when bertrand was a little boy, his mother went to see the gypsy one day and she took bertrand with her.
the gypsy looked at bertrand and announced -
“one day you will look out the window and see a man walking along and carrying a white flower. on that night, you will die.”
“good heavens!” exclaimed bertrand’s mother, “what a thing to say to a child!”
“but it is the truth, madame,” the gypsy replied, “and i always speak truth. it is my profession.”
bertrand’s mother had no answer to that, and she proceeded on with her usual business with the gypsy.
the years went by.
due to a combination of excellent connections and fortunate circumstances, bertrand grew to be a very successful and very old man.
one evening at dusk he looked out his window and saw a man, apparently some sort of deliveryman,
walking along carrying a white flower in a crystal vase.
had the gypsy’s prophecy finally came true? bertrand had almost forgotten it.
bertrand rushed into the street as quickly as he could on his cane.
he saw that he must have been fooled by a trick of the light, for the flower the man was carrying was actually red.
much relieved, he went back into his house. that night he went to bed at his usual time, and fell asleep immediately.
in the morning his housekeeper found him dead.
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