The woman came to me, and took my hand. O! said she, I cannot tell your
fortune: your hand is so white and fine, I cannot see the lines: but,
said she, and, stooping, pulled up a little tuft of grass, I have a way
for that; and so rubbed my hand with the mould part of the tuft: Now,
said she, I can see the lines.

Mrs. Jewkes was very watchful of all her ways, and took the tuft, and
looked upon it, lest any thing should be in that. And then the woman
said, Here is the line of Jupiter crossing the line of life; and
Mars--Odd! my pretty mistress, said she, you had best take care of
yourself; for you are hard beset, I'll assure you. You will never be
married, I can see; and will die of your first child. Out upon thee,
woman! said I, better thou hadst never come here.

Said Mrs. Jewkes, whispering, I don't like this: it looks like a cheat:
Pray, Mrs. Pamela, go in, this moment. So I will, said I; for I have
enough of fortune-telling. And in I went.

The woman wanted sadly to tell me more, which made Mrs. Jewkes threaten
her, suspecting still the more; and away the woman went, having told Nan
her fortune, and she would be drowned.

This thing ran strongly in all our heads; and we went, an hour after, to
see if the woman was lurking about, and took Mr. Colbrand for our guard.
Looking through the iron gate, he spied a man sauntering about the
middle of the walk; which filled Mrs. Jewkes with still more suspicions;
and she said, Mr. Colbrand, you and I will walk towards this fellow, and
see what he saunters there for: And, Nan, do you and madam stay at the
gate.

So they opened the iron gate and walked down towards the man; and
guessing the woman, if employed, must mean something by the tuft of
grass, I cast my eye that way, whence she pulled it, and saw more grass
seemingly pulled up: then I doubted not something was there for me; and
I walked to it, and standing over it, said to Nan, That's a pretty sort
of wild flower, that grows yonder, near the elm, the fifth from us on
the left; pray pull it for me. Said she, It is a common weed. Well, said
I, but pull it for me; there are sometimes beautiful colours in a weed.

While she went on, I stooped, and pulled up a good handful of the grass,
and in it a bit of paper, which I put instantly in my bosom, and dropt
the grass: and my heart went pit-a-pat at the odd adventure. Said I,
Let's go in, Mrs. Anne. No, said she, we must stay till Mrs. Jewkes
comes.

I was all impat