Louis Philippe would pick it up.

At that period, the Orleans family were en mauvais odeur at the
Tuileries, and consequently, this little incident created considerable
gossip among the courtly quidnuncs. I remember that when Lord William
Bentinck was asked what he thought of the circumstance, he
good-naturedly answered, "The King most probably wanted to know how the
wind blew."

It was known that a large number of persons hostile to the court were
invited; and among these were Casimir Perier, the Dupins, Lafitte,
Benjamin Constant, and a host of others who a few years afterwards
drove out the eldest branch that occupied the throne to make way for
Louis Philippe.

LORD THANET

The late Lord Thanet, celebrated for having been imprisoned in the
Tower for his supposed predilection for republicanism, passed much of
his time in Paris, particularly at the Salon des Etrangers. His
lordship's infatuation for play was such, that when the gambling-tables
were closed, he invited those who remained to play at chicken-hazard
and ecarte; the consequence was that, one night, he left off a loser of
120,000L. When told of his folly and the probability of his having been
cheated, he exclaimed, "Then I consider myself lucky in not having lost
twice that sum!"

LORD GRANVILLE, THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR

Soon after Lord Granville's appointment, a strange occurrence took
place at one of the public gambling-houses. A colonel, on half-pay, in
the British service, having lost every farthing that he possessed,
determined to destroy himself, together with all those who were
instrumental in his ruin. Accordingly, he placed a canister full of
fulminating powder under the table, and set it on fire: it blew up, but
fortunately no one was hurt. The police arrested the colonel, and
placed him in prison; he was, however, through the humane interposition
of our ambassador, sent out of France as a madman.

MARSHAL BLUCHER

Marshal Blucher, though a very fine fellow, was a very rough diamond,
with the manners of a common soldier. On his arrival in Paris, he went
every day to the salon, and played the highest stakes at rouge et noir.
The salon, during the time that the marshal remained in Paris, was
crowded by persons who came to see him play. His manner of playing was
anything but gentlemanlike, and when he lost, he used to swear in
German at everything that was French, looking daggers at the croupiers.
He generally m