| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: to pass the winter in their downy snuggery. The desertion of the
nest is inevitable, owing to the very force of things. But, if the
hatching were earlier and took place in the Epeira's lifetime, I
imagine that she would rival the bird in devotion.
So I gather from the, analogy of Thomisus onustus, WALCK., a
shapely Spider who weaves no web, lies in wait for her prey and
walks sideways, after the manner of the Crab. I have spoken
elsewhere {22} of her encounters with the Domestic Bee, whom she
jugulates by biting her in the neck.
Skilful in the prompt despatch of her prey, the little Crab Spider
is no less well-versed in the nesting art. I find her settled on a
The Life of the Spider |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: interest! How silly they will look to-night when I shall come out with
this story between two games of dominoes!'
"The dark glee, the savage ferocity aroused by the possession of a few
water-white pebbles, set me shuddering. I was dumb with amazement.
" 'Aha! There you are, my boy!' said he. 'We will dine together. We
will have some fun at your place, for I haven't a home of my own, and
these restaurants, with their broths, and sauces, and wines, would
poison the Devil himself.'
"Something in my face suddenly brought back the usual cold, impassive
expression to his.
" 'You don't understand it,' he said, and sitting down by the hearth,
Gobseck |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: doors, and seven-eighths-inch blind-nailed flooring, began those diplomacies
of hurt surprise and readiness to be persuaded to do something they had
already decided to do, which would some day result in a sale.
On the way back Babbitt picked up his partner and father-in-law, Henry T.
Thompson, at his kitchen-cabinet works, and they drove through South Zenith, a
high-colored, banging, exciting region: new factories of hollow tile with
gigantic wire-glass windows, surly old red-brick factories stained with tar,
high-perched water-tanks, big red trucks like locomotives, and, on a score of
hectic side-tracks, far-wandering freight-cars from the New York Central and
apple orchards, the Great Northern and wheat-plateaus, the Southern Pacific
and orange groves.
|
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 Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: I bent over the writing-block.
"You know," said Berry, " I don't think this bath's at all
necessary."
At this there was a great uproar. At length:
"Besides," said my sister, "we all decided that we must have
another bath ages ago. The only question there's ever been was
where to put it."
"Of course," said I. "If we don't, where are we going to dip the
sheep?"
"Well, I think it's a shame to pull the old place about like
this. If we're so awfully dirty, we'd better find another house
The Brother of Daphne |
