e son of the widow,
entered the room, ran up to Amine and kissed her. "Tell me, Pedro,
where is your mother."

"She is gone out to see her friends this evening, and we are alone. I
will stay with you."

"Do so, dearest. Tell me, Pedro, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, I will--tell it me."

"Nay, I have nothing to tell, but I wish to do something: I wish to make
a play, and you shall see things in your hand."

"Oh! yes, show me, do show me."

"If you promise not to tell."

"No, by the Holy Virgin, I will not."

"Then you shall see."

Amine lighted some charcoal in a chafing-dish, and put it at her feet;
she then took a reed pen, some ink from a small bottle, and a pair of
scissors, and wrote down several characters on a paper singing, or
rather chanting, words which were not intelligible to her young
companion. Amine then threw frankincense and coriander seed into the
chafing-dish, which threw out a strong aromatic smoke; and desiring
Pedro to sit down by her on a small stool, she took the boy's right hand
and held it in her own. She then drew upon the palm of his hand a
square figure with characters on each side of it, and in the centre
poured a small quantity of the ink, so as to form a black mirror of the
size of half a crown.

"Now all is ready," said Amine; "look, Pedro, what see you in the ink?"

"My own face," replied the boy.

She threw more frankincense upon the chafing-dish, until the room was
full of smoke, and then chaunted:--

"Turshoon, turyo-shoon--come down, come down.

"Be present, ye servants of these names.

"Remove the veil, and be correct."

The characters she had drawn upon the paper, she had divided with the
scissors, and now taking one of the pieces, she dropped it into the
chafing-dish still holding the boy's hand.

"Tell me now, Pedro, what do you see?"

"I see a man sweeping," replied Pedro, alarmed.

"Fear not, Pedro, you shall see more. Has he done sweeping?"

"Yes, he has."

And Amine muttered words, which were unintelligible, and threw into the
chafing-dish the other half of the paper with the characters she had
written down. "Say now, Pedro, `Philip Vanderdecken, appear.'"

"Philip Vanderdecken appear!" responded the boy, trembling.

"Tell me what thou seest, Pedro--tell me true?" said Amine anxiously.

"I see a man lying down on the white sand--(I don't like this play)."

"Be not alarmed, Pedro, you shall have sweetmeats directly. Tell me
what thou s