| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: it the termagant Falconbridge himself. But the greater part of
their acquaintance affected candour, and saw faults on both
sides--though, in fact, there only existed the oppressor and the
oppressed. The tone of such critics was, "To be sure, no one
will justify Sir Philip Forester, but then we all know Sir
Philip, and Jemmie Falconer might have known what she had to
expect from the beginning. What made her set her cap at Sir
Philip? He would never have looked at her if she had not thrown
herself at his head, with her poor ten thousand pounds. I am
sure, if it is money he wanted, she spoiled his market. I know
where Sir Philip could have done much better. And then, if she
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: American merchant marine, opium smuggling in Honolulu, etc. It
should run to (about) three hundred pages of my MS. I would like
to know if this tale smiles upon you, if you will have a vacancy,
and what you will be willing to pay. It will of course be
copyright in both the States and England. I am a little anxious to
have it tried serially, as it tests the interest of the mystery.
PLEASURE. - We have had a fine time in the Gilbert group, though
four months on low islands, which involves low diet, is a largish
order; and my wife is rather down. I am myself, up to now, a
pillar of health, though our long and vile voyage of calms,
squalls, cataracts of rain, sails carried away, foretopmast lost,
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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 Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: "Why, mademoiselle, you should have thought of that yesterday," said
Nanon, bursting into a loud peal of laughter. "I can't make cream.
Your cousin is a darling, a darling! oh, that he is! You should have
seen him in his dressing-gown, all silk and gold! I saw him, I did! He
wears linen as fine as the surplice of monsieur le cure."
"Nanon, please make us a /galette/."
"And who'll give me wood for the oven, and flour and butter for the
cakes?" said Nanon, who in her function of prime-minister to Grandet
assumed at times enormous importance in the eyes of Eugenie and her
mother. "Mustn't rob the master to feast the cousin. You ask him for
butter and flour and wood: he's your father, perhaps he'll give you
Eugenie Grandet |
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 War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells: tion. This was thought to be due to the falling of burning pine
trees across the line. Nothing more of the fighting was known
that night, the night of my drive to Leatherhead and
back.
My brother felt no anxiety about us, as he knew from the
description in the papers that the cylinder was a good two
miles from my house. He made up his mind to run down that
night to me, in order, as he says, to see the Things before
they were killed. He despatched a telegram, which never
reached me, about four o'clock, and spent the evening at a
music hall.
War of the Worlds |
