fling itself flat on its back and
scream in agony of fear, he informed the Madame with mock
deference that he would not wait any longer. He was then attended
to the door by the bellicose maiden, who seemed to have fathomed
his deep dealings with the infuriate infant, and to be desirous
of giving him bloody battle in the hall, but as he had remarked
that she had a rolling-pin hidden under her apron, and as he was
somewhat awed by the sanguinary look of her dish-cloth, he choked
down his blood-thirstiness and ingloriously retreated.

CHAPTER III.

Wherein are related divers strange things of Madame Bruce, the
"Mysterious Veiled Lady," of No. 513 Broome Street.

CHAPTER III.

MADAME BRUCE, "THE MYSTERIOUS VEILED LADY," No. 513 BROOME
STREET.

The woman who assumes the title of "The Mysterious Veiled Lady,"
is much younger in the Black Art trade than Madame Prewster, and
has only been publicly known as a "Fortune-Teller" for about six
years. The mysterious veil is assumed partly for the very
mystery's sake, and partly to hide a countenance which some of
her visitors might desire to identify on after occasions. She
confines herself more exclusively to telling fortunes than do
many of the others, and has never yet made her appearance in a
Police Court to answer to an accusation of a grave crime. She has
many customers, and might have a respectable account at the bank
if she were disposed to commit her moneys to the care of those
careful institutions.

It may be mentioned here, however, as a curious fact, that
although all the "witches" profess to be able to "tell lucky
numbers," and will at any time give a paying customer the exact
figures which they are willing to prophesy will draw the capital
prize in any given lottery, their skill invariably fails them
when they undertake to do anything in the wheel-of-fortune way on
their own individual behalf. No one of the professional
fortune-tellers was ever known to draw a rich prize in a lottery,
or to make a particularly lucky "hit" on a policy number,
notwithstanding the fact that most of them make large investments
in those uncertain financial speculations. Madame Bruce is no
exception to this general rule, and the propinquity of the
"lottery agency" and the "policy-shop," just round the corner,
must be accepted in explanation of the fact that this gifted lady
has no balance in her favor at the banker's.

The quality of her magic and other interesting f