willing to give her services. For the
moment her own troubles seemed small and easy to overcome, compared with
the shipwreck of this miserable pair who had called themselves her
friends.

XXXIV

Dauntrey walked with his head down, his hat pulled over his eyes and his
hands in his pockets. Mary noticed that, though the wind was the coldest
she had known at Monte Carlo, he wore no overcoat. She wondered if even
that had been taken from him by the people to whom he owed money. Once
he looked back lingeringly. "Eve must have gone to sit down," he said;
and then, in shamed apology, "the poor girl is almost mad, and so am I.
You mustn't think too much of what passed between us. We--we love each
other, and come what may I believe we always will."

"I'm certain of that," Mary answered, in a warm voice which came from
her heart.

They had walked on for a moment or two in silence, when Dauntrey asked
abruptly: "Do you know what you're letting yourself in for?"

"Not quite," Mary admitted. "But whatever it is, I don't think I shall
much mind if I can help you."

"I believe you really can help," he assured her. "I'm going to apply for
what's called the _viatique_. It's a sum of money the Casino people
grant to--to us broken gamblers, if we can prove that we've lost a lot.
It's a way of getting rid of us, without too much trouble to themselves
or--as my wife said--danger of scandal. They'll give a ticket second
class, to take you home if you're dead broke, even if your home's as far
off as Bombay, and enough money to pay for your food on the journey.
It's very decent of them--generous, considering they don't ask you to
come here and gamble, and that they always play fair. But a railway
ticket and a few louis in my pocket are no good in my case. I've Eve to
think of--and some sort of a future, God help me! She hopes because I
happen to have a title which used to be of some importance I may bluff
them into giving me a good lump sum. I'm afraid there isn't much in
that. Nobody ever heard of their offering more than two thousand francs,
so far as I know, and that was exceptional, a classic sort of case. But
it may be they'll be influenced by you. Every one knows you're going to
marry the Duke di Rienzi's son. And you've been rather a famous gambler.
You're of some importance. Heaven knows I'm not! If I get something
worth what I have to go through, you'll be the one to thank--to say
nothing of the moral support. I've gone