Anna Karenina

In the middle of July the elder of the village on Levin's sister's estate, about fifteen miles from Pokrovskoe, came to Levin to report on how things were going there and on the hay." Levin manages his sister's estate too. "The chief source of income on his sister's estate was from the riverside meadows. In former years the hay had been bought by the peasants for twenty roubles the three acres. When Levin took over the management of the estate, he thought on examining the grasslands that they were worth more, and he fixed the price at twenty-five roubles the three acres. The peasants would not give that price, and, as Levin suspected, kept off other purchasers." Levin raised prices, and the peasants are boycotting him. "Then Levin had driven over himself, and arranged to have the grass cut, partly by hired labor, partly at a payment of a certain proportion of the crop. His own peasants pu" -t up resistance to his reforms. This is typical of Levin's agricultural experiments - good theory but conflict with peasants. The chapter describes the hay harvest. Levin observes a young newly-married couple working together: "As she raked together what was left of the hay, the young wife shook off the bits of hay that had fallen on her neck, and straightening the red kerchief that had dropped forward over her white brow, not browned like her face by the sun, she crept under the cart to tie up the load. Ivan directed her how to fasten the cord to the cross-piece, and at something she said he laughed aloud. In the expressions of both faces was to be seen vigorous, young, freshly awakened love." Levin sees a beautiful image of young married love - the couple working together, laughing, obviously in love. This vision of happy marriage, coming after his conversation about Kitty, reminds him of what he wants and doesn't have.