| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: the sea-wall there curves for miles in a vast and
regular sweep the barren beach of shingle, with the
village of Brenzett standing out darkly across the
water, a spire in a clump of trees; and still further
out the perpendicular column of a lighthouse, look-
ing in the distance no bigger than a lead pencil,
marks the vanishing-point of the land. The coun-
try at the back of Brenzett is low and flat, but the
bay is fairly well sheltered from the seas, and occa-
sionally a big ship, windbound or through stress
of weather, makes use of the anchoring ground a
 Amy Foster |
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 The Call of the Canyon by Zane Grey: She was to learn that misery, as well as bliss, can swallow up the hours.
She saw the monotony of cedar trees, but with blurred eyes; she saw the
ground clearly enough, for she was always looking down, hoping for sandy
places or rocky places where her mustang could not trot.
At noon the cavalcade ahead halted near a cabin and corral, which turned
out to be a sheep ranch belonging to Hutter. Here Glenn was so busy that he
had no time to devote to Carley. And Flo, who was more at home on a horse
than on the ground, rode around everywhere with the men. Most assuredly
Carley could not pass by the chance to get off Spillbeans and to walk a
little. She found, however, that what she wanted most was to rest. The
cabin was deserted, a dark, damp place with a rank odor. She did not stay
 The Call of the Canyon |