| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: ever-changing views of life; pens and paper and the productions
of the popular press are to me as important as food and drink;
and my life was growing quite intolerable when, in the confusion
of that fortunate railway accident at Browndean, I made my
escape. They must think me dead, and are trying to deceive the
world for the chance of the tontine.'
'By the way, how do you stand for money?' asked Michael kindly.
'Pecuniarily speaking, I am rich,' returned the old man with
cheerfulness. 'I am living at present at the rate of one hundred
a year, with unlimited pens and paper; the British Museum at
which to get books; and all the newspapers I choose to read. But
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Intentions by Oscar Wilde: his love for Milton, he is deceiving either himself or his
listeners. To his fellow-contributors in the LONDON MAGAZINE he
was always most generous, and praises Barry Cornwall, Allan
Cunningham, Hazlitt, Elton, and Leigh Hunt without anything of the
malice of a friend. Some of his sketches of Charles Lamb are
admirable in their way, and, with the art of the true comedian,
borrow their style from their subject:-
What can I say of thee more than all know? that thou hadst the
gaiety of a boy with the knowledge of a man: as gentle a heart as
ever sent tears to the eyes.
How wittily would he mistake your meaning, and put in a conceit
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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 Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: fowl, were truly WOOD PIGEONS and consumed and eaten EO NOMINE,
and not otherwise.
Again, the Exciseman pretended, that my deceased Landlord did
encourage that species of manufacture called distillation,
without having an especial permission from the Great, technically
called a license, for doing so. Now, I stand up to confront this
falsehood; and in defiance of him, his gauging-stick, and pen and
inkhorn, I tell him, that I never saw, or tasted, a glass of
unlawful aqua vitae in the house of my Landlord; nay, that, on
the contrary, we needed not such devices, in respect of a
pleasing and somewhat seductive liquor, which was vended and
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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 Foolish Virgin by Thomas Dixon: "Gee! I do have to get a ring, don't I?"
"Yes----"
"Why didn't you tell me? You know I never got
married before."
"I should hope not!"
He seized her hand and kissed it, drew her into his
arms, held her crushed and breathless and released her
with a quick, impulsive movement.
"You'll help me get it?" he asked eagerly.
"If you like."
"A big white sparkler?"
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