and beheld mounting before him a pile of
cheques and counters.

But, as often happens in such circumstances, his opponent, Henri de
Prerolles, persisted in his vain battle against ill-luck, until at three
o'clock in the morning, controlling his shaken nerves and throwing down
his cards, without any apparent anger, he said:

"Will you tell me, gentlemen, how much I owe you?"

After all accounts had been reckoned, he saw that he had lost two hundred
and ninety thousand francs, of which two hundred and sixty thousand in
cheques belonged to Paul Landry, and the thirty thousand francs' balance
to the bank.

"Monsieur de Prerolles," said Paul Landry, hypocritically, "I am ashamed
to win such a sum from you. If you wish to seek your revenge at some
other game, I am entirely at your service."

The Marquis looked at the clock, calculated that he had still half an
hour to spare, and, not more for the purpose of "playing to the gallery"
than in the hope of reducing the enormous sum of his indebtedness, he
replied:

"Will it be agreeable to you to play six hands of bezique?"

"Certainly, Monsieur. How much a point?"

"Ten francs, if that is not too much."

"Not at all! I was about to propose that amount myself."

A quick movement of curiosity ran through the assembly, and a circle was
formed around the two opponents in this exciting match.

Every one knows that bezique is played with four packs of cards, and that
the number of points may be continued indefinitely. The essential thing
is to win at least one thousand points at the end of each hand; unless a
player does this he is said to "pass the Rubicon," becoming twice a
loser--that is, the victor adds to his own score the points lost by his
adversary. Good play, therefore, consists largely in avoiding the
"Rubicon" and in remaining master of the game to the last trick, in order
to force one's adversary over the "Rubicon," if he stands in danger of
it. The first two hands were lost by Landry, who, having each time
approached the "Rubicon," succeeded in avoiding it only by the greatest
skill and prudence. Immediately his opponent, still believing that good
luck must return to him, began to neglect the smaller points in order to
make telling strokes, but he became stranded at the very port of success,
as it were; so that, deducting the amount of his first winning, he found
at the end of the fifth hand that he had lost six thousand points.
Notwithstanding his wonderful s