Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/267

 of his mouth, "Look at her right hand!" and then the countess was fairly bubbling over him.

Valeska gave the hand a glance. It hung, white-gloved, lightly by her side, the first and second fingers tentatively outstretched, the third and fourth curled toward the palm, the thumb projecting.

"You are Astro the Palmist, aren't you?" the woman asked gaily, tipping her head to one side and peeping over her fan. "Mrs. Selwyn said I mustn't bother you; but I do hope something extraordinary is going to happen! We're expecting something quite miraculous, after all we've heard about your occult powers!"

"My dear Countess," said Astro a bit cynically, "even saints must have holidays. I'm afraid I am out of miracles to-night."

"But at least you can tell me something about myself before you go?" she insisted.

Astro smiled quizzically. "Surely not in public?"

The pale youth burst into a guffaw.

The countess shook her finger at him airily. "Why, my life is an open book!" she protested.

"Be careful that it's open at a blank page, then."

The pale youth again bellowed and was struck on the shoulder by the countess' fan.

"Oh, I hope I'm naughty enough to be nice," she said demurely.

"Madam," said Astro, with a queer expression, "I doubt if you could be either naughtier or nicer."

"Now, what d'you mean by that?" she cried. "Why, positively I don't know whether it's the best kind of compliment or the worst kind of insult!"