like a gentleman (albeit
in lacqueyish fashion), and sported a huge moustache. Though polite
enough to the old lady, he took a high hand with the bystanders. In
short, he offered himself less as a servant than as an ENTERTAINER.
After each round he would turn to the old lady, and swear terrible
oaths to the effect that he was a "Polish gentleman of honour" who
would scorn to take a kopeck of her money; and, though he repeated
these oaths so often that at length she grew alarmed, he had her play
in hand, and began to win on her behalf; wherefore, she felt that she
could not well get rid of him. An hour later the two Poles who, earlier
in the day, had been expelled from the Casino, made a reappearance
behind the old lady's chair, and renewed their offers of service--even
if it were only to be sent on messages; but from Potapitch I
subsequently had it that between these rascals and the said "gentleman
of honour" there passed a wink, as well as that the latter put
something into their hands. Next, since the Grandmother had not yet
lunched--she had scarcely for a moment left her chair--one of the two
Poles ran to the restaurant of the Casino, and brought her thence a cup
of soup, and afterwards some tea. In fact, BOTH the Poles hastened to
perform this office. Finally, towards the close of the day, when it was
clear that the Grandmother was about to play her last bank-note, there
could be seen standing behind her chair no fewer than six natives of
Poland--persons who, as yet, had been neither audible nor visible; and
as soon as ever the old lady played the note in question, they took no
further notice of her, but pushed their way past her chair to the
table; seized the money, and staked it--shouting and disputing the
while, and arguing with the "gentleman of honour" (who also had
forgotten the Grandmother's existence), as though he were their equal.
Even when the Grandmother had lost her all, and was returning (about
eight o'clock) to the hotel, some three or four Poles could not bring
themselves to leave her, but went on running beside her chair and
volubly protesting that the Grandmother had cheated them, and that she
ought to be made to surrender what was not her own. Thus the party
arrived at the hotel; whence, presently, the gang of rascals was
ejected neck and crop.

According to Potapitch's calculations, the Grandmother lost, that day,
a total of ninety thousand roubles, in addition to the money which she
had lost th