er-almanacks, the
fortune-teller's announcements are only right BY CHANCE, and wrong ON
PRINCIPLE.

FORTUNE-TELLING FORTY YEARS AGO, OR, THE STORY OF MARTHA CARNABY.

A certain Martha Carnaby, a tidy but rather 'unsettled' servant girl,
some forty years ago went to an old fortune-teller, to have her fortune
told, and the doings on both sides came out as follows, before the
magistrate at the Bow Street police-court. The fortune-teller was
'had up,' as usual, 'for obtaining money and other valuables' from the
former.

Miss Martha Carnaby said that this celebrated old fortune-teller had
first gained her acquaintance by attending at her master's house,
before the family had risen, and urging her to have her fortune told.
At length, after much persuasion, she consented; but the fortune-teller
told her that before the secrets of her future destiny were revealed,
she must deposit in her hands some little token, TO BIND THE CHARM,
which the old lady said she would invoke the same evening--'if I would
call at her lodgings, and also cast my nativity by her cards, and tell
me every particular of the future progress of my life. I accordingly
gave her what money I had; but that, she told me, was not enough to buy
the ingredients with which she was to compose the charm. I at length
gave her four silver teaspoons and two tablespoons, which she put
carefully in her pocket; and then asked me to let her look at my hand,
which I showed her. She told me there were many lines in it which
clearly indicated great wealth and happiness; and, after telling her my
name was Martha Carnaby, she took her departure, and I agreed to meet
her at her lodgings the same evening. Agreeably to her directions, I
dressed myself in as fashionable a manner as I could, because I WAS TO
SEE MY SWEETHEART THROUGH A MIRROR, AND HE WAS TO SEE ME.'

The poor deluded creature then stated that she attended punctually at
the hour appointed, at the old lady's sanctum, and seating herself upon
an old chair, beheld with astonishment quite as much as she bargained
for. 'I felt myself,' said poor Martha, 'on entering the room, all of a
twitter. The old woman was seated in her chair of state, and, reaching
down from the mantel-piece a pack of cards, began, after muttering a few
words in a language I could not understand, to lay them very carefully
in her lap; she then foretold that I should get married, but not to the
person in our house, as I expected, but to another you