And look, where are her own
thoughts, represented by the knave of clubs; they are far away
with the old lover, that dark man (king of spades) who, as is
plainly shown by his being attended by the nine of diamonds, is
prospering at the Australian diggings or elsewhere. Let us
shuffle the cards once more, and see if the dark man, at the
distant diggings, ever thinks of his old flame, the club-
complexioned young lady in England. No! he does not. Here are
his thoughts (the knave of spades), directed to this fair, but
rather gay and coquettish, woman (the queen of diamonds); they
are separated but by a few hearts, one of them, the sixth
(honourable courtship), showing the excellent understanding that
exists between them. Count, now, from the six of hearts to the
ninth card from it, and lo! it is a wedding ring (the ace of
diamonds); they will be married before the expiration of a
twelvemonth.'
Such is the scheme of fortune-telling by cards, as propounded in
the learned disquisitions of the adepts, and Betty, or Martha, or
her mistress can consult them by themselves according to the
established method--without exposing themselves to the
extortionate cunning of the wandering gipsies or the permanent
crone of the city or village.
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