| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: "Marguerite Turquet."
"That letter," thought Thaddeus, shouting with laughter, "is worth the
ten thousand francs I have spent upon her."
III
Clementine came home the next day, and the day after that Paz beheld
her again, more beautiful and graceful than ever. After dinner, during
which the countess treated Paz with an air of perfect indifference, a
little scene took place in the salon between the count and his wife
when Thaddeus had left them. On pretence of asking Adam's advice,
Thaddeus had left Malaga's letter with him, as if by mistake.
"Poor Thaddeus!" said Adam, as Paz disappeared, "what a misfortune for
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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 The Village Rector by Honore de Balzac: birds never flew. The plain of Montegnac was at least pebbly or sandy;
on it were places where a few inches of soil did give a foothold for
the roots of certain plains; but here the ungrateful chalk, neither
stone nor earth, repelled even the eye, which was forced to turn for
relief to the blue of the ether.
After examining the bounds of her forest and the meadows purchased by
her husband, Veronique returned toward the outlet of the Gabou, but
slowly. She then saw Farrabesche gazing into a sort of ditch which
looked like one a speculator might have dug into this desolate corner
of the earth expecting Nature to give up some hidden treasure.
"What is the matter?" asked Veronique, noticing on that manly face an
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