HOW TO READ YOUR FORTUNE BY THE WHITE OF AN EGG.
Break a new-laid egg, and, carefully separating the yolk from the white, drop the latter into a large tumbler half full of water; place this, uncovered, in some dry place and let it remain untouched for four-and-twenty hours, by which time the white of the egg will have formed itself into various figures—rounds, squares, ovals, animals, trees, crosses, &c.—which are to be interpreted in the same manner as those formed by the coffee-grounds. Of course, the more whites there are in the glass, the more figures there will be. This is a very pretty experiment, and much practised by the young Scotch maidens, who, however, believe it to have more efficacy when tried on either Midsummer Eve or Hallowe’en (31st October).
HOW TO WRITE LOVE-LETTERS SECRETLY, SO THAT THEY MAY NOT BE DISCOVERED.
Take a sheet of white paper and double it in the middle, and cut holes through both the half sheets; let the holes be cut like a pane of glass, or other forms that you may fancy; then with a pin prick two little holes at each end and cut your paper in two halves; give one half to your friend to whom you intend to write, lay your cut paper upon a half sheet of writing paper, and stick two pins in these holes so that it cannot stir; then, through these holes that you cut, write your mind to your friend. When you have done, take off your paper holes again, and then write some other idle words, both before and after your lines, but if they were written to make some little sense, it would carry the less suspicion; then seal it up and send it. When your friend has received it, he must lay his paper on the same, putting pins into the pin-holes, and then he can read nothing but your mind that you write, for all the rest of the lines are covered.
Another.—Write what you please of a letter on one side of a sheet of letter paper with common ink; then turn your paper and write on the other side with milk that which you would have secret, and let it dry; but this must be written with a clean pen. Now, when you read it, you must hold that side which is written with ink to the fire, and the milky letters will then show bluish on the other side.
THE SILENT LANGUAGE.
HOW TO CONVERSE WITH ANY PERSON WITHOUT SPEAKING A WORD.
This art is performed on your hands and fingers, by the twenty-four letters of the alphabet, which, having learned, you must spell the words you intend your friend should know. The letters are very easily learned and as easily remembered. You must understand that most of the letters are upon the left hand and made with the fingers of the right and left hand; the forefinger of your right hand you point to every letter, but sometimes that and the two next fingers make several letters. The vowels are very easy to remember, they being the tops or ends of your five fingers on your left hand, and Y is formed in the palm of your left hand, thus:
| The end of the thumb is | A |
| The end of the fore finger | E |
| The end of the middle finger | I |
| The end of the ring finger | O |
| The end of the little finger | U |
| The table, or palm of the hand | Y |
| One finger on the left thumb | B |
| Two fingers on the left thumb | C |
| Three fingers on the left thumb | D |
| Your two fingers laid together | F |
| Thumb, your fists together | G |
| Stroke the palm of both hands together | H |
| Your fore finger upon the left wrist | K |
| One finger on the back of the left hand | L |
| Three fingers on the same | M |
| Two fingers on the same | N |
| Clench your left hand, or fist | O |
| Clench your right hand | P |
| Link your little fingers together | Q |
| The backs of your hands together | R |
| The end of your fore finger to the middle joint of the other fore finger | S |
| Two fingers upon the little finger of the left hand | T |
| Two fingers across | X |
| Give two snaps with your fingers | Z |