s services. He soon returned with the
bottle of wine: which, according to the custom of the place, originating
in a scarcity of corkscrews among the Collegians (in common with a
scarcity of much else), was already opened for use.

'Madman! A large glass,' said Rigaud.

Signor Panco put a tumbler before him; not without a visible conflict of
feeling on the question of throwing it at his head.

'Haha!' boasted Rigaud. 'Once a gentleman, and always a gentleman.

A gentleman from the beginning, and a gentleman to the end. What
the Devil! A gentleman must be waited on, I hope? It's a part of my
character to be waited on!'

He half filled the tumbler as he said it, and drank off the contents
when he had done saying it.

'Hah!' smacking his lips. 'Not a very old prisoner that! I judge by your
looks, brave sir, that imprisonment will subdue your blood much sooner
than it softens this hot wine. You are mellowing--losing body and colour
already. I salute you!'

He tossed off another half glass: holding it up both before and
afterwards, so as to display his small, white hand.

'To business,' he then continued. 'To conversation. You have shown
yourself more free of speech than body, sir.'

'I have used the freedom of telling you what you know yourself to be.
You know yourself, as we all know you, to be far worse than that.'

'Add, always a gentleman, and it's no matter. Except in that regard, we
are all alike. For example: you couldn't for your life be a gentleman;
I couldn't for my life be otherwise. How great the difference! Let us go
on. Words, sir, never influence the course of the cards, or the course
of the dice. Do you know that? You do? I also play a game, and words are
without power over it.'

Now that he was confronted with Cavalletto, and knew that his story was
known--whatever thin disguise he had worn, he dropped; and faced it out,
with a bare face, as the infamous wretch he was.

'No, my son,' he resumed, with a snap of his fingers. 'I play my game
to the end in spite of words; and Death of my Body and Death of my Soul!
I'll win it. You want to know why I played this little trick that
you have interrupted? Know then that I had, and that I have--do you
understand me? have--a commodity to sell to my lady your respectable
mother. I described my precious commodity, and fixed my price. Touching
the bargain, your admirable mother was a little too calm, too stolid,
too immovable and statue-like. In fine, your a