scious of the admiration and respect which were entertained for her
by all around, and felt the dignity of her future mission.

The talent which Lady Hester was supposed to possess was put in
constant requisition by her credulous neighbors; nor was her power
ever exercised for bad purposes. She used it to calm the passions of
the violent; to induce the unjust and the oppressor to make reparation
for their wrong-doings; and put it to other good uses, of which the
following anecdote, related by herself, will furnish an example: "An
Arab suspected his wife of talking too much with strangers in his
absence, and one of his neighbors confirmed his suspicions. He went
home, proceeded to strangle the unfortunate woman, and, when she
became insensible, he dragged her to some distance, and commenced
interring her: the first heap of sand which he threw upon her recalled
sensation; she manifested symptoms of life, and he repented of his
vengeance; he brought her to me half dead; told the story of her
supposed guilt, but owned he was premature in strangling her, as he
should have first got me to consult her star, to ascertain if she
really deserved to die or not. I sent the woman to the _harem_, had
her bled, and taken care of till she recovered, and then I summoned
the man before me. 'My good friend,' said I, 'your wife's star has
been consulted; take her back in peace, and thank God you have her;
for it is written in the stars, "On vain surmises thou shalt not
strangle thy wife, neither shalt thou hearken to the slanderers of her
honor."' The man immediately held out his hand to his gentle rib; she
kissed it, and forth he walked, desiring her to follow him, with the
most perfect indifference. I asked the woman if she were afraid of
another act of violence. She calmly replied, 'Is he not my husband?
Has he not a right to kill me, if he suspects me of doing wrong?'"

Lady Hester believed in the science of astrology to the fullest
extent. She believed that we are all children of some one of the
celestial fires which presided at our birth, and of which the happy or
malignant influence is written in our eyes, on our foreheads, in our
fortunes, in the lines of our hands, in the form of our feet, in our
gesture, in our walk. She believed that, from these various elements,
she could read the character and destiny of any individual who was but
for a few moments in her presence. In accordance with her belief, she
thought that skilful astro