| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Finished by H. Rider Haggard: each other's hands, and half-swimming, half-wading, reached us.
They got the horses by the head and straightened them out, while
Anscombe plied his whip. A dash forward and the wheels were on
the bottom again.
Three minutes later we were safe on the further bank, which my
mare had already reached, where I lay gasping on my face,
ejaculating prayers of thankfulness and spitting out muddy water.
CHAPTER X
NOMBE
The Swazis, shivering, for all these people hate cold, and
shaking themselves like a dog when he comes to shore, gathered
|
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 Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: Vinci's (I have dealt in pictures), so magnificently full of life and
energy was she; there was nothing starved nor stinted in feature or
outline; she awakened desire; it seemed to me that there was some
passion in her yet stronger than love. I was taken with her. It was a
long while since my heart had throbbed; so I was paid then and there--
for I would give a thousand francs for a sensation that should bring
me back memories of youth.
" ' "Monsieur," she said, finding a chair for me, "will you be so good
as to wait?"
" ' "Until this time to-morrow, madame," I said, folding up the bill
again. "I cannot legally protest this bill any sooner." And within
 Gobseck |