| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost: and I agreed to enter ourselves together at St. Sulpice, he to
pursue his theological studies, and I to begin mine. His merits,
which were not unknown to the bishop of the diocese, procured him
the promise of a living from that prelate before our departure.
"My father, thinking me quite cured of my passion, made no
objection to my taking final leave. We arrived at Paris. The
Cross of Malta gave place to the ecclesiastical habit, and the
designation of the Abbe de Grieux was substituted for that of
chevalier. I applied so diligently to study, that in a few
months I had made extraordinary progress. I never lost a moment
of the day, and employed even part of the night. I soon acquired
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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 Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: and there were bags and boxes enough to have brought in a good many twopences
if they had been put outside; but you know how people do;
all that could be piled up inside on the front seat were put in
and three heavy boxes went on the top. That was sixpence,
and the fare one and sixpence; then I got a return for a shilling.
Now that makes eighteen miles for the horse and six shillings for me;
there's three shillings still for that horse to earn and nine shillings
for the afternoon horse before I touch a penny. Of course,
it is not always so bad as that, but you know it often is,
and I say 'tis a mockery to tell a man that he must not overwork his horse,
for when a beast is downright tired there's nothing but the whip
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