Charles Harcourt, Or, the Adventures of a Legatee Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1844 edition. Excerpt: ... but never saw it proved within my own observation. Be assured it occurs much oftener 'than is supposed, continued the widow; you only hear of strange and striking instances, but the predictions of fortune tellers have more or less influence over the minds of most persons. And though these predictions may be in fact the original causes that the events foretold by them ever happen; yet when we see them being gradually fulfilled, we cannot divest ourselves of all belief in their actual truth and credibility. It seems but as yesterday that, when a very young and thoughtless girl, almost a child, I went, all happiness and gaiety, to spend a holiday with some young acquaintances, little dreaming that anything of importance was that day to occur to me. I was but twelve. In the house to which I went there was one only of my own age, and three from two to four years older, sisters and cousin to my particular friend, and two or three of their acquaintances about the same ages. In the course of the long summer evening we all went out to walk, and being, as was supposed, perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves, no one else accompanied us. After we had been out some time, and were far removed from the observation not only of our relations but of all who knew us, the elders of our party, who had been talking most of the time about fortunes and fortune-tellers, and had, I suppose purposely, led us that way, suddenly declared that there was an old woman in a street close to us, who told fortunes remarkably well, and that they must go and hear theirs told by her. The younger ones were of course delighted to accompany them, and it being agreed that we were all to be quite silent as to where we had been, we soon...