"Laura Resnick - The Fortunes of Temperance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Laura)

"Oh. I'm sorry. I hope you didn't find it a total waste of your lucre."
Madame Rabinowitz isn't cheap, and knights, after all, don't make that much
money.
He smiled slowly. "Not entirely," he murmured -- and then asked for my
number!
Madame Rabinowitz was running late, as usual, so after the Knight of
Swords left, I spent the next half hour silently examining the ramifications
of getting involved with him. I knew that Strength would tell me to forget
about the guy, that any relationship between us was bound to end in tears.
However, I always believe that it's important to take a risk now and then, as
long as it's a measured one and you don't go overboard or lose your head.
After all, a life of caution and reserve is no better than a life of reckless
abandon.
Now you might think I would consult Madame Rabinowitz about affairs of
the heart today, especially after my encounter with the Knight, but I had come
here with serious matters to divine, and I didn't intend to leave today
without resolving these more pressing issues. Besides, until it was absolutely
certain that the Knight would never return to Madame Rabinowitz's and
therefore could not possibly be considered a client of hers, it would be
inappropriate for me to intrude upon their confidential relationship by asking
her to do a Reading about him for me.
Dressed in a conservative purple-and-red silk kaftan with discreet gold
coins dangling from her ears, neck, and waist, Madame Rabinowitz greeted me
warmly when I entered the Reading room. She apologized, as usual, for the
delay.
"I had to lie down for a few minutes after that last appointment," she
explained. "Doing a Reading of the Gypsy Spread always gives me psychic
indigestion." (The Queen of Cups has a _very_ complicated personal life.)
She was feeling clear-headed now and ready to begin my Reading. I
explained that I was currently contemplating an important decision, but added
nothing more; Madame Rabinowitz is not one of those undertrained charlatans
who needs the client to lead the way. Merely knowing the general purpose of
the client's visit is enough to help her choose the correct spread for the
occasion and proceed from there.
She began by choosing a Significator card (the card representing _me_
in the spread) for my Reading, selecting the same one she usually chooses: the
Housekeeper. It represents good management, adaptation, coordination, and
modification. Next she asked me to shuffle the deck of cards, reminding me
that it was very important for me to shuffle thoroughly and, as I did so, to
concentrate on the question I wanted answered today. As instructed, when I




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finished shuffling, I cut the pack into three piles towards the _left_, with
my _left_ hand; then Madame Rabinowitz picked up the cards with _her_ left
hand and gathered the three piles back into one -- moving left, of course.
(Neglecting such essential details is where many lesser Readers go wrong from
the very beginning.)