Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/165

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IN HIGH LIFE.
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the books there; and as I met her husband coming up stairs and told him enough to put him on his guard, he went up and told his wife of a letter he had lost out of his pocket, belonging to another gentleman of the same name that was in the house; he had got the letter and mysteriously lost it. The lady hearing this story, finding the books, and remembering what the fortune-teller had told her, at once became convinced she had been mistaken, and of course her husband, in her eyes, was exonerated from all blame.

The next day, on going to my room, I found a very beautiful Cameo bracelet and ten gold dollars, together with a note of thanks for the shrewd and delicate way in which I had managed the little matter. Did this satisfy me? No, nor would anything else till I had given him a good lecture. I told him it was a good lesson for me as I never would be caught in a like manner again. I gave him such a talking to, I am sure he remembered some of my words to his dying day.

Some time passed away, and great preparations were making for the arrival of Jenny Lind. I was one day combing a lady in the fourth story, when I heard a great noise up in the fifth; I ran out and asked what was wrong, when one of the servants told me there was a fire. I went back and told the lady they said there was a fire, but not to be alarmed, and told her to remain there while I went to see if there was any danger. I went up stairs and found they could not get at the fire as it was between the ceilings. The proprietor said there was no danger, and insisted there was no fire, but that a little smoke had got between the ceilings. When the firemen came, they

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