The young lady in question will therefore be betrothed in from two to three years, and will be married in about two years after, for the nine of hearts lies in the third row, and the ten in the second row. She has then almost five years to enjoy her single life before she becomes a wife.
TO FIND OUT WHOM ONE IS TO HAVE FOR A HUSBAND.
You select the four kings from a pack, and lay them side by side in a row upon the table.
The lady who wishes to know her fortune gives to each of these cards the name of some gentleman of her acquaintance who might be likely to woo her in marriage. It is usual to pronounce these names aloud before the company. The name given to the king of hearts is, however, an exception. This secret the lady keeps to herself. To these four kings, you can also add a queen, which then denotes the old maid.
Now, take the rest of the pack, shuffle it thoroughly, let the person in question cut three times and commence. Under each of the above named picture cards you lay a card in turn, and as often as a spade is placed under a spade, a heart under a heart, &c., that is, as often as a card of the same suit is placed under one of these picture cards, the picture card is turned from its position.
The first time it takes a direction from left to right, the second time it lies upside down, the third time it is raised again to a position from right to left, and the fourth and last time it regains its former upright position.
That one of the four kings, who, after these different changes, first resumes his upright position, is to be the happy husband. If it should happen to be the old maid, you can imagine what is in store for you.
After having learned from the cards who is to be the husband, the questions next asked are, usually: How much will he love his wife, why he marries her, and what is his profession. These questions are answered in the following manner:
Gather up the cards, shuffle them thoroughly, and let the person cut them three times. Then tell off the cards upon the table, as you recite the following sentence:
Heartily, painfully, Beyond all measure, By fits and starts, Not a bit in the world.
You repeat this sentence until the king of hearts makes his appearance. If it happens that, as you lay this upon the table, you pronounce the word “heartily,” he will love his future wife heartily, and so on.