| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: rust of prejudice by the hands of intelligent modesty. For these
alone they were compiled, as will appear from a brief narrative
which my zeal for truth compelled me to make supplementary to the
present Proem.
It is well known that my Landlord was a pleasing and a facetious
man, acceptable unto all the parish of Gandercleugh, excepting
only the Laird, the Exciseman, and those for whom he refused to
draw liquor upon trust. Their causes of dislike I will touch
separately, adding my own refutation thereof.
His honour, the Laird, accused our Landlord, deceased, of having
encouraged, in various times and places, the destruction of
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: Tofana; then the white slopes that hang far away above the
Zillerthal; and, nearer, the Geislerspitze, like five fingers
thrust into the air; behind that, the distant Oetzthaler Mountain,
and just a single white glimpse of the highest peak of the Ortler
by the Engadine; nearer still we saw the vast fortress of the Sella
group and the red combs of the Rosengarten; Monte Marmolata, the
Queen of the Dolomites, stood before us revealed from base to peak
in a bridal dress of snow; and southward we looked into the dark
rugged face of La Civetta, rising sheer out of the vale of Agordo,
where the Lake of Alleghe slept unseen. It was a sea of mountains,
tossed around us into a myriad of motionless waves, and with a
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: nine o'clock, when the Englishman and Colonial left to turn in. They found
Halket asleep, close to the side of the tent, with his face turned to the
canvas. And they lay down quietly that they might not disturb him.
At ten o'clock all the camp was asleep, excepting the two men told off to
keep guard; who paced from one end of the camp to the other to keep
themselves awake; or stood chatting by the large fire, which still burnt at
one end.
In the Captain's tent a light was kept burning all night, which shone
through the thin canvas sides, and shed light on the ground about; but, for
the rest, the camp was dead and still.
By half-past one the moon had gone down, and there was left only a blaze of
|
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 Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: yonder stands the Governor--and I have a word or two for his
private ear. Good night!"
He accordingly advanced to Governor Shute, and addressed him in
so low a tone that none of the by-standers could catch a word of
what he said, although the sudden change of his Excellency's
hitherto cheerful visage betokened that the communication could
be of no agreeable import. A very few moments afterwards it was
announced to the guests that an unforeseen circumstance rendered
it necessary to put a premature close to the festival.
The hall at the Province House supplied a topic of conversation
for the colonial metropolis for some days after its occurrence,
Twice Told Tales |
