ht blue silk, whose deep gold fringe hung upon his shoulder, was
evidently one less enamoured of play, and more than once busied himself
in arranging the details of his costume, of which he seemed somewhat
vain. It was in one of these moments that his eyes met those of Maritana
fixed steadfastly upon him, and, fascinated by her unmoved stare, he
felt his cheek grow hot, and, whether from a sense of shame or a
still more tender motive, the blush spread over his face and forehead.
Maritana looked steadily, almost sternly, at him, and then, with a
slight toss of her head, so slight that none save he who had watched her
intently could read its scornful import, she turned away. The youth
did not wait a moment, but, slipping from his place, followed along the
alley he had seen her take.

He who remained, unconscious of his friend's departure, continued to
mutter about the chances of the game, and speculate on the amount he
would dare to hazard. "She is against us every time, Roland!" said he,
in a low, half-whispering voice. "Fortune will not smile, woo her how
we may! Speak, _amigo mio_, shall we risk all?" As he spoke, he began
counting the piles of glittering gold before him, but his hand trembled,
and the pieces clung to his moist fingers, so that he was too late for
the deal.

"Sixteen hundred," muttered he to himself. "Ten--twenty--thirty."

"The bank loses!" cried the croupier, announcing the game.

"Loses!" screamed the young man, in an accent whose piercing agony
startled the whole board,--"loses! because it was the only time I had
no wager. See, Roland, see how true it is; there is a curse upon us."
He seized the arm of the person at his side, and clinched it with a
convulsive energy as he spoke.

"_Saperlote!_ my young friend; you 'll never change luck by tearing
my old uniform," growled out a rugged-looking German skipper, who,
commanding a small privateer, affected the rank and style of a naval
officer.

"Oh, is it you, Hans?" said the youth, carelessly; "I thought it had
been one of our own fellows. Only think the bank should lose, because I
made no stake; see now, watch this. Halt!" cried he to the dealer, in
a voice that at once arrested his hand. "You give one no time, sir,
to decide upon his game," said he, with a savage irascibility, which
continued bad luck had carried to the highest pitch. "Players who risk
their two or three crowns may not object; but, if a man desires to make
a heavy stake; it is