st, and only moderate sums
being ventured. A quarter of an hour later, however, the stakes began
to rise, and ere long Lorenzi had lost his four hundred ducats to the
Marchese.

Casanova had no constancy either in luck or ill-luck. He won, lost, and
won again, in an almost ludicrously regular alternation.

Lorenzi drew a breath of relief when his last gold piece had gone
the way of the others. Rising from the table, he said: "I thank you,
gentlemen. This," he hesitated for a moment, "this will prove to have
been my last game for a long time in your hospitable house. If you will
allow me, Signor Olivo, I will take leave of the ladies before
riding into town. I must reach Mantua ere nightfall in order to make
preparations for to-morrow."

"Shameless liar," thought Casanova. "You will return here to-night, to
Marcolina's arms!" Rage flamed up in him anew.

"What!" exclaimed the Marchese maliciously. "The evening will not come
for hours. Is the game to stop so early? If you like, Lorenzi, my
coachman shall drive home with a message to the Marchesa to let her know
that you will be late."

"I am going to ride to Mantua," rejoined Lorenzi impatiently. The
Marchese, ignoring this statement, went on: "There is still plenty of
time. Put up some of your own money, if it be but a single gold piece."
He dealt Lorenzi a card.

"I have not a single gold piece left," said Lorenzi wearily.

"Really?"

"Not one," asserted Lorenzi, as if tired of the whole matter.

"Never mind," said the Marchese, with a sudden assumption of amiability
which was far from congenial. "I will trust you as far as ten ducats
goes, or even for a larger sum if needs must."

"All right, a ducat, then," said Lorenzi, taking up the card dealt to
him.

The Marchese won. Lorenzi went on with the game, as if this were now a
matter of course, and was soon in the Marchese's debt to the amount of
one hundred ducats.

At this stage Casanova became banker, and had even better luck than the
Marchese. There remained only three players. To-day the brothers
Ricardi stood aside without complaint. Olivo and the Abbate were merely
interested onlookers.

No one uttered a syllable. Only the cards spoke, and they spoke in
unmistakable terms. By the hazard of fortune all the cash found its way
to Casanova. In an hour he had won two thousand ducats; he had won them
from Lorenzi, though they came out of the pockets of the Marchese, who
at length sat there without a so