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The Gaming Table-Vol. 1-Part18_Andrew Steinmetz(1816-1877)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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the instant they were paid. I remonstrated, and she very

politely argued the point, ending by restoring my money. But



during our discussion my far larger stake, paid in the mean

while, on the winning number, had disappeared into the pocket of



my neighbour on the left, who was not so polite, and was very

indignant at my suggestion that the stake was mine. An appeal to



the croupier only produced a shrug of the shoulders and regret

that he had not seen who staked the money, an offer to stop the



play, and a suggestion that I should find it very difficult to

prove it was my stake. The "plant" between the two women was



evident. The whole thing was a systematically-planned robbery,

and very possibly the croupier was a confederate. I detected the



two women in communication, and I told them that I should change

my place to the other side of the table where I would trouble



them not to come. They took the hint very mildly, and could

afford to do so, for they had got my money. The affair was



very neatly managed, and would succeed in nearly every case,

especially if the croupier is, as is most probable, always on the



side of the ladies.'

HOMBOURG.



`In 1842 Hombourg was an obscure village, consisting of the

castle of the Landgraf, and of a few hundred houses which in the



course of ages had clustered around it. Few would have known of

its existence except from the fact of its being the capital of



the smallest of European countries. Its inhabitants lived poor

and contented--the world forgetting, by the world forgot. It



boasted only of one inn--the "Aigle"--which in summer was

frequented by a few German families, who came to live cheaply and



to drink the waters of a neighbouring mineral spring. That same

year two French brothers of the name of Blanc arrived at



Frankfort. They were men of a speculative turn, and a recent and

somewhat daringspeculation in France, connected with the old



semaphore telegraph, had rendered it necessary for them to

withdraw for a time from their native land. Their stock-in-trade



consisted in a Roulette wheel, a few thousand francs, and an

old and skilful croupier of Frascati, who knew a great deal about



the properties of cards. The authorities of the town of

Frankfort, being dull traders, declined to allow them to initiate



their townsmen into the mysteries of cards and Roulette, so

hearing that there were some strangers living at Hombourg, they



put themselves into an old diligence, and the same evening

disembarked at the "Aigle." The next day the elder brother



called upon the prime minister, an ancient gentleman, who, with a

couple of clerks, for some L60 a year governed the Landgrafate



of Hombourg to his own and the general satisfaction. After a

private interview with this statesman the elder Blanc returned



poorer in money, but with a permission in his pocket to put up

his Roulette wheel in one of the rooms of the inn. In a few



months the money of the innocent water-drinkers passed from their

pockets into those of the brothers Blanc. The ancient man of



Frascati turned the wheel, and no matter on what number the

water-drinkers risked their money, that number did not turn up.



At the close of the summer season a second visit was made to the

prime minister, and the Blancs returned to Frankfort with an



exclusive concession to establish games of hazard within the wide

spreading dominions of the Landgraf. For this they had agreed to



build a kursaal, to lay out a public garden, and to pay into the

national exchequer 40,000 florins (a florin is worth one shilling



and eight-pence) per annum. Having obtained this concession, the

next step was to found a company. Frankfort abounds in Hebrew



speculators, who are not particular how they make money, and as

the speculation appeared a good one, the money was soon



forthcoming. It was decided that the nominal capital was to be

400,000 florins, divided into shares of 100 florins each. Half



the shares were subscribed for by the Hebrew financialists, and

the other half was credited to the Blancs as the price of their



concession. During the winter a small kursaal was built and a

small garden planted; the mineral well was deepened, and flaming



advertisements appeared in all the German newspapers announcing




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