Katharine, still a little in awe of the mysterious stranger, stepped forward and laid her hand on the dark one before her. The being scanned it closely.
"A long life," she said, "and a happy one, for you will slowly learn the joy of doing good to those around you and forgetting yourself for others. Then, wherever you go, you will be surrounded with friends and your name will long be remembered."
Katharine smiled, as she stepped back and Jean took her place.
"You will have the best possession the earth can give, a contented mind. I see in the future a little house presided over by a strong, quiet woman whose life is in her home."
Then Molly's turn came. Her fate was quickly spoken.
"Yours is a husband six feet tall, and your children will number nineteen, as they sit about your meagre table."
Molly groaned, as she yielded her place to Florence.
"I see a lordly house, richly furnished and filled with servants. Within is a devoted husband who watches over a wife with golden hair."
"How elegant!" said Polly. "Now it's my turn." And she held out her hand with a smile.
"You will suffer much and have much happiness," the voice went on. "You will love deeply and be loved in return, and the end will more than repay the beginning."