o pleasantly distracting a thing to allow of much
needlework being done in the middle of it. There are so many interesting
things. There are the roulette tables, round which interested but
cautious groups stand, while the owners indefatigably and invitingly
twirl. The gambling instinct is not excessively developed in Varenzano.
There was, of course, the usual resolute and solitary player, who stood
through the hours silently laying one halfpenny after another on clubs,
untempted to any deviation or any alteration of stake, except that on the
infrequent occasions when it really turned out clubs he stolidly laid and
lost his gained halfpennies by the other. By nine o'clock in the morning
he had become a character; spectators nudged new-comers and pointed him
out, with "_Sempre fiori, quello._" The young man with the embroidery was
sorry about him; he had an expression as if he were losing more halfpence
than he could well afford. The young man himself lost all the stakes he
made; but he didn't gamble much, knowing himself not lucky. Instead, he
watched the fluctuating fortunes of a vivacious and beautiful youth near
him, who flung on his stakes with a lavish gesture of dare-devil
extravagance, that implied that he was putting his fortune to the touch
to win or lose it all. It was a relief to notice that his stakes were
seldom more than threepence. When he lost, he swore softly to himself:
"_Dio mio, mio Dio, Dio mio_," and then turned courteously to the
embroidery-seller, who was English, with a free interpretation--"In
Engliss, bai George." This seemed to the embroidery-seller to be true
politeness in misfortune. The beautiful youth seemed to be a person of
many languages; his most frequent interjection was, "_Dio mio_--Holy
Moses--oh hang!" After which he would add an apology, addressed to the
embroidery-seller, who had a certain air of refined innocence,
"_Bestemmiar, no. Brutto bestemmiare. Non gli piace, no_," and resume
his game.

Peter, who was selling embroidery, liked him so much that he followed him
when he went to try his luck at the cigar game. Here Peter, who never
smoked, won two black and snake-like cigars, which he presented to the
beautiful young man, who received them with immense cordiality. A little
later the young man, whose name was Livio, involved himself in a violent
quarrel with the cigar banker, watched by an amused, placid and impartial
crowd of spectators. Peter knew Livio to have the right on h