officer who fell at Austerlitz, and the daughter of a
rich West India planter whom she called her _pere adore_, and to whose
supposititious memory she wiped away an imaginary tear with an
embroidered pocket-handkerchief. She then begged that we would make
ourselves at home, and, gliding away, whispered something in De
Simoncourt's ear, to which he replied by a nod of intelligence.

"That harpy hopes to fleece us," said Dalrymple, slipping his arm
through mine and drawing me towards the roulette table. "She has just
told De Simoncourt to take us in hand. I always suspected the fellow
was a Greek."

"A Greek?"

"Ay, in the figurative sense--a gentleman who lives by dexterity at
cards."

"And shall you play?"

"By-and-by. Not yet, because--"

He checked himself, and looked anxiously round the room.

"Because what?"

"Tell me, Arbuthnot," said he, paying no attention to my question; "do
_you_ mind playing?"

"I? My dear fellow, I hardly know one card from another."

"But have you any objection?"

"None whatever to the game; but a good deal to the penalty. I don't mind
confessing to you that I ran into debt some months back, and that...."

"Nonsense, boy!" interrupted Dalrymple, with a kindly smile. "Do you
suppose I want you to gamble away your money? No, no--the fact is, that
I am here for a purpose, and it will not do to let my purpose be
suspected. These Greeks want a pigeon. Will you oblige me by being that
pigeon, and by allowing me to pay for your plucking?"

I still hesitated.

"But you will be helping me," urged he. "If you don't sit down, I must."

"You would not lose so much," I expostulated.

"Perhaps not, if I were cool and kept my eyes open; but to-night I am
_distrait_, and should be as defenceless as yourself."

"In that case I will play for you with pleasure."

He slipped a little pocket-book into my hand.

"Never stake more than five francs at a time," said he, "and you cannot
ruin me. The book contains a thousand. You shall have more, if
necessary; but I think that sum will last as long as I shall want you to
keep playing."

"A thousand francs!" I exclaimed. "Why, that is forty pounds!"

"If it were four hundred, and it answered my purpose," said Dalrymple,
between his teeth, "I should hold it money well spent!"

At this moment De Simoncourt came up, and apologized for having left us
so long.

"If you want mere amusement, Major Dalrymple," said he, "I suppose you
will prefer