| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac: "How much will monsieur give for the information," she asked, looking
at Gazonal, who was no longer surprised by anything.
"One hundred francs," he said.
"No, thank you!" she said with a grimace of refusal worthy of a macaw.
"Then say how much you want, my little Madame Nourrisson," cried
Bixiou catching her round the waist.
"In the first place, my dear gentlemen, I have never, since I've been
in the business, found man or woman to haggle over happiness.
Besides," she said, letting a cold smile flicker on her lips, and
enforcing it by an icy glance full of catlike distrust, "if it doesn't
concern your happiness, it concerns your fortune; and at the height
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum: manuscript which she had taken from the Royal Library,
while Dorothy worked at her embroidery and at times
stooped to pat a shaggy little black dog that lay at
her feet. The little dog's name was Toto, and he was
Dorothy's faithful companion.
To judge Ozma of Oz by the standards of our world,
you would think her very young -- perhaps fourteen or
fifteen years of age -- yet for years she had ruled the
Land of Oz and had never seemed a bit older. Dorothy
appeared much younger than Ozma. She had been a little
girl when first she came to the Land of Oz, and she was
The Tin Woodman of Oz |
