est natural taste
for lace and china of any man I ever knew; I could judge a horse as well
as any Jew dealer in Germany; in shooting and athletic exercises I
was unrivalled; I could not spell, but I could speak German and French
cleverly. I had at the least twelve suits of clothes; three richly
embroidered with gold, two laced with silver, a garnet-coloured velvet
pelisse lined with sable; one of French grey, silver-laced, and lined
with chinchilla. I had damask morning robes. I took lessons on the
guitar, and sang French catches exquisitely. Where, in fact, was there a
more accomplished gentleman than Redmond de Balibari?

All the luxuries becoming my station could not, of course, be purchased
without credit and money: to procure which, as our patrimony had been
wasted by our ancestors, and we were above the vulgarity and slow
returns and doubtful chances of trade, my uncle kept a faro-bank. We
were in partnership with a Florentine, well known in all the Courts
of Europe, the Count Alessandro Pippi, as skilful a player as ever was
seen; but he turned out a sad knave latterly, and I have discovered that
his countship was a mere imposture. My uncle was maimed, as I have said;
Pippi, like all impostors, was a coward; it was my unrivalled skill with
the sword, and readiness to use it, that maintained the reputation of
the firm, so to speak, and silenced many a timid gambler who might have
hesitated to pay his losings. We always played on parole with anybody:
any person, that is, of honour and noble lineage. We never pressed for
our winnings or declined to receive promissory notes in lieu of gold.
But woe to the man who did not pay when the note became due! Redmond
de Balibari was sure to wait upon him with his bill, and I promise you
there were very few bad debts: on the contrary, gentlemen were
grateful to us for our forbearance, and our character for honour stood
unimpeached. In later times, a vulgar national prejudice has chosen
to cast a slur upon the character of men of honour engaged in the
profession of play; but I speak of the good old days in Europe, before
the cowardice of the French aristocracy (in the shameful Revolution,
which served them right) brought discredit and ruin upon our order. They
cry fie now upon men engaged in play; but I should like to know how much
more honourable THEIR modes of livelihood are than ours. The broker of
the Exchange who bulls and bears, and buys and sells, and dabbles with
lying