Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/164

166 segars for both ladies and gentlemen; and on the mantlepiece were various novels. On examining some of these she declared most positively they were her books. While she sat down to look over them, panting for breath as if much agitated, I heard some one at the door trying to get in, I told her to keep quiet till I should go to the door; when I opened it I found a well known old citizen of this city and a married lady, also well known, and moving in a very high circle, who was the mother of several children. I told the gentleman, in an under tone, not to come in as there was something wrong, but to meet me at the hotel in two hours and I would explain all things to him. He and the lady went away, looking very much excited. I went back and told her it was only a man inquiring for some family who had lived there, and that it was time for us to go. We got ready and started, I slipping under my arm the books she had been looking at. When we came to the fortune-teller, I, having managed to get a moment's private conversation with the latter, told her, among other things, to say to the lady she had been looking over some books and thought they belonged to her, but she would find hers at home when she went there. I told her also to speak well of the lady's husband.

After staying there some time, I told the lady it was too late to go back to the house, so we started home. On the way there I pretended to have dropped the key and lost it, telling the lady to wait in the parlor while I went back to look for it; I run up stairs to her room, and put the books under some papers. Returning again to the parlor, I handed her the key, and she went up to her room; when she got there, she found