upon them, ever and anon she spoke strange
words, which intimated secret facts; and she spoke also of love-makings
and likings; and ever, as she spoke, she would raise her head and grin a
ghastly smile, now at the individual whose hand she was examining, and
again at a maid-servant whose fortune she had read; while the former
would smile and the latter blush, and their fellow domestics exclaim--

"That's wonderfu'!--that dings a'!--ye are queer folk! hoo in the world
do ye ken?"

Even the curiosity of Mr. Andrew Smith was raised, and his wonder
excited; and, after he had quaffed his third cup with the gipsy king,
he, too, reverentially approached the bearded princess, extending his
hand, and begging to know what futurity had in store for him.

She raised it before her eyes, she rubbed hers over it.

"It is a dark and a difficult hand," muttered she: "here are ships and
the sea, and crossing the sea, and great danger, and a way to avoid
it--but the gowd!--the gowd that's there! And yet ye may lose it a'!
Cross my loof, sir--yours is an ill hand to spae--for it's set wi'
fortune, and danger and adventure."

Andrew gave her all the money in his possession. Now it was understood
that she was to return the money and the trinkets with which her loof
had been crossed; and Andrew's curiosity overcoming his fears, he
ventured to intrust his property in her keeping; for, as he thought, it
was not every day that people could have everything that was to happen
unto them revealed. But when she had again looked upon his hand--

"It winna do," said she--"I canna see ower the danger ye hae to
encounter, the seas ye hae to cross, and the mountains o' gowd that lie
before ye yet--ye maun cross my loof again." And when, with a woful
countenance, he stated that he had crossed it with his last coin--

"Ye hae a chronometer, man," said she--"it tells you the minutes now, it
may enable me to show ye those that are to come!"

Andrew hesitated, and, with doubt and unwillingness, placed the
chronometer in her hand.

Elspeth wore a short cloak of faded crimson; and in a sort of pouch in
it, every coin, trinket, and other article of value which was put into
her hands were deposited, in order, as she stated, to forward her mystic
operations. Now, the chronometer had just disappeared in the general
receptacle of offerings to the oracle, when heavy footsteps were heard
descending the staircase leading to the hall. Poor Andrew, the ruler of