two o'clock
They 's plenty more in the fiel 's , but I ca n't afford to give you young uns tea . The tea is for us women-folks , and ` specially f ' r Mis ' Smith an ' Bill 's wife . We 're a-goin ' to tell fortunes by it . '' One by one the men filled up and shoved back , and one by one the children slipped into their places , and by two o'clock the women alone remained around the débris-covered table , sipping their tea and telling fortunes . As they got well down to the grounds in the cup , they shook them with a circular motion in the hand , and then turned them bottom-side-up quickly in the saucer , then twirled them three or four times one way , and three or four times the other , during a breathless pause . Then Mrs. Gray lifted the cup , and , gazing into it with profound gravity , pronounced the impending fate . It must be admitted that , to a critical observer , she had abundant preparation for hitting close to the mark , as when she told the girls that `` somebody was comin ' . ''