Card-cutting

Chambers printed what his contributor believed was the first account in English of the popular art of telling fortunes with ordinary playing cards. Every village had its card-cutter and London a legion of them, and hardly anyone among the poor did not know at least the lucky cards from the unlucky. Diamonds ran to money and fair people, hearts to love and friends, spades to grief and danger; the nine of hearts was the wish card and the ace of spades meant death. The writer had learned the art as a small child from a soldier’s wife.