| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Market-Place by Harold Frederic: instead? With such a slug-like, patient, tenacious fool,
was that not more likely?
Reasonable arguments presented themselves to his mind
ever and again: his wife had known of Gafferson's work,
and thought highly of it, and had been in a position
to learn of his leaving Hadlow. What more natural than
that she should hasten to employ him? And what was it,
after all, that Gafferson could possibly know or prove? His
brother-in-law had gone off, and got too drunk to live,
and had died. What in the name of all that was sensible
had this to do with Thorpe? Why should it even be supposed
The Market-Place |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: 'Then I will give you another,' I answered, with a hiccough.
'Perhaps it will be more to your taste. Here is the Duke of
Orleans, and may he soon be King!'
CHAPTER III
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD
Words so reckless fairly shook the three men out of their anger.
For a moment they glared at me as if they had seen a ghost. Then
the wine merchant clapped his hand on the table.
'That is enough,' he said, with a look at his companions. 'I
think that there can be no mistake about that. As damnable
treason as ever I heard whispered! I congratulate you, sir, on
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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 Dust by Mr. And Mrs. Haldeman-Julius: a red, red rose of Sharon--with your dove's eyes, your little
white teeth like a flock of even sheep and your sweet, pretty
lips like a thread of scarlet."
"Why, Uncle Martin!" exclaimed the girl, a trifle puzzled by the
intensity of his quiet tone, and stressing their relationship
ever so lightly. "You're almost a poet."
"You mean old King Solomon was," he retrieved himself quickly.
"Don't you ever read the Bible?"
"I didn't know you did!"
"Oh, your old Uncle reads a little of everything," he returned
with a reassuring commonplaceness of manner. He was thunderstruck
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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 Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: the hand, which compels her to look out for the vehicles; she is a
mother in public, and talks to her daughter; she carries money in her
bag, and has open-work stockings on her feet; in winter, she wears a
boa over her fur cloak; in summer, a shawl and a scarf; she is
accomplished in the redundancies of dress.
"You will meet the fair Unknown again at the Italiens, at the Opera,
at a ball. She will then appear under such a different aspect that you
would think them two beings devoid of any analogy. The woman has
emerged from those mysterious garments like a butterfly from its silky
cocoon. She serves up, like some rare dainty, to your lavished eyes,
the forms which her bodice scarcely revealed in the morning. At the
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