"By Jove!" said the gentleman again—"by Jove, they are!"
He plunged for a moment in deep reflection.
"We've got co—musical instruments," said Noël; "shall we play to you a little?"
"Not here," said the gentleman; "follow me."
He led the way by the backs of shrubberies to an old summer-house, and we asked him to wait outside.
Then we put on our veils and tuned up. "See, see the conquering——"
But he did not let us finish the tune; he burst in upon us, crying—
"Ripping—oh, ripping! And now tell me my fortune."
Alice took off her veil and looked at his hand.
"You will travel in distant lands," she said; "you will have great wealth and honour; you will marry a beautiful lady—a very fine woman, it says in the book, but I think a beautiful lady sounds nicer, don't you?"