| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert: beneath his head. Matho at last was touched by these attentions, and
by degrees unlocked his lips.
He had been born in the gulf of Syrtis. His father had taken him on a
pilgrimage to the temple of Ammon. Then he had hunted elephants in the
forests of the Garamantes. Afterwards he had entered the service of
Carthage. He had been appointed tetrarch at the capture of Drepanum.
The Republic owed him four horses, twenty-three medimni of wheat, and
a winter's pay. He feared the gods, and wished to die in his native
land.
Spendius spoke to him of his travels, and of the peoples and temples
that he had visited. He knew many things: he could make sandals, boar-
Salammbo |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: missed nothing, demanded: "Whuzzamatter, hey? Heard of him?"
And Jurgis managed to stammer out: "I have worked for him in the
yards."
"What!" cried Master Freddie, with a yell. "You! In the yards?
Ho, ho! Why, say, thass good! Shake hands on it, ole man--by
Harry! Guv'ner ought to be here--glad to see you. Great fren's
with the men, guv'ner--labor an' capital, commun'ty 'f int'rests,
an' all that--hic! Funny things happen in this world, don't
they, ole man? Hamilton, lemme interduce you--fren' the
family--ole fren' the guv'ner's--works in the yards. Come to
spend the night wiz me, Hamilton--have a hot time. Me fren',
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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 The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield: favour, while she...Ah!...He stopped dead, folded his arms, and leaned hard
against the chest of drawers.
And in spite of her position, her father's wealth, the fact that she was an
only child and far and away the most popular girl in the neighbourhood; in
spite of her beauty and her cleverness--cleverness!--it was a great deal
more than that, there was really nothing she couldn't do; he fully
believed, had it been necessary, she would have been a genius at anything--
in spite of the fact that her parents adored her, and she them, and they'd
as soon let her go all that way as...In spite of every single thing you
could think of, so terrific was his love that he couldn't help hoping.
Well, was it hope? Or was this queer, timid longing to have the chance of
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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 Where There's A Will by Mary Roberts Rinehart: her, she had to put on black. But she used to shut herself up in
her room in the evenings and deck out for Mr. Sam in her best
things. We found it out one evening when Mrs. Biggs set fire to
her bureau cover with her alcohol curling-iron heater, and Mrs.
Sam, who had been going around in a black crepe dress all day,
rushed out in pink satin with crystal trimming, and slippers with
cut-glass heels.
After the first rubber Mrs. Van Alstyne threw her cards on the
floor and said another day like this would finish her.
"Surely Dick is able to come now," she said, like a peevish
child. "Didn't he say the swelling was all gone?"
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