Page:The Novels of Ivan Turgenev (volume VI).djvu/254

Rh you're a great hand at that. Sister! get the cards!'

Fimushka glanced at her husband, and he was sitting now completely reassured; she, too, was reassured.

'The cards,' she said; 'but I've quite forgotten, my dear sir, it's long since I had them in my hand.'

But of her own accord she took out of Snanduliya's hands a pack of aged, queer ombre cards.

'Whose fortune shall I tell?'

'Oh, every one's,' said Paklin; while to himself he said, 'What a mobile old thing! you can turn her any way you like she's a perfect darling! Every one's, granny, every one's,' he went on aloud; 'tell us our fate, our character, our future tell us everything!'

Fimushka began shuffling the cards, but suddenly she threw down the whole pack.

'I don't need to use the cards!' she cried; 'I know the character of each of you without that. And as the character is, so is the fate. He, now' (she pointed to Solomin) 'is a cool man, constant; he, now' (she shook her finger at Markelov) 'is a hot, dangerous man ' (Pufka put out her tongue at him); 'as for you' (she looked at Paklin), there's no need to tell you; you know yourself─a weathercock! As for