ortant services; take care that you lose it
not. It has even saved your life. Yes," she continued, after closely
examining the palm of his left hand; "your life has been attempted three
separate times lately. You have two sisters living; one of them is
happily married and lives in comfort in an eastern State; the other
married a sea-captain, but she does not live with her husband. She is
with you, and is in poor health. Why! is it possible!" she exclaimed,
suddenly. "It was your sister who made the attempt on your life! You may
not suspect that your young and charming sister, whom you so deeply
love, could have been guilty of such an act; but, unless my powers have
failed me so that I cannot read the stars aright, such is the fact.
Wait; lest I should have made a mistake, I will try again. It seems too
horrible to be believed."

The Captain had buried his face in his hands; but now he looked up and
said:

"It is unnecessary to try again; you are right. I see that you are one
of the gifted ones of this world, and I wish you to tell me all; I can
bear it."

Lucille continued her examination of the Captain's hand as she went on
speaking:

"Your sister still has the same kind of poison with her which she used
before. She does not intend to use it herself--she has no motive for
committing suicide; but she may intend to give it to you again. You must
be careful, for that is your greatest danger. Your principal trouble for
some time has been caused by that sister. She no longer loves her
husband, who has wholly disappeared from your knowledge, and she
professes to believe that he is dead. This is not the case, however: he
is now in command of an English whaling ship in the South Sea, and he
will soon return to England."

At this, the Captain sprang up in a whirl of excitement and joy. In
relating the story to me the next day, he said that he felt like taking
Lucille in his arms and giving her a genuine sailor hug; but she looked
so fierce and wicked that he got the idea that she was a genuine witch;
and he was afraid that her beautiful white hands would turn into claws,
and that she would soon make a meal of him, if she felt so disposed.

When he sat down again, Lucille again scanned the chart and compared it
with his hand. She seemed very much disturbed at the revelations, and,
at length, she said:

"Your troubles are so closely interwoven with those of your sister that
I cannot separate them; but I never saw a horos