me to the acquaintance of
the whipping-post, to have the flies whisked from my shoulders for a
certain time, and commanding me to abstain from revisiting the Court and
Capital during a period of four years. I took the matter coolly, bent my
shoulders to the operation performed at their command, and made so much
haste to begin my prescribed term of exile, that I had no time to
procure sumpter mules, but contented myself with selecting from my
valuables such as seemed most important and useful.

"I did not fail to include this pack of cards among them,"--here the
speaker exhibited that oviform specimen already mentioned--"and with
these I have gained my bread among the inns and taverns between Madrid
and this place, by playing at Vingt-et-un. It is true they are somewhat
soiled and worn, as your worship sees; but for him who knows how to
handle them, they possess a marvellous virtue, which is, that you never
cut them but you find an ace at the bottom; if your worship then is
acquainted with the game, you will see what an advantage it is to know
for certain that you have an ace to begin with, since you may count it
either for one or eleven; and so you may be pretty sure that when the
stakes are laid at twenty-one, your money will be much disposed to stay
at home.

"In addition to this, I have acquired the knowledge of certain mysteries
regarding Lansquenet and Reversis, from the cook of an ambassador who
shall be nameless,--insomuch that, even as your worship might pass as
master in the cutting of spatterdashes, so could I, too, take my degrees
in the art of flat-catching.

"With all these acquirements, I am tolerably sure of not dying from
hunger, since, even in the most retired farm-house I come to, there is
always some one to be found who will not refuse himself the recreation
of a few moments at cards. We have but to make a trial where we are; let
us spread the net, and it will go hard with us if some bird out of all
the Muleteers standing about do not fall into it. I mean to say, that if
we two begin now to play at Vingt-et-un as though we were in earnest,
some one will probably desire to make a third, and, in that case, he
shall be the man to leave his money behind him."

"With all my heart," replied the younger lad: "and I consider that your
excellency has done me a great favour by communicating to me the history
of your life. You have thereby made it impossible for me to conceal
mine, and I will hasten to relat