| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy: expectation of something terrible, and I rang. The servant, a
good, industrious, and very stupid being, named Gregor, opened
the door. The first thing that leaped to my eyes in the hall, on
the hat-stand, among other garments, was an overcoat. I ought to
have been astonished, but I was not astonished. I expected it.
'That's it!' I said to myself.
"When I had asked Gregor who was there, and he had named
Troukhatchevsky, I inquired whether there were other visitors.
He answered: 'Nobody.' I remember the air with which he said
that, with a tone that was intended to give me pleasure, and
dissipate my doubts. 'That's it! that's it!' I had the air of
The Kreutzer Sonata |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: have had numerous robberies in our neighborhood, and the apartment
house two blocks from us has had a regular epidemic of sneak
thieves."
The coroner waited until Dr. Mayo, who had been writing with
feverish haste, had picked up a fresh sheet of paper before
resuming his examination.
"You accompanied your sister to the police court," he said. "Did
you see the burglar there?"
"Yes."
"Did you realize his identity in the court room?"
"No. I only awoke to - to the situation when I saw him lying dead
The Red Seal |
