od-humoured, witty, and
benevolent. With these qualifications, and one other which seldom
operates to a man's disadvantage--a clear income of three thousand a
year--the best society in Paris was open to him. He had been a visitor
in that capital about a month, when he received an invitation to one of
the splendid dinners given weekly at the salon. As he never played, he
hesitated about the propriety of accepting it, but on the assurance that
it would not be expected of him to play; and, moreover, as he might not
again have so good an opportunity of visiting an establishment of the
kind, he resolved to go--merely for the satisfaction of his curiosity.
He had a few stray napoleons in his purse, to throw them--'just for the
good of the house,' as he considered it--could hardly be called PLAY,
so he threw them. Poor fellow! He left off a winner of fourteen hundred
napoleons, or about as many pounds sterling--and so easily won! He went
again, again, and again; but he was not always a winner; and within
fifteen months of the moment when his hand first grasped the dice-box he
was lying dead in a jail!

LORD WORTHALL'S DESPERATE WAGER.

At a gambling party Lord Worthall had lost all his money, and in a fit
of excitement staked his whole estate against L1000, at cutting low with
cards, and in cutting exclaimed,--

'Up now Deuce, or else a Trey,
Or Worthall's gone for ever and aye.'

He had the luck to cut the deuce of diamonds; and to commemorate the
serious event, he got the deuce of diamonds cut in marble and had it
fixed on the parapet of his mansion.

THE CELEBRATED THADDEUS STEVENS.

He was an inveterate gamester on a small scale, and almost invariably,
after a day's duty in the House, would drop in at a favourite casino,
and win or lose fifty dollars--that being the average limit of his
betting.

A PROVIDENT GAMBLER.

A Monsieur B--, well known in Parisian life, having recently lost every
shilling at a certain sporting club where play is carried on in Paris,
went to the country, where his sister lent him L150.

He won all back again, and got a considerable sum of money in hand. He
then went to his hotel, to his bootmaker, and tailor, paid them, and
made arrangements to be fed, clothed, and shod for ten years.

A MAGNIFICENT FORTUNE WASTED.

Lord Foley, who died in 1793, entered upon the turf with an estate
of L18,000 per annum, and L100,000 ready money. He left with a ruined
constitution, an enc