ed and detected by their splitting in two, but
never, perhaps, unless at some disreputable silver hell. The mode of
remunerating the owner of the rooms was a popular one. The loser never
paid, and the winner only when he succeeded in throwing three mains in
succession; and even then the "box fee," as it was called, was limited
to 5s.--a mere trifle from what he must have gained. In French Hazard a
bank is constituted at a board of green cloth, and the proceedings are
carried on in a more subdued and regular mode than is the case in the
rough-and-ready English game. Every stake that is "set" is covered by
the bank, so that the player runs no risk of losing a large amount,
when, if successful, he may win but a trifling one; but en revanche, the
scale of odds is so altered as to put the double zero of roulette
and the "aprez" of Rouge et Noir to the blush, and to operate most
predjudicially to the player. In no case is an equal rate of odds
between main and chance laid by the French "banquier," as is insisted
on by the English groomporter; while again "direct nicks" alone are
recognized by the former. Very extraordinary runs of luck have occurred
at Hazard, one player sometimes throwing five, seven, and even eleven
mains in a single hand. In such cases as these the peculiar feature in
the French game becomes valuable, the bank being prepared to pay all
winnings, while, generally speaking, a hand of six or seven mains at
English Hazard would exhaust all the funds of the players, and leave
the caster in the position of "setting the table" and finding the stakes
totally unnoticed or only partially covered.

'In addition to the fixed rules of English Hazard, there are several
regulations which require to be observed. The round table on which it is
played has a deeply bevelled edge, which is intended to prevent the dice
from landing on the floor, which would be no throw. Again, if either die
after having left the box should strike any object on the table (such
as a man's elbow or stick) except MONEY, it would be called no throw.
Again, each player has the privilege of "calling dice," even when the
dice are in transitu, which, if done, renders the throw void, and causes
another set to be handed to the caster by the groom-porter. Many a
lucky coup has become manque by some captious player exercising this
privilege, and many an angry rencontre has ensued between the officious
meddler and the disappointed caster, who finds that he h