After a little while, during which Mr. Gryce had bent this finger this
way and that finger another way, had counted the lines made by the
bended wrist, and had talked half to himself of the line of Jupiter and
the line of Saturn, the line of life and that of Venus, he said quietly,
"You will have your wish, and soon. I see a most important change of
residence at about this time, which in conjunction with this," pointing
to a small cross at the root of the fourth finger, "will be certainly to
your advantage."
"How strange!" said Alick. "One scarcely knows whether to laugh at it
all as old wives' fables or to believe in the mysterious forewarnings of
fate, the foremarkings of the future."
"There are more things in heaven and earth--" said Mr. Gryce. "And we
know so little we may well believe a trifle more."
The fact was, all this was founded on these circumstances: He had at
this moment a letter in his pocket from his sister Keziah telling him
that old Priest Wilson had been found dead in his bed last night; the
bishop's chaplain was a friend of his, both having been at the same
station in India; and the perpetual curacy of Monk Grange was one which,
if offices went according to their ratio of unpleasantness, a man should
have been paid a large income to take. Hence there was no chance of a
rush for the preferment, and the bishop would be grateful for any
intimation of a willing martyr. Through all of which chinks whereby to
discover the future Mr.
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