through his head, and continually being repeated by his lips. If
he saw a young girl, he would say: "How slender she is; quite like
the three of hearts." If anybody asked "What is the time?" he
would reply: "Five minutes to seven." Every stout man that he saw
reminded him of the ace. "Three, seven, ace" haunted him in his
sleep, and assumed all possible shapes. The threes bloomed before
him in the forms of magnificent flowers, the sevens were
represented by Gothic portals, and the aces became transformed into
gigantic spiders. One thought alone occupied his whole mind--to
make a profitable use of the secret which he had purchased so
dearly. He thought of applying for a furlough so as to travel
abroad. He wanted to go to Paris and tempt fortune in some
gambling houses that abounded there. Chance spared him all this
trouble.

There was in Moscow a society of rich gamesters, presided over by
the celebrated Chekalinsky, who had passed all his life at the card
table, and had amassed millions, accepting bills of exchange for
his winnings, and paying his losses in ready money. His long
experience secured for him the confidence of his companions, and
his open house, his famous cook, and his agreeable and fascinating
manners, gained for him the respect of the public. He came to St.
Petersburg. The young men of the capital flocked to his rooms,
forgetting balls for cards, and preferring the emotions of faro to
the seductions of flirting. Naroumoff conducted Hermann to
Chekalinsky's residence.

They passed through a suite of rooms, filled with attentive
domestics. The place was crowded. Generals and Privy Counsellors
were playing at whist, young men were lolling carelessly upon the