nd action on the
credit side.

"Philanthropic, for a change!" Mohun remarked, when his companion joined
him. "Well, it's not worse than many of your vagaries. We shall have you
founding an asylum next, I suppose."

In his heart the savage old cynic approved, but, for the life of him, he
could not check the sneer.

Livingstone made no reply. It was a habit of his very often not to
answer Ralph, and the latter did not mind it in the least. In a few
moments they reached Guy's apartments, where they found about a dozen
men--French and English--awaiting their arrival to begin an unbridled
lansquenet. It was a favorite rendezvous for this purpose. The
thoroughbred gamblers preferred it to the brilliant entertainments of
the Quartier Breda. They liked to court or fight Fortune by themselves,
without being congratulated in success or compassionated in defeat by
the fair Phrynes and Aspasias, whose sympathy was somewhat expansive,
inasmuch as they always would borrow from the heap whenever any one won,
repaying the loan in kind by smiles and caresses, which cost the happy
recipient about fifteen Napoleons apiece. Here was an Eden from which
Eves were excluded; and on the nights of the _Mercurialia_, the
brightest Peri that ever wore camellias might have knocked at the gate
disconsolately, but in vain.

While the tables were being prepared, Guy began to tell his late
adventure. He spoke of it very lightly, but he thought, if he passed it
over altogether, Mohun would probably betray him.

Immediately there was a great cry for a sight of the performances of the
unknown genius.

Livingstone looked over the drawings himself carefully, and then passed
them to the man who sat nearest him. "I have seen worse," he said.
"There is no signature, and I shall not give you the address. You are
none of you just the patrons she would fancy. You don't care much for
high art."

Among the guests was Horace Levinge, a pale, dark man, with a face that
was decidedly handsome, in spite of its Jewish _contour_, and the
excessive fullness of the scarlet, sensual lips. His grandfather, report
said, had been a prize-fighting Israelite, and afterward a celebrated
betting-man--equally eminent in either ring for an unscrupulous
scoundrelism which made his fortune. His father had added to the family
treasure and importance by cautious usury and adventurous stock-jobbing.
Horace himself was a gentleman at large, with no other profession than
the cons