| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: of the embers and I could hardly make out amongst the shadows of
furniture Dona Rita sunk on her knees in a penitential and
despairing attitude. Before this collapse I, who had been
wrestling desperately with her a moment before, felt that I dare
not touch her. This emotion, too, I could not understand; this
abandonment of herself, this conscience-stricken humility. A
humbly imploring request to open the door came from the other side.
Ortega kept on repeating: "Open the door, open the door," in such
an amazing variety of intonations, imperative, whining, persuasive,
insinuating, and even unexpectedly jocose, that I really stood
there smiling to myself, yet with a gloomy and uneasy heart. Then
The Arrow of Gold |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dust by Mr. And Mrs. Haldeman-Julius: crying and saw how impervious to it Martin was, she knew that
never again could things be the same between her husband and
herself.
But when, supper over, she found the corners of the rosebud mouth
still pathetically down and Billy's breath still quivering in
long gasps, she gathered the snuggly body to her and vowed in
little broken love-words that from now on his father should have
no further opportunities for discipline. Knowing him as she did,
she should have trained the baby in the first place to go to
sleep alone, should have denied herself those added sweet
moments. After this she would be on her guard, forestall Martin,
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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 Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: ALGERNON. Cecily is the sweetest, dearest, prettiest girl in the
whole world. And I don't care twopence about social possibilities.
LADY BRACKNELL. Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon.
Only people who can't get into it do that. [To CECILY.] Dear
child, of course you know that Algernon has nothing but his debts
to depend upon. But I do not approve of mercenary marriages. When
I married Lord Bracknell I had no fortune of any kind. But I never
dreamed for a moment of allowing that to stand in my way. Well, I
suppose I must give my consent.
ALGERNON. Thank you, Aunt Augusta.
LADY BRACKNELL. Cecily, you may kiss me!
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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 Vision Splendid by William MacLeod Raine: you do something? Can't you keep the fellow quiet? I'll pay
anything in reason."
Jeff looked at him steadily. "I wouldn't say that to him if I were
you."
"Oh, I don't know what I'm saying." He mopped the blood from his
face with a handkerchief. "I'm half crazy. Did he mark me up
badly?" James examined himself anxiously in the glass. "He's just
chopped my face to pieces. I'll have to get out of the city
to-night and stay away till the marks are gone. But the main point
is to keep him from talking. Can you do it?"
For once Jeff's toleration failed him. "He's right. You are a
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