scovered that Hilbert had it, just as the bell rang for
luncheon. He told Hilbert that if he wished to sell his ticket he would
give him thirty shillings for it, which is a sovereign and a half. But
Hilbert said no.

It is, however, time that this story of the lottery should draw to a
close; were it not so, a great deal more detail might have been given of
the manoeuvres and contrivances which both the Colonel and the mate
resorted to, to induce Hilbert to sell his ticket. These efforts
attracted no special attention, for all the others were buying and
selling tickets continually, and making offers for those which they
could not buy. Some were put up at auction, and sold to the highest
bidder, amid jokes, and gibes, and continual shouts of laughter.

At length, when the time drew nigh for the captain's bulletin to appear,
the mate offered Hilbert _three pounds_ for his ticket, and Hilbert went
and asked his father's advice about accepting this offer. His father
hesitated for some time, but finally advised him not to sell his ticket
at all. Hilbert was satisfied with this advice, for he now began to be
quite sure that he should get the prize.

At length, about fifteen minutes after the party had come up from
luncheon, and were all assembled around the paddle-box settee, a
gentleman came up one of stairways with a slip of paper in his hands,
and, advancing to the group, he attempted to still the noise they were
making, by saying,--

"Order, gentlemen, order! I've got the bulletin."

Every body's attention was arrested by these words, and all began to
call out "Order!" and "Silence!" until at length something like quiet
was restored. The persons assembled were all very much interested in
learning the result; for, in addition to the prize of the lottery, there
were a great many bets, some of them quite large, pending, all of which
were to be decided by the bulletin.

When, at length, the gentleman found that he could be heard, he began to
read in a very deliberate voice,--

"Latitude forty-eight, thirty-one."

"Never mind the latitude," exclaimed the company. "The _distance_. Let's
have the _distance_."

"Longitude," continued the reader, "ten, fourteen."

"Nonsense!" said the company. "What's the distance?"

"Distance," continued the reader, in the same tone, "two hundred and
_sixty-six_."

"Sixty-six!" they all exclaimed together; and great inquiries were
immediately made for the missing ticket. But nobody