low whine. Jonathan looked up and down the creek
valley and along the hillside, but he saw no living thing. Snow, snow
everywhere, its white monotony relieved here and there by a black tree trunk.
Tige sniffed again and then growled. Turning his ear to the breeze Jonathan
heard faint yelps from far over the hilltop. He dropped his axe and the traps
and ran the remaining short distance up the hill. When he reached the summit
the clear baying of hunting wolves was borne to his ears.
The hill sloped gradually on the other side, ending in a white, unbroken plain
which extended to the edge of the laurel thicket a quarter of a mile distant.
 Betty Zane |
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 Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: the breast. The Sadducees rose from their seats and rushed towards
Jacob. Eleazar raised his voice to a shout in order to make himself
heard. When order was finally restored, he draped his mantle about his
shoulders, and, with the air of a judge, proceeded to put questions to
Jacob.
"Since the prophet is dead--" he began.
Murmurs interrupted him. Many persons believed that Elias was not
dead, but had only disappeared.
Eleazar rebuked those who had interrupted him; and continuing, asked:
"And dost thou believe that he has indeed come to life again?"
"Why should I not believe it?" Jacob replied.
 Herodias |