older and the object would be to find a suitable husband for her.
She turned to me. “And you, me ’andsome. There’s a nice fortune for ’ee, I can see.”
She had taken my hand. I was terribly afraid. Was it written there? Was she seeing the pool and that inert body … those eyes staring at us as the head disappeared?
“Naught to be frightened at, lovey. ’Tis all fair and smiling for a little lass like you. You’re going to London, too. Perhaps you’ll go with your little …” She was trying to decide on our relationship and added: “… little companion.” Then I felt that if she didn’t know who Morwenna was she would not know about the pool.
Now she turned her attention to Grace.
“Life writes as it goes along,” she said. “There’ll be more to be seen, little lady, when you be a few years older. And now, my lady, it be your turn.” She had taken Grace’s hand.
“No,” said Grace, “I don’t think …”
The gypsy was looking at her intently. “Oh, there be trouble ’ere … deep sorrow …” Grace had turned pale. The woman went on: “I can see water … water between you and what you desire …”
I felt myself go limp with apprehension. It was clear to me that she had thought the fortunes of young girls—as she regarded Morwenna and me—were not worth telling. Little did she know! I had a vague idea how this fortune-telling was done. There was a good deal of chance in it, I had no doubt, but I did believe that flashes of truth occasionally emerged; and if something really violent had happened … it might be possible to detect it. I felt that she may have seen something in my hand which she could not explain. Who would have thought that a girl of my age could be involved in such an experience; and she was transferring it to Grace.
“You will be strong,” she was saying. “You will overcome.”
The gypsy seemed a little shaken. Her eyes were fixed on Grace’s face.
Grace withdrew her hand. “Well … thank you …”
“It’s trouble … trouble … but nature made you strong. You will overcome. All will be well. You’ll find happiness in the end.”
Grace opened her purse and gave the woman money.
“Come on,” she said. “We shall be late back and that will not do.”
The gypsy was silent. She slipped the money into her pocket and sat down.
We walked away.
“We should never have stopped,” said Grace. “It was a lot of nonsense.”
“It cost a lot of money,” commented Jack. “You could have bought six slices of gingerbread and a pink pig with what you gave her.”
“It was rather silly of us,” admitted Grace. Her voice was cold and her face looked different somehow.
She might say it was a lot of nonsense but I believed the gypsy had frightened her.
I looked over my shoulder. The woman was still seated by the side of the road staring after us.
I told my mother of the encounter.
“She promised Morwenna and me that we should go to London and find rich husbands.”
“You’ll have to go up for a season, but that’s some time away. And as to the rich husband … we’ll have to wait and see.”
“I think she rather upset Miss Gilmore. She talked about some trouble.”
“One doesn’t take any notice of them.”
“Not unless they tell you something nice.”
“That’s the idea,” said my mother, smiling. “By the way, soon we shall be going to London. I’ve been talking to Grace about new clothes. She says she could make them. I wonder if she could. One doesn’t want to look countrified. What passes here might look a little dowdy in London. But I thought we might give her a try with the blue linen. It’s just the color for you.”
Grace was very anxious to try with the linen. She came to my room with some patterns which she wanted to discuss with me, and she had the blue linen with her.
She said: “I thought we’d have a little piping round the sleeves … as it is in this pattern. Don’t you think that would look nice? I think a
She turned to me. “And you, me ’andsome. There’s a nice fortune for ’ee, I can see.”
She had taken my hand. I was terribly afraid. Was it written there? Was she seeing the pool and that inert body … those eyes staring at us as the head disappeared?
“Naught to be frightened at, lovey. ’Tis all fair and smiling for a little lass like you. You’re going to London, too. Perhaps you’ll go with your little …” She was trying to decide on our relationship and added: “… little companion.” Then I felt that if she didn’t know who Morwenna was she would not know about the pool.
Now she turned her attention to Grace.
“Life writes as it goes along,” she said. “There’ll be more to be seen, little lady, when you be a few years older. And now, my lady, it be your turn.” She had taken Grace’s hand.
“No,” said Grace, “I don’t think …”
The gypsy was looking at her intently. “Oh, there be trouble ’ere … deep sorrow …” Grace had turned pale. The woman went on: “I can see water … water between you and what you desire …”
I felt myself go limp with apprehension. It was clear to me that she had thought the fortunes of young girls—as she regarded Morwenna and me—were not worth telling. Little did she know! I had a vague idea how this fortune-telling was done. There was a good deal of chance in it, I had no doubt, but I did believe that flashes of truth occasionally emerged; and if something really violent had happened … it might be possible to detect it. I felt that she may have seen something in my hand which she could not explain. Who would have thought that a girl of my age could be involved in such an experience; and she was transferring it to Grace.
“You will be strong,” she was saying. “You will overcome.”
The gypsy seemed a little shaken. Her eyes were fixed on Grace’s face.
Grace withdrew her hand. “Well … thank you …”
“It’s trouble … trouble … but nature made you strong. You will overcome. All will be well. You’ll find happiness in the end.”
Grace opened her purse and gave the woman money.
“Come on,” she said. “We shall be late back and that will not do.”
The gypsy was silent. She slipped the money into her pocket and sat down.
We walked away.
“We should never have stopped,” said Grace. “It was a lot of nonsense.”
“It cost a lot of money,” commented Jack. “You could have bought six slices of gingerbread and a pink pig with what you gave her.”
“It was rather silly of us,” admitted Grace. Her voice was cold and her face looked different somehow.
She might say it was a lot of nonsense but I believed the gypsy had frightened her.
I looked over my shoulder. The woman was still seated by the side of the road staring after us.
I told my mother of the encounter.
“She promised Morwenna and me that we should go to London and find rich husbands.”
“You’ll have to go up for a season, but that’s some time away. And as to the rich husband … we’ll have to wait and see.”
“I think she rather upset Miss Gilmore. She talked about some trouble.”
“One doesn’t take any notice of them.”
“Not unless they tell you something nice.”
“That’s the idea,” said my mother, smiling. “By the way, soon we shall be going to London. I’ve been talking to Grace about new clothes. She says she could make them. I wonder if she could. One doesn’t want to look countrified. What passes here might look a little dowdy in London. But I thought we might give her a try with the blue linen. It’s just the color for you.”
Grace was very anxious to try with the linen. She came to my room with some patterns which she wanted to discuss with me, and she had the blue linen with her.
She said: “I thought we’d have a little piping round the sleeves … as it is in this pattern. Don’t you think that would look nice? I think a
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