| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: make Fanny Price happy, or of ceasing to love Fanny Price,
was of course the groundwork of his eloquent answer.
"Had you seen her this morning, Mary," he continued,
"attending with such ineffable sweetness and patience to
all the demands of her aunt's stupidity, working with her,
and for her, her colour beautifully heightened as she
leant over the work, then returning to her seat to finish
a note which she was previously engaged in writing
for that stupid woman's service, and all this with such
unpretending gentleness, so much as if it were a matter
of course that she was not to have a moment at her
Mansfield Park |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: them paralyzed the peaceful card-players, who kept their seats at the
table, terrified by such a display of force. The noise produced by a
dozen gendarmes whose horses were stamping on the terrace, was heard
without.
"I do not see Mademoiselle de Cinq-Cygne," said Corentin.
"She is probably asleep in her bedroom," said Monsieur d'Hauteserre.
"Come with me, ladies," said Corentin, turning to pass through the
ante-chamber and up the staircase, followed by Mademoiselle Goujet and
Madame d'Hauteserre. "Rely upon me," he whispered to the old lady. "I
am in your interests. I sent the mayor to warn you. Distrust my
colleague and look to me. I can save every one of you."
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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 Copy-Cat & Other Stories by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: "Truth is, before long, if you don't look out, you'll
have to pad her," said Bill; "and giants don't
amount to a row of pins after that begins."
Camille looked worried and sulky. "She ain't
very well, anyhow," said she. "I ain't going to
kill Margaret."
"It's a good thing she's got a chance to have a
night's rest in a house," said Bill Stark.
"The fat man has asked her to stay with him and
his sister while the show is here," said Jack.
"The sister invited her," said Camille, with a
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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 Ann Veronica by H. G. Wells: feverish feeling and thinking.
What was she going to do?
One main idea possessed her: she must get away from home, she
must assert herself at once or perish. "Very well," she would
say, "then I must go." To remain, she felt, was to concede
everything. And she would have to go to-morrow. It was clear it
must be to-morrow. If she delayed a day she would delay two
days, if she delayed two days she would delay a week, and after a
week things would be adjusted to submission forever. "I'll go,"
she vowed to the night, "or I'll die!" She made plans and
estimated means and resources. These and her general
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