could not bear to have it known." I made the desired promise, and she then proceeded to inform me that on the side of the nearest mountain lived an old man named Jonathan, who obtained a living by telling fortunes; and that he frequently foretold events, which occurred exactly as he predicted, but she feared that he dealt with evil spirits, and on that account arose her scruples to go and consult him on the present occasion. I could not forbear laughing at her seriousness in such a matter, and rallied her on her credulity; at which she seemed a little offended, and assured me that there was not the slightest doubt of old Jonathan's possessing the power not only to foretell events by his arts, but also to render great assistance in recovering stolen property, which he frequently did; and to convince me of this, she gave me an instance which had come under her own knowledge not more than three months previous. I will give the affair in her own words:—
"About three months back, one very hot day, whilst all our people, except mother and myself, were engaged in the fields at haymaking, mother thought it a good opportunity to get the best linen aired, as the sun was sufficiently warm. Accordingly, we looked up a quantity of table linen—best sheets, and such things as were not in everyday use—and spread them on the grass in the orchard at the back of the house. On going in the evening to bring them in, we were much surprised to find that they were all gone. My mother was almost frantic at the idea of losing her best linen, and every enquiry was made in order
