cs," he said, his face clouding over. "If you had
given me more than that hundred francs, Sophie, I might have made five
thousand in the time."

"Bah!" she said. "That does not matter. We must not risk more than a
hundred francs a day--you know how often I've told you that, Fritz." She
was now speaking in French, very quickly and angrily.

But Sylvia hardly heard. She could not help wondering why the Count had
not come up and congratulated her. The thought that she had brought him
luck was very pleasant to her.

He had left off playing, and was standing back, near one of the windows.
He had not even glanced across to the place where she stood. This
aloofness gave Sylvia a curious little feeling of discomfiture. Why,
several strangers had come up and cordially thanked her for bringing them
such luck.

"Let us come out of this place and 'ave some ices," exclaimed Madame
Wachner, suddenly. "When l'Ami Fritz 'as a stroke of luck 'e often treats
'is old wife to an ice."

The four went out of the Casino and across the way to an hotel, which,
as Madame Wachner explained to her two new friends, contained the best
restaurant in Lacville. The sun was sinking, and, though it was still
very hot, there was a pleasant breeze coming up from the lake.

Sylvia felt excited and happy. How wonderful--how marvellous--to make
nearly L100 out of a twenty-franc piece! That was what she had done this
afternoon.

And then, rather to her surprise, after they had all enjoyed ices and
cakes at Madame Wachner's expense, Anna Wolsky and l'Ami Fritz declared
they were going back to the Casino.

"I don't mean to play again to-night," said Sylvia, firmly. "I feel
dreadfully tired," and the excitement had indeed worn her out. She
longed to go back to the Hotel du Lac.

Still, she accompanied the others to the Club, and together with Madame
Wachner, she sat down some way from the tables. In a very few minutes
they were joined by the other two, who had by now lost quite enough gold
pieces to make them both feel angry with themselves, and, what was indeed
unfair, with poor Sylvia.

"I'm sure that if you had played again, and if we had followed your play,
we should have added to our winnings instead of losing, as we have done,"
said Anna crossly.

"I'm so sorry," and Sylvia felt really distressed. Anna had never spoken
crossly to her before.

"Forgive me!" cried the Polish woman, suddenly softening. "I ought not to
have said that to you, dea