ring the evening.

Agnes arranged some impromptu charades: one on _Ingratiate_ (in grey
she ate); another on _Cowhiding_ (cow hiding, in which she personated
a milk-maid calling "Co boss, co boss!" and afterwards the same maid
cowhiding a boy for hiding her cow). Agnes selected Tommy Toby to
assist her in this last amusing tableau.

Agnes next appeared as a mind-reader. Before this last role, however,
she was observed having a confidential chat with Tommy Toby.

"Now," said she, "if any of you are interested in clairvoyance, I
shall be pleased to give an exhibition of the science. You may not
know I am a mind-reader."

"She probably has been reading Master Toby's mind already," said her
father, smilingly looking over his paper.

"Oh, father!"

"If each of you will write a word on a slip of paper, I will have the
slips collected and put on my forehead; and I will take them from my
forehead one by one, but before I take each one down, I will tell what
is written upon it."

All wrote some word.

"Will some one collect the slips?" she asked.

"I will," said her father.

"I think as Thomas Toby is _spry_, I shall have to ask him to do me
the favor."

"How I wish I were _spry_!" said her father.

The slips were collected. Tommy put them all on her forehead. She put
up her fingers and held them there, and Tommy took a seat with his
friends.

Agnes seemed in reverie. Then she said emphatically,--

"On the first slip is written 'Boston!' Who wrote that?"

"I," said Tommy Toby.

"Then it is correct?"

"Yes."

She took the slip from her forehead and laid it in her lap, saying as
she did so,--

"It is not written very plainly, either."

So one by one she read all the slips. Each passenger acknowledged the
writing of each announced word, after it had been correctly given by
Agnes. First, the correct readings awakened wonder, then positive
excitement. The experiment was repeated at the request of all, with
the same wonderful result.

The diversion was reproduced on the following evening, and even Master
Lewis failed to see how the girl read the slips. It was noticed,
however, that Tommy Toby always collected the slips, and acknowledged
writing the first word. Agnes also examined each slip closely as she
took it down, as if to verify the results of her very penetrating
mind.

[Illustration: JOAN OF ARC.]

The secret of the trick was that Tommy always placed what he had
written at the bottom of the sli