| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: you are.''
Another time a lady passed by the cabin where Bessie Bell stood
leaning against the little fluted white post of the gallery, and
said:
``Good morning, Bessie Bell. I am Alice's Mama.''
That made things so simple, thought Bessie Bell. This lady was a
Mama. And she was Alice's Mama.
Bessie Bell wished that all would tell in that nice way at once
whether they were Mamas or Just-Ladies.
The next lady who passed by the cabin also stopped to talk to Bessie
Bell.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: strangely enough, that something childlike always noticeable in the
general contour of his physiognomy had become much more marked.
Like his handwriting, he looked childish and senile. He showed his
age most in his unintelligently furrowed, anxious forehead and in
his round, innocent eyes, which appeared to me weak and blinking
and watery; or was it that they were full of tears? . . .
To discover old Nelson fully informed upon any matter whatever was
a new experience. And after the first awkwardness had worn off he
talked freely, with, now and then, a question to start him going
whenever he lapsed into silence, which he would do suddenly,
clasping his hands on his waistcoat in an attitude which would
'Twixt Land & Sea |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: that horrid Mr. Podgers? He was a dreadful impostor. Of course, I
didn't mind that at all, and even when he wanted to borrow money I
forgave him, but I could not stand his making love to me. He has
really made me hate cheiromancy. I go in for telepathy now. It is
much more amusing.'
'You mustn't say anything against cheiromancy here, Lady
Windermere; it is the only subject that Arthur does not like people
to chaff about. I assure you he is quite serious over it.'
'You don't mean to say that he believes in it, Sybil?'
'Ask him, Lady Windermere, here he is'; and Lord Arthur came up the
garden with a large bunch of yellow roses in his hand, and his two
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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 Concerning Christian Liberty by Martin Luther: corrupt, more pestilential, more hateful, than the Court of Rome?
She incomparably surpasses the impiety of the Turks, so that in
very truth she, who was formerly the gate of heaven, is now a
sort of open mouth of hell, and such a mouth as, under the urgent
wrath of God, cannot be blocked up; one course alone being left
to us wretched men: to call back and save some few, if we can,
from that Roman gulf.
Behold, Leo, my father, with what purpose and on what principle
it is that I have stormed against that seat of pestilence. I am
so far from having felt any rage against your person that I even
hoped to gain favour with you and to aid you in your welfare by
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