by declaring that her whole hope depended upon his friendship and
amiability.

"St. Germain reflected.

"'I could advance you the sum you want,' said he, 'but I know that you
would not rest easy until you had paid me back, and I should not like
to bring fresh troubles upon you. But there is another way of getting
out of your difficulty: you can win back your money.'

"'But, my dear Count,' replied my grandmother, 'I tell you that I
haven't any money left!'

"'Money is not necessary,' replied St. Germain, 'be pleased to listen
to me.'

"Then he revealed to her a secret, for which each of us would give a
good deal."

The young officers listened with increased attention. Tomsky lit his
pipe, puffed away for a moment, and then continued:

"That same evening my grandmother went to Versailles to the _jeu de la
reine_. The Duke of Orleans kept the bank; my grandmother excused
herself in an offhanded manner for not having yet paid her debt by
inventing some little story, and then began to play against him. She
chose three cards and played them one after the other; all three won
sonika,[1] and my grandmother recovered every farthing that she lost."

"Mere chance!" said one of the guests.