| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: I tell you, Monsieur le Comte, prostitutes, when they write letters,
assume a style of sentiment; well, sir, fine ladies, who are
accustomed to style and sentiment all day long, write as prostitutes
behave. Philosophers may know the reasons for this contrariness. I do
not care to seek them. Woman is an inferior animal; she is ruled by
her instincts. To my mind a woman has no beauty who is not like a man.
"So your smart duchesses, who are men in brains only, write
masterpieces. Oh! they are splendid from beginning to end, like
Piron's famous ode!----"
"Indeed!"
"Would you like to see them?" said Jacques Collin, with a laugh.
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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 Pocket Diary Found in the Snow by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: was a pedantically careful person - smoothed his hair and sat down
comfortably at the table. Just as he took up the little book, the
attendant brought the tea, which he proceeded at once to enjoy. He
did not take up his little book again until he had lit himself a
cigar. He looked at the cover of the dainty little notebook for
many minutes before he opened it. It was a couple of inches long,
of the usual form, and had a cover of brown leather. In the left
upper corner were the letters A. L. in gold. The leaves of the
book, about fifty in all, were of a fine quality of paper and
covered with close writing. On the first leaves the writing was
fine and delicate, calm and orderly, but later on it was irregular
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