| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: meat. Stretched on the ground was an Englishman, dressed in a blouse, and
with a heavy, sullen face. On the stone beside him was Dirk, the
Hottentot, sharpening a bowie knife.
She held her breath. Not a cony in all the rocks was so still.
"They can never find me here," she said; and she knelt, and listened to
every word they said. She could hear it all.
"You may have all the money," said the Bushman; "but I want the cask of
brandy. I will set the roof alight in six places, for a Dutchman burnt my
mother once alive in a hut, with three children."
"You are sure there is no one else on the farm?" said the navvy.
"No, I have told you till I am tired," said Dirk; "The two Kaffirs have
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: shame to me to succumb to enemies who have united the cunning of
the serpent with the valor of the lion. Senor, I feel as proud of
becoming your guest as I should have been proud, under a happier
star, of becoming your host."
"You are, like your nation, only too generous, senor. But what
noise is that outside? Cary, go and see."
But ere Cary could reach the door, it was opened; and Evans
presented himself with a terrified face.
"Here's villainy, sir! The Don's murdered, and cold; the Indian
lass fled; and as we searched the ship for her, we found an
Englishwoman, as I'm a sinful man!--and a shocking sight she is 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 The Village Rector by Honore de Balzac: does that class get a parcel of land into its maw than it begins to
subdivide it, till there are scarcely three furrows left in each lot.
And even then the peasant does not stop! He divides the three furrows
across their length, as Monsieur Grossetete has just shown us at
Argenteuil. The unreasonable price which the peasant attaches to the
smallest scrap of his land makes it impossible to repurchase and
restore a fine estate. Monsieur," he went on, indicating Grossetete,
"has just mentioned the diminution in the raising of horses and
cattle; well, the Code has much to do with that. The peasant-
proprietor owns cows; he looks to them for his means of living; he
sells the calves, he sells his butter; he never dreams of raising
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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 La Grenadiere by Honore de Balzac: feeling that happiness is in the air, without a glimpse of all that is
meant by a peaceful life without care or ambition. There is that in
the air and the sound of the river that sets you dreaming; the sands
have a language, and are joyous or dreary, golden or wan; and the
owner of the vineyard may sit motionless amid perennial flowers and
tempting fruit, and feel all the stir of the world about him.
If an Englishman takes the house for the summer, he is asked a
thousand francs for six months, the produce of the vineyard not
included. If the tenant wishes for the orchard fruit, the rent is
doubled; for the vintage, it is doubled again. What can La Grenadiere
be worth, you wonder; La Grenadiere, with its stone staircase, its
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