This method of fortunetelling is some hundreds of years old and
references to it can be found in the works of people who wrote in
Stuart times. After the consultant has shuffled the pack of fifty-two
cards, he or she withdraws one of them at random and notes the suit.
The card is, then, put back in the pack, which is again shuffled. Next,
it is cut with the left hand, as already suggested.
Now comes the "lay-out." The cards are set face upwards on the table in
four rows, each of thirteen. In doing this, it is imperative that all
the rows should be commenced at the right-hand end.
That done, the key card is sought. In the case of a lady, the key
card is the queen of the suit shown by the card which she picked from
the pack at the outset. When it is a man who is seeking his fortune,
the key card is the king of the suit indicated by the card he picked
originally.
Having found the key card in the lay-out, count nine, eighteen,
twenty-seven, thirty-six and forty-five spaces from it, and pick up the
cards so placed. Remember that in counting, a line must be always begun
from the right; also that it may be necessary to revert to the first or
subsequent rows in order to obtain the full set of four cards.
In picking up the four cards, be careful to preserve their order; the
first must be set out first, the second must come second, and the same
with the third and the fourth. Each card stands for some definite
portent, and the four portents supply the reading which affects the
consultant.