ming-houses--I do
not know where they are, but there are some near the Palais-Royal. Try
your luck with the hundred francs at a game they call roulette; lose
it all or bring me back six thousand francs. I will tell you about my
troubles when you come back."

"Devil take me, I'm sure, if I have a glimmer of a notion of what I am
about, but I will obey you," he added, with inward exultation, as he
thought, "She has gone too far to draw back--she can refuse me nothing
now!"

Eugene took the dainty little purse, inquired the way of a second-hand
clothes-dealer, and hurried to number 9, which happened to be the
nearest gaming-house. He mounted the staircase, surrendered his hat, and
asked the way to the roulette-table, whither the attendant took him, not
a little to the astonishment of the regular comers. All eyes were fixed
on Eugene as he asked, without bashfulness, where he was to deposit his
stakes.

"If you put a louis on one only of those thirty-six numbers, and it
turns up, you will win thirty-six louis," said a respectable-looking,
white-haired old man in answer to his inquiry.

Eugene staked the whole of his money on the number 21 (his own age).
There was a cry of surprise; before he knew what he had done, he had
won.

"Take your money off, sir," said the old gentleman; "you don't often win
twice running by that system."

Eugene took the rake that the old man handed to him, and drew in his
three thousand six hundred francs, and, still perfectly ignorant of
what he was about, staked again on the red. The bystanders watched him
enviously as they saw him continue to play. The disc turned, and again
he won; the banker threw him three thousand six hundred francs once
more.

"You have seven thousand, two hundred francs of your own," the old
gentleman said in his ear. "Take my advice and go away with your
winnings; red has turned up eight times already. If you are charitable,
you will show your gratitude for sound counsel by giving a trifle to an
old prefect of Napoleon who is down on his luck."

Rastignac's head was swimming; he saw ten of his louis pass into the
white-haired man's possession, and went down-stairs with his seven
thousand francs; he was still ignorant of the game, and stupefied by his
luck.

"So, that is over; and now where will you take me?" he asked, as soon as
the door was closed, and he showed the seven thousand francs to Mme. de
Nucingen.

Delphine flung her arms about him, but there wa