| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: was to go to her sister, Lady Margaret Rufford, and her amethyst
necklace, which Sybil Merton was to have. The property was not of
much value; but Mr. Mansfield, the solicitor, was extremely anxious
for Lord Arthur to return at once, if possible, as there were a
great many bills to be paid, and Lady Clementina had never kept any
regular accounts.
Lord Arthur was very much touched by Lady Clementina's kind
remembrance of him, and felt that Mr. Podgers had a great deal to
answer for. His love of Sybil, however, dominated every other
emotion, and the consciousness that he had done his duty gave him
peace and comfort. When he arrived at Charing Cross, he felt
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: "You will be sure to place the packages so that they cannot get wet if
the weather should happen to change."
"I've a hood," replied Pierrotin. "Besides, see, madame, with what
care they are being placed."
"Oscar, don't stay more than two weeks, no matter how much they may
ask you," continued Madame Clapart, returning to her son. "You can't
please Madame Moreau, whatever you do; besides, you must be home by
the end of September. We are to go to Belleville, you know, to your
uncle Cardot."
"Yes, mamma."
"Above all," she said, in a low voice, "be sure never to speak about
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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 Democracy In America, Volume 2 by Alexis de Toqueville: servitude. They shape their souls beforehand to this necessary
condition; and, despairing of remaining free, they already do
obeisance in their hearts to the master who is soon to appear.
The former abandon freedom, because they think it dangerous; the
latter, because they hold it to be impossible. If I had
entertained the latter conviction, I should not have written this
book, but I should have confined myself to deploring in secret
the destiny of mankind. I have sought to point out the dangers to
which the principle of equality exposes the independence of man,
because I firmly believe that these dangers are the most
formidable, as well as the least foreseen, of all those which
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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 Coxon Fund by Henry James: of the preposterous Mulvilles, his relation to whom, like mine, had
had its origin in an early, a childish intimacy with the young
Adelaide, the fruit of multiplied ties in the previous generation.
When she married Kent Mulville, who was older than Gravener and I
and much more amiable, I gained a friend, but Gravener practically
lost one. We reacted in different ways from the form taken by what
he called their deplorable social action--the form (the term was
also his) of nasty second-rate gush. I may have held in my 'for
interieur' that the good people at Wimbledon were beautiful fools,
but when he sniffed at them I couldn't help taking the opposite
line, for I already felt that even should we happen to agree it
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