es came forth together.

"Pay you in cheques, sir?" asked the croupier.

I assented, and a flat round piece of ivory, of a red colour, with the
figure 5 in its centre, was placed upon my half-eagle. I permitted both
to remain upon the ace. The deal went on, and after a while two aces
came out together, and two more of the red cheques were mine.

I suffered all four pieces, now worth twenty dollars, to lie. I had not
come there to amuse myself. My purpose was very different; and,
impelled by that purpose, I was resolved not to waste time. If Fortune
was to prove favourable to me, her favours were as likely to be mine
soon as late; and when I thought of the real stake for which I was
playing, I could not endure the suspense. No more was I satisfied at
contact with the coarse and bawd company that surrounded the table.

The deal went on--and after some time aces again came out. This time I
lost.

Without a word passing from his lips, the croupier drew in the cheques
and gold-piece, depositing them in his japanned cash-box, I took out my
purse, and tried ten dollars upon the queen, I won. I doubled the bet,
and lost again.

Another ten dollars won--another lost--another and another, and so on,
now winning, now losing, now betting with cheques, now with
gold-pieces--until at length I felt to the bottom of my purse without
encountering a coin!

CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN.

THE WATCH AND RING.

I rose from my seat, and turned towards D'Hauteville with a glance of
despair. I needed not to tell him the result. My look would have
announced it, but he had been gazing over my shoulder and knew all.

"Shall we go, Monsieur?" I asked.

"Not yet--stay a moment," replied he, placing his hand upon my arm.

"And why?" I asked; "I have not a dollar. I have lost all. I might
have known it would be so. Why stay here, sir?"

I spoke somewhat brusquely. I confess I was at the moment in anything
but an amiable mood. In addition to my prospects for the morrow, a
suspicion had flashed across my mind that my new friend was not loyal.
His knowledge of these men--his having counselled me to play there--the
accident, to say the least, a strange one, of our again meeting with the
"sportsmen" of the boat, and under such a new phase--the great celerity
with which my purse had been "cleared out"--all these circumstances
passing rapidly through my mind, led me naturally enough to suspect
D'Hauteville of treason. I ran rapid