The Fortune Teller Essay Example
The Fortune Teller Essay Example

The Fortune Teller Essay Example

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The story revolves around a lady Mrs. Edith Myers, who is a fortune-teller. Mrs. Myers for some reasons comes under the notice of Detective Inspector MacLeary. MacLeary is suspicious of the means of her living and doubts her to be involved in “espionage”. Although Mr. MacLeary has been keeping an eye on Mrs. Myers for long, nothing substantial has come to light against her. Therefore, Mrs. MacLeary offers a helping hand to Mr. MacLeary in this regard. 0n. the following day, as planned,Mrs. MacLeary, “without her wedding ring, girlishly dressed” goes to Mrs. Myers. Mrs. MacLeary (disguised as Miss Jones) asks Mrs. Myers about her future.

Mrs. Myers seizes a pack of cards, shuffles it energetically and picks some cards for Mrs. MacLeary. While picking c

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ards for her customer, Mrs. Myers tells her that she doesn‘t often tell fortune by cards, except “to oblige a friend” and sometimes she reads the cards as a pastime. Reading cards for,Miss Jones, Mrs Myers tells her that her cards mean lots of money for her; a long journey either for her or for someone near and dear to her; some elderly man is going to get in her way and she will be married “before the year’s out”.

Mrs. Myers tells Miss Jones that “a very very rich young man" either a millionaire or a businessman is going to marry her. However, Mrs. Myers warns Miss Jones that before she is united, she will have to overcome great obstacles. She further says that an elderly gentleman will get in her way and suggests she do everything possible to get married. Mrs. Myers adds tha

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after marriage Miss Jones will travel across the ocean. ‘ ' On hearing this, Mrs. MacLeary thanks Mrs. Myers for her predictions and gives her the fees. As Mrs. MacLeary is about to make a move, Mrs. Myers enquires about her uncle. The young lady lies innocently that he is in the police.

Mrs. Myers then tells‘_her that “he's threatened by a great danger”, so he should come to her and know more about it. Now the young Miss Jones takes leave of the old Mrs. Myers. Mr. MacLeary is much troubled to discover that Mrs. Myers’ real name is Meierhofer and that she is a German, an alien living in London. MacLeary reports everything about the mysterious old lady to his bosses. As a result, Mrs. Myers is summoned to appear in court before Mr. Kelly, Justice of Peace. In the court Mrs. Myers is accused of not reading the cards properly. Mr. Kelly asks her why she is prophesizing when she cannot do it correctly. In her defense, the old lady says that she foretells the things her customers like to hear her and the pleasure they get out of it is worth the fees she charges for her service.

Mrs. MacLeary appears as a Witness against Mrs. Myers. She tells the magistrate about the predictions made by Mrs. Myers regarding her fortune, possible marriage, future husband, and journey across the ocean. The magistrate dismisses Mrs. Myers's interpretation of the cards saying that the nine of spades means hope and not the journey. Mr Kelly further asks Mrs. Myers to explain the absurdity of predicting marriage for an already married woman.

Defending herself the old lady says that when the young lady came to her, her torn left glove suggested that she was not too "well off and she looked around twenty and unmarried.

Therefore, she arranged a set of cards for her in such a way that would mean “a Wedding and a rich husband.” fine of fifty pounds as a penalty. Mrs. The magistrate accuses Mrs. Myers of being a fake fortune teller and orders her to pay a Myers is also charged with being engaged in “espionage”. Mr. Kelly warns the old lady that as she is an alien without any proper means of subsistence”, therefore, the authorities have the right to deport her. Therefore, Mrs. Myers is asked to leave the city of London.

About a year passes and Mr Kelly encounters detective inspector Mr MacLeary and asks him about the well-being of Mrs. MacLeary. This makes Mr. MacLeary turn pale and feeling embarrassed, replies that his wife had left him. The magistrate is shocked to hear that Mr. MacLeary informs the magistrate that a “young whippersnapper went crazy about her” and his wife left him for the young millionaire from Melbourne. In spite of MacLeary’s efforts to stop her, she and her lover “sailed together for Australia.”

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