e bank. Also, whenever the wheel has begun to turn, the bank ceases
to pay out anything."

"Then I should receive nothing if I were staking?"

"No; unless by any chance you had PURPOSELY staked on zero; in which
case you would receive thirty-five times the value of your stake."

"Why thirty-five times, when zero so often turns up? And if so, why do
not more of these fools stake upon it?"

"Because the number of chances against its occurrence is thirty-six."

"Rubbish! Potapitch, Potapitch! Come here, and I will give you some
money." The old lady took out of her pocket a tightly-clasped purse,
and extracted from its depths a ten-gulden piece. "Go at once, and
stake that upon zero."

"But, Madame, zero has only this moment turned up," I remonstrated;
"wherefore, it may not do so again for ever so long. Wait a little, and
you may then have a better chance."

"Rubbish! Stake, please."

"Pardon me, but zero might not turn up again until, say, tonight, even
though you had staked thousands upon it. It often happens so."

"Rubbish, rubbish! Who fears the wolf should never enter the forest.
What? We have lost? Then stake again."

A second ten-gulden piece did we lose, and then I put down a third. The
Grandmother could scarcely remain seated in her chair, so intent was
she upon the little ball as it leapt through the notches of the
ever-revolving wheel. However, the third ten-gulden piece followed the
first two. Upon this the Grandmother went perfectly crazy. She could no
longer sit still, and actually struck the table with her fist when the
croupier cried out, "Trente-six," instead of the desiderated zero.

"To listen to him!" fumed the old lady. "When will that accursed zero
ever turn up? I cannot breathe until I see it. I believe that that
infernal croupier is PURPOSELY keeping it from turning up. Alexis
Ivanovitch, stake TWO golden pieces this time. The moment we cease to
stake, that cursed zero will come turning up, and we shall get nothing."

"My good Madame--"

"Stake, stake! It is not YOUR money."

Accordingly I staked two ten-gulden pieces. The ball went hopping round
the wheel until it began to settle through the notches. Meanwhile the
Grandmother sat as though petrified, with my hand convulsively clutched
in hers.

"Zero!" called the croupier.

"There! You see, you see!" cried the old lady, as she turned and faced
me, wreathed in smiles. "I told you so! It was the Lord God himself who
suggested to m