| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Captain Stormfield by Mark Twain: "No, but I ain't. I stay the same age I was when I come."
"Well," says I, "come to think, there's something just here that I
want to ask about. Down below, I always had an idea that in heaven
we would all be young, and bright, and spry."
"Well, you can be young if you want to. You've only got to wish."
"Well, then, why didn't you wish?"
"I did. They all do. You'll try it, some day, like enough; but
you'll get tired of the change pretty soon."
"Why?"
"Well, I'll tell you. Now you've always been a sailor; did you
ever try some other business?"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Finished by H. Rider Haggard: to me certain words which I thought I alone had heard come from
the lips of her who is dead. Also she gave me a strange message
from another who is dead, referring to a matter which I believed
was known only to me and that other. Yet Zikali is very clever
and may have learned these things in some way unguessed by me,
and what he has learned, others may have learned also. King and
Councillors, I do not think that what we saw was the spirit of
Mameena. I think it a woman not unlike to her who had been
taught her lesson. I have nothing more to say, and therefore I
pray you not to ask me any further questions about Mameena of
whose name I grow weary."
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