Part 38 (1/2)

”No, no!” said Miss Patty, checking the gipsy in her bounteous pro me sketch you, but I won't have my fortune told I know it already; at least as much as I care to know” A speech which Mr Verdant Green interpreted thus: Frederick Delaval has proposed, and has been accepted

”Pray don't let me keep you from the rest of the party,” said Miss Patty to our hero, while the gipsy shot out fraget on very well by ht Verdant ”I dare say her cousin is co back to her” But he said, ”At any rate let one on with the rest, like a polite man The Miss Maxwells and their cousins were all by themselves”

”But ~you~ are all by ~yourself~” and, by your own showing, I ought to provewith you”

”I suppose that is Oxford logic,” said Miss Patty, as she went on with her sketch of the two gipsy children ”I wish these small persons would stand quiet Put your hands on your stick, my boy, and not before your face - But there are the Miss Morkins, with one gentleman for the two; and I dare say you would much rather be with Miss Eleonora Noouldn't you?” and the young lady, as she rapidly sketched the figures before her, stole a sly look at the enaentleman by her side, who forthwith protested, in an excited and confused manner, that he would rather stand near her for one minute than walk and talk for a whole day with the Miss Morkins; and then, havingavowal, he timidly blushed, and retired within himself

”Oh yes! I dare say,” said Miss Patty; ”but I don't believe in compliments If you choose to victimize yourself by

[268 ADVENTURES OF MR VERDANT GREEN]

staying here, of course you can do so - Look at htened; I shan't eat you - And perhaps you can be useful I want soures; and if they were literally washed in it, it would be very e, wouldn't it?”

Of course it would; and of course Mr Verdant Green was delighted to obey the coht, as he dipped the little can of water into the spring ”I dare say it is because she and her cousin Frederick have co”

”If you are anxious to hear a fortune told,” said Miss Patty, ”here is the old gipsy co back to us, and you had better let her tell yours”

”I am afraid that I know it”

”And do you like the prospect of it?”

”Not at all!” and as he said this Mr Verdant Green's countenance fell Singularly enough, a shade of sadness also stole over Miss Patty's sunny face What could he reeable silence was broken by the gipsyMiss Patty's request

”You had better let her tell you your fortune,” said the young lady; ”perhaps it may be an improvement on what you expected And I shall be able to make a better sketch of her in her true character of a fortune-teller”

Then, like as Martivalle inspected Quentin Durward's pal to the form of the mystic arts which he practised, so the swarthy prophetess opened her Book of Fate, and favoured Mr Verdant Green with choice extracts fro right to have shone upon hi lady, with a heart as full of love as a po, in pretty exact colours, a lively portraiture of Miss Patty, which was no very difficult task, while the fair original was close at hand; nevertheless, the infatuated pretty gentlean to think that the practice and knowledge of the occult sciences may, after all, have been handed down to the yptians He was still further iipsy proceeded to tell hiranate-hearted young lady, but that his path of true love was crossed by a rival - a dark man

Frederick Delaval! This is really ht Mr

Verdant Green, as not familiar with a fortune-teller's stock in trade; and he waited with so of his fate

[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 269]

The cunning gipsy saw this, and broadly hinted that another piece of silver placed upon the junction of two cross lines in the <vg269jpg> pretty gentleht palm would materially propitiate the stars, and assist in the happy solution of his fortune When the hint had been taken she pursued her ro-up comprehended the triumph of Mr Verdant Green, the defeat of the dark ranate-hearted young lady, a yellow carriage and four white horses with long tails, and, last but certainly not least, a family of twelve children: at which childish terhed, and asked our hero if that was the fate that he had dreaded?

Her sketch being concluded, she remunerated her models so munificently as to dran upon her head a rapid series of the s she had ever heard, under cover of which she effected her escape, and proceeded with her companion to rejoin the others They were not very far in advance The gipsies had beset theress, and had made no small number of them yield to their importunities to cross their hands with silver When the various members of the pic-nic party afterwards came to compare notes as to the fortunes that had been told them, it was discovered that a reh their destinies were greatly influenced by the a the hand; and it was observable that the number of children pro-scale of pay rewarded with the assurance of the largest families It was also discovered that the description of the favoured lover was invariably the verbal delineation of the lady or gentle with the person whose fortune was being told - a prophetic discriood security of being correct in more than one case, and in the other cases there was the

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chance of the prophecy co true, however improbable present events would appear Thus, Miss Eleonora Morkin received, and was perfectly satisfied with, a description of Mr Poletiss; while Miss Letitia Jane Morkin was entleman; until the two sisters had compared notes, when they discovered that the same husband had been promised to both of them - which by no means improved their sororal amiability

As Verdant walked up the hill with Miss Patty, he thought very seriously on his feelings towards her, and pondered what ard to hied to her cousin Frederick All her little looks, and acts, and words to himself, he could construe as the irl If she was inclined to a little flirtation, there was then an additional reason for her notice of hiht that she was of far too noble a disposition to lead hiht not wish to, return; and that she would not have said and done s that he fondly recalled, unless she had chosen to show hi ascended to the heights of happiness by this thought, Verdant ied fro to s that she had said and done in connection with her cousin; and he again forced himself into the conviction that in Frederick Delaval he had a rival, and, as more, a successful one He determined, before the day was over, to end his tortures of suspense by putting to Miss Patty the plain question whether or no she was engaged to her cousin, and to trust to her kindness to forgive the question if it was an impertinent one He was unable to do this for the present, partly frohbourhood of others of the party; but he concocted several sentences that see about the desired result