| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Adieu by Honore de Balzac: from the trees and lay rotting on the ground; a cow was feeding on the
lawn and treading down the flowers in the borders, while a goat
browsed on the shoots of the vines and munched the unripe grapes.
"Here all is harmony; the devastation seems organized," said the
colonel, pulling the chain of a bell; but the bell was without a
clapper.
The huntsmen heard nothing but the curiously sharp noise of a rusty
spring. Though very dilapidated, a little door made in the wall beside
the iron gates resisted all their efforts to open it.
"Well, well, this is getting to be exciting," said de Sucy to his
companion.
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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 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: "There, there, your work, you say! As if you hadn't done enough
for the peasants! Why, as 'tie, they're saying, 'Your master will
be getting some honor from the Tsar for it.' Indeed and it is a
strange thing; why need you worry about the peasants?"
"I'm not worrying about them; I'm doing it for my own good."
Agafea Mihalovna knew every detail of Levin's plans for his land.
Levin often put his views before her in all their complexity, and
not uncommonly he argued with her and did not agree with her
comments. But on this occasion she entirely misinterpreted what
he had said.
"Of one's soul's salvation we all know and must think before all
 Anna Karenina |