me with you, Newland; never, if you can help it, especially
if you have been a winner, leave a gaming house alone."

Going home, I asked Atkinson if he would come up; he did so, and then we
examined our winnings. "I know mine," replied he, "within twenty pounds,
for I always leave off at a certain point. I have three hundred pounds,
and something more."

He had won three hundred and twenty-five pounds. I had won ninety pounds.
As we sat over a glass of brandy and water, I inquired whether he was
always fortunate. "No, of course I am not," replied Atkinson; "but on
the whole, in the course of the year I am a winner of sufficient to
support myself."

"Is there any rule by which people are guided who play? I observed many
of those who were seated, pricking the chances with great care, and then
staking their money at intervals."

"_Rouge et noir_ I believe to be the fairest of all games," replied
Atkinson; "but where there is a per centage invariably in favour of the
bank, although one may win and another lose, still the profits must be
in favour of the bank. If a man were to play all the year round, he would
lose the national debt in the end. As for martingales, and all those
calculations, which you observed them so busy with, they are all useless.
I have tried everything, and there is only one chance of success, but
then you must not be a gambler?"

"Not a gambler?"

"No; you must not be carried away by the excitement of the game, or you
will infallibly lose. You must have a strength of mind which few have, or
you will be soon cleaned out."

"But you say that you win on the whole; have you no rule to guide you?"

"Yes, I have; strange as the chances are, I have been so accustomed to
them, that I generally put down my stake right; when I am once in a run
of luck, I have a method of my own, but what it is I cannot tell; only
this I know, that if I depart from it, I always lose my money. But that
is what you may call good luck, or what you please--it is not a rule."

"Where, then, are your rules?"

"Simply these two. The first it is not difficult to adhere to: I make a
rule never to lose but a certain sum if I am unlucky when I
commence--say twenty stakes, whatever may be the amount of the stake
that you play. This rule is easily adhered to, by not taking more money
with you; and I am not one of those to whom the croupier or porters will
lend money. The second rule is the most difficult, and decides whether
you a