_roulette_ to _ecarte_!"

"I will stake a few pieces presently on the green cloth," replied
Dalrymple, carelessly; "but, first of all, I want to initiate my young
friend here. As to double _ecarte_, Monsieur de Simoncourt, I need
hardly tell you, as a man of the world, that I never play it with
strangers."

De Simoncourt smiled, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Quite right," said he. "I believe that here everything is really _de
bonne foi_; but where there are cards there will always be danger. For
my part, I always shuffle the pack after my adversary!"

With this he strolled off again, and I took a vacant chair at the long
table, next to a lady, who made way for me with the most gracious smile
imaginable. Only the players sat; so Dalrymple stood behind me and
looked on. It was a green board, somewhat larger than an ordinary
billiard-table, with mysterious boundaries traced here and there in
yellow and red, and a cabalistic table of figures towards each end. A
couple of well-dressed men sat in the centre; one to deal out the cards,
and the other to pay and receive the money. The one who had the
management of the cash wore a superb diamond ring, and a red and green
ribbon at his button-hole. Dalrymple informed me in a whisper that this
noble seigneur was Madame de Ste. Amaranthe's brother.

As for the players, they all looked serious and polite enough, as ladies
and gentlemen should, at their amusement. Some had pieces of card, which
they pricked occasionally with a pin, according to the progress of the
game. Some had little piles of silver, or sealed _rouleaux_, lying
beside them. As for myself, I took out Dalrymple's pocket-book, and laid
it beside me, as if I were an experienced player and meant to break the
bank. For a few minutes he stood by, and then, having given me some
idea of the leading principles of the game, wandered away to observe the
other players.

Left to myself, I played on--timidly at first; soon with more
confidence; and, of course, with the novice's invariable good-fortune.
My amiable neighbor drew me presently into conversation. She had a
theory of chances relating to averages of color, and based upon a
bewildering calculation of all the black and red cards in the pack,
which she was so kind as to explain to me. I could not understand a word
of it, but politeness compelled me to listen. Politeness also compelled
me to follow her advice when she was so obliging as to offer it, and I
lost, as a m