Mrs. Amsterdam turned on Paliser whom she had never seen before. "What do you say?"
"I am appalled," he answered.
She turned again. "There, Poppet, you hear that? Gimme back my money."
But Miss Bleecker occupied herself with Lennox, who was paying for Margaret.
Margaret entered the booth where a little old woman, very plainly dressed, sat at a small deal table. From above hung a light. Beside her was a vacant chair.
"Sit there, please," the medium, in a low voice, told the girl. "And now, if you please, your hand."
Margaret, seating herself, removed a glove. The hand in which she then put hers was soft and warm and she feared that it might perspire. She looked at the woman who looked at her, sighed, closed her eyes and appeared to go to sleep. Then, presently, her lips parted and in a voice totally different from that in which she had just spoken, a voice that was thin and shrill, words came leapingly.
"You are engaged to be married. Your engagement will be broken. You will be very unhappy. Later, you will be thankful. Later you will realise that sorrow is sent to make us nobler than we were."
With an intake of the breath, the medium started, straightened, opened her eyes.
At the shock of it Margaret had started also. "But——"