| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Octopus by Frank Norris: The order of the meeting was broken up, neglected; Magnus did not
even pretend to preside. In the growing excitement over the
inexplicable schedule, routine was not thought of. Every one
spoke at will.
"Why, Lyman," demanded Magnus, looking across the table to his
son, "is this schedule correct? You have not cut rates in the
San Joaquin at all. We--these gentlemen here and myself, we are
no better off than we were before we secured your election as
commissioner."
"We were pledged to make an average ten per cent. cut, sir----"
"It IS an average ten per cent. cut," cried Osterman. "Oh, yes,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: "He began by being a pleasantly dull boy. He developed into a
pointlessly clever young man, without, I suspect, ever trying to
understand anything. My daughter knew him from childhood. I am a
busy man, and I confess that their engagement was a complete
surprise to me. I wish their reasons for that step had been more
naive. But simplicity was out of fashion in their set. From a
worldly point of view he seems to have been a mere baby. Of
course, now, I am assured that he is the victim of his noble
confidence in the rectitude of his kind. But that's mere
idealising of a sad reality. For my part I will tell you that from
the very beginning I had the gravest doubts of his dishonesty.
 Within the Tides |