| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: again, to ask for linen and silver, and to beg she would go herself
and see that the multiplied orders of the count were executed. All the
household, together with the gardeners and the concierge and his wife,
were going and coming in a confusion that may readily be imagined. The
master had fallen upon his own house like a bombshell.
From the top of the hill near La Cave, where he left the coach, the
count had gone, by the path through the woods well-known to him, to
the house of his gamekeeper. The keeper was amazed when he saw his
real master.
"Is Moreau here?" said the count. "I see his horse."
"No, monseigneur; he means to go to Moulineaux before dinner, and he
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: and I have it here. The evidence it will give should be more than
sufficient to warrant your restoring these unjustly accused gentlemen
their liberty."
"The courier took it to you?" echoed Albemarle,stupefaction in his
glance. "But why to you?"
"Because," said Wilding, and with his left hand he placed the wrapper
before Albemarle, whilst his right dropped again to his pocket, "the
letter, as you may see, was addressed to me.
The quiet manner in which he made the announcement conveyed almost
as great a shock as the announcement itself.
Albemarle took up the wrapper; Luttrell and Phelips craned forward to
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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 Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft: whose slight form, yellow hair, spectacled blue eyes, and soft
voice gave no hint of the supernormal -- almost diabolical --
power of the cold brain within. I can see him now as he was then
-- and I shiver. He grew sterner of face, but never elderly. And
now Sefton Asylum has had the mishap and West has vanished.
West
clashed disagreeably with Dr. Halsey near the end of our last
undergraduate term in a wordy dispute that did less credit to
him than to the kindiy dean in point of courtesy. He felt that
he was needlessly and irrationally retarded in a supremely great
work; a work which he could of course conduct to suit himself
Herbert West: Reanimator |
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 Hellenica by Xenophon: situation, refused to accept the challenge. Instead of marching upon
them he turned sharp off in the direction of the city; and the
Thebans, in alarm for the city in its undefended state, abandoned the
favourable ground on which they were drawn up in battle line, and
retired at the double towards the city along the road to Potniae,
which seemed the safer route. This last move of Agesilaus may be
described as a stroke of genius:[27] while it allowed him to retire to
a distance, it forced the enemy themselves to retreat at the double.
In spite of this, however, one or two of the polemarchs, with their
divisions, charged the foe as he raced past. But again the Thebans,
from the vantage-ground of their heights, sent volleys of spears upon
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