Page:Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope.djvu/223

 silence. 'Your coffee will get cold,' said my servant:—the welly heaved a deep sigh. 'Alas!' said he, 'I was reading on the surface of that cup of coffee the fate of your lady, the meleky. There will rise up evil tongues against her, and a sovereign will try to put her down; but the voice of the people will cry aloud, and nations will assemble to protect her.' Now, doctor," said Lady Hester, "does not that mean just what has happened? Is not the Queen trying to put me down, and going to deprive me of my pension?—and you will see, when I have written my letter, how many persons will turn on my side. But isn't it very extraordinary how that man in a coffee-house knew what was going to happen?—yet so it is: they have secret communications with spirits. A glass, or something, is held before their eyes, which nobody else can see; and, whether they can read and write or not, they see future events painted on it."

January 30, 1838.—Lady Hester was still very ill; the convulsive attacks returning now regularly every day. She began to be sensible that fits of passion, however slight, did her injury, and she was more calm for a continuation than I had ever known her to remain since I had been here. But a fresh occurrence, trifling in its nature, although she gave much importance to it, excited her anger considerably to-day, and did her mischief in proportion. She had reason