is this the most
painfully exciting of all gambling whatever; the very rattle of the
dice-box to the hazard player is a relief; and the thought that he is in
some way instrumental in his good or bad fortune gives a turn to his
thoughts. There is something so like the inevitable character of fate
associated with the result of a chance, which you can in no way affect
or avert, that I have, notwithstanding a strong bias for play, ever
dreaded and avoided the rouge et noir table; hitherto prudential motives
had their share in the resolve; a small loss at play becomes a matter of
importance to a sub in a marching regiment; and therefore I was firm in
my determination to avoid the gambling-table. Now my fortunes were
altered; and as I looked at the heap of shining louis d'or, which Guy
pushed before me in exchange for a billet de banque of large amount, I
felt the full importance of my altered position, mingling with the old
and long practised prejudices which years had been accumulating to fix.
There is besides some wonderful fascination to most men in the very
aspect of high play: to pit your fortune against that of another--to see
whether or not your luck shall not exceed some others--are feelings that
have a place in most bosoms, and are certainly, if not naturally
existing, most easily generated in the bustle and excitement of the
gambling-house. The splendour of the decorations; the rich profusion of
gilded ornaments; the large and gorgeously framed mirrors; the sparkling
lustres; mingling their effect with the perfumed air of the apartment,
filled with orange trees and other aromatic shrubs; the dress of the
company, among whom were many ladies in costumes not inferior to those
of a court; the glitter of diamonds; the sparkle of stars and
decorations, rendered more magical by knowing that the wearers were
names in history. There, with his round but ample shoulder, and large
massive head, covered with long snow-white hair, stands Talleyrand, the
maker and unmaker of kings, watching with a look of ill-concealed
anxiety the progress of his game. Here is Soult, with his dogged look
and beetled brow; there stands Balzac the author, his gains here are
less derived from the betting than the bettors; he is evidently making
his own of some of them, while in the seeming bon hommie of his careless
manners and easy abandon, they scruple not to trust him with anecdotes
and traits, that from the crucible of his fiery imagination c