| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: in consequence of which, as the day declined, I had arranged
with Mrs. Grose that, should the evening show improvement,
we would attend together the late service. The rain happily stopped,
and I prepared for our walk, which, through the park and by the
good road to the village, would be a matter of twenty minutes.
Coming downstairs to meet my colleague in the hall, I remembered a pair
of gloves that had required three stitches and that had received them--
with a publicity perhaps not edifying--while I sat with the children
at their tea, served on Sundays, by exception, in that cold,
clean temple of mahogany and brass, the "grown-up" dining room.
The gloves had been dropped there, and I turned in to recover them.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: his deeds,--or on Dulcinea's name, in shedding lustre upon them, than my
father had on those of Trismegistus or Archimedes, on the one hand--or of
Nyky and Simkin on the other. How many Caesars and Pompeys, he would say,
by mere inspiration of the names, have been rendered worthy of them? And
how many, he would add, are there, who might have done exceeding well in
the world, had not their characters and spirits been totally depressed and
Nicodemus'd into nothing?
I see plainly, Sir, by your looks, (or as the case happened) my father
would say--that you do not heartily subscribe to this opinion of mine,--
which, to those, he would add, who have not carefully sifted it to the
bottom,--I own has an air more of fancy than of solid reasoning in it;--and
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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 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: saying to herself that if she were to whisper the faintest yes, if
she were but to sigh lightly her consent, he would do it. He was
capable of doing it - without touching the earth. She closed her
eyes and smiled in the dark, abandoning herself in a delightful
giddiness, for an instant, to his encircling arm. But before he
could be tempted to tighten his grasp she was out of it, a foot
away from him and in full possession of herself.
That was the steady Freya. She was touched by the deep sigh which
floated up to her from the white figure of Jasper, who did not
stir.
"You are a mad kid," she said tremulously. Then with a change of
'Twixt Land & Sea |
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 Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: across the plain at the sand and the low karoo-bushes, with the moonlight
on them.
Presently, there came slowly, from far away, a wild springbuck. It came
close to the house, and stood looking at it in wonder, while the moonlight
glinted on its horns, and in its great eyes. It stood wondering at the red
brick walls, and the girl watched it. Then, suddenly, as if it scorned it
all, it curved its beautiful back and turned; and away it fled over the
bushes and sand, like a sheeny streak of white lightning. She stood up to
watch it. So free, so free! Away, away! She watched, till she could see
it no more on the wide plain.
Her heart swelled, larger, larger, larger: she uttered a low cry; and
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