sessor forth as an
outcast, to die amongst strangers. To believe, in consequence, that a
Hair Bracelet had brought "ill-luck" to the mother, and to derive from
that belief the conviction that a Hair Bracelet would therefore also
bring "ill-luck" to the child, was a perfectly direct and inevitable
deductive process to Mrs. Peckover's superstitious mind. The motives
which had formerly influenced her to forbid her "little Mary" ever to
begin anything important on a Friday, or ever to imperil her prosperity
by walking under a ladder, were precisely the motives by which she
was now actuated in determining to prevent the presentation of young
Thorpe's ill-omened gift.

Although Valentine had only caught a word here and there, to guide him
to the subject of Mrs. Peckover's mutterings to herself while the
game was going on, he guessed easily enough the general tenor of her
thoughts, and suspected that she would, ere long, begin to talk louder
than was at all desirable, if Zack proceeded much further with his
present topic of conversation. Accordingly, he took advantage of a pause
in the game, and of a relapse into another restless fit of walking about
the room on young Thorpe's part, to approach his wife's couch, as if he
wanted to find something lying near it, and to whisper to her, "Stop
his talking any more about that present to Madonna; I'll tell you why
another time."

Mrs. Blyth very readily and easily complied with this injunction, by
telling Zack (with perfect truth) that she had been already a little too
much excited by the events of the evening; and that she must put off all
further listening or talking, on her part, till the next night, when she
promised to advise him about the bracelet to the best of her power.

He was, however, still too full of his subject to relinquish it easily
under no stronger influence than the influence of a polite hint. Having
lost one listener in Mrs. Blyth, he boldly tried the experiment of
inviting two others to replace her, by addressing himself to the players
at the card-table.

"I dare say you have heard what I have been talking about to Mrs.
Blyth?" he began.

"Lord, Master Zack!" said Mrs. Peckover, "do you think we haven't had
something else to do here, besides listening to you? There, now, don't
talk to us, please, till we are done, or you'll throw us out altogether.
Don't, sir, on any account, because we are playing for money--sixpence a
game."

Repelled on both sides, Za