THE FORTUNE TELLER SUMMARY
THE FORTUNE TELLERÂ
In the story, the judge is guided by his strong commonsense in judging the case, and not by the letter of the law. The incident that he relates happened in England. The name of the judge was Mr. Kelly, justice of peace.
Mrs. Edith Myers is noticed by the Detective Inspector MacLeary as behaving in a mysterious way. She has between twelve and twenty visitors every day. Her visitors included servant girls as well as duchesses. In the month of February, she sent her servant for asparagus . It is strange how she made her living. She is probably a fortune teller. She may carry on traffic in prostitution or spying activities. -Mr. MacLeary wants to know the facts about her life.
Mrs. MacLeary assures the detective to help him in the matter. She calls on Mrs. Myers the following day without her wedding ring. She is well received by Mrs. MacLeary. She asks her to tell about her future. Mrs. Myers takes a pack of cards and shuffles them. Mrs. MacLeary gave her name as Miss Jones. Mrs. Myers is very humble and says that she does not tell fortune by cards, but she does so only to oblige a friend. She asks her to take the cards in her left hand and divide them into five heaps. She cuts the first heap and finds diamonds which means money.
Then she finds the knave of hearts. Knave of diamonds in the second heap and ten of spades — this means journey. In the third heap, Mrs. Myers says to Miss Jones that she will have money and she will undertake a long journey. In the fourth heap somebody would get in her way. Miss Jones replies that her uncle may stand in her way. In the fifth heap, there is marriage for Miss Jones. A rich young man will marry her within a year. She will have the opportunity to travel with him. But before the marriage, an elderly gentleman will put obstacles in her way.
She demands a guinea as her fee which she spends for the Christian mission to the Negroes. Mrs. MacLeary pays her the money and says that his uncle is in the police. Mrs. Myers takes three cards out of the heap and tells Miss Jones that her uncle is in danger. He should come to her to know more about his danger.
Mr. MacLeary declares that Mrs. Myers is too much interested in the uncle. Her real name is Meierhofer, a German. They must stop her game. She somehow gets the secret out of people. He must inform his bosses about the matter.
The matter in course of time comes up for hearing at the court of Mr Kelly, Justice of peace. Mrs. Myers tells the magistrate that she does the fortune-telling for a living. Mr Kelly says that the charge against her is that she cannot read the cards properly , though she takes a fee of one guinea. Mrs. Myers says that she foretells the things that the customers like and the pleasure that they have is worth a few shillings. Sometimes she is right. The magistrate then cites the case of Mrs. MacLeary. She is already married and there is no possibility of her going across the ocean. Her reading of cards is incorrect.
The nine of spades means hope. The jack of spades means journeys and when it comes with the seven of diamonds it means long journeys. Your prediction are absurd. Mrs. Myers says predictions are often incorrect. The young lady was well dressed but her glove was torn. She said she was twenty. So she gave wrong impression. She arranged a set of cards that meant marriage and a rich husband. Mrs. MacLeary asks her what about the elderly gentleman who would be obstacle. Mrs. Myers says a lot of things has to be said for a guinea.
The magistrate says that Mrs. Myers’ fortune-telling is a fraud. She can’t understand the cards. She must pay a fine of fifty pounds. As she is foreigner, she would be deported. He declares that the inaccurate fortunetelling is disgraceful and deceitful. The old lady gives a long sigh.
A year later Mr Kelly met Mr. MacLeary and asks about Mrs. MacLeary. The Detective Inspector says with some embarrassment that his wife has married a millionaire and has sailed to Australia with her husband.
Thus the prediction of Mrs. Myers prove true. Mrs. MacLeary is married to a rich man. Mr. MacLeary is the elderly gentleman who is an obstacle to her, and she has sailed to Australia.
THE FORTUNE TELLER SUMMARY
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THE FORTUNE TELLER SUMMARY