chance like this go."

"Sorry, old chap," said Jonah, "but we've got to pay the hotel bill.
Thanks to your activities, we're landed with----"

"How much have you got?" demanded Berry.

I cut in and threw the cards on the table.

"Brother," I said, "we love you. For that reason alone we won't lend
you a paper franc. But then you knew that before you asked us."

My brother-in-law groaned.

"I tell you," he affirmed, "you're throwing away money. With another
two hundred and fifty I could do anything. I can feel it in my bones."

"You'd lose the lot," said Jonah. "Besides, you've eaten your cake.
If you'd limited yourself last night and played rationally, instead of
buttering the board...."

"I'm sure," said Jill, "you ought to have played on a system. If you'd
put a pound on 'RED' and kept on doubling each time you lost----"

"Yes," said Berry. "That's an exhilarating stunt, that is. Before you
know where you are, you've got to put two hundred and fifty-six pounds
on an even chance to get one back. With a limit of four hundred and
eighty staring you in the face, that takes a shade more nerve than I
can produce. I did try it once--at Madeira. Luck was with me. After
three hours I'd made four shillings and lost half a stone....
Incidentally, when a man starts playing Roulette on a system, it's time
to pray for his soul. I admit there are hundreds who do it--hundreds
of intelligent, educated, thoughtful men and women. Well, you can pray
for the lot. They're trying to read something which isn't written.
They're studying a blank page. They're splitting their brains over a
matter on which an idiot's advice would be as valuable. I knew a
brilliant commercial lawyer who used to sit down at the table and
solemnly write down every number that turned up for one hour. For the
next sixty minutes he planked still more solemnly on the ones that had
turned up least often. Conceive such a frame of mind. That wonderful
brain had failed to grasp the one simple glaring point of which his
case consisted--that Roulette is lawless. He failed to appreciate that
he was up against Fortune herself. He couldn't realise that because
'7' had turned up seven times running at a quarter past nine, that was
no earthly reason why '7' shouldn't turn up eight times running at a
quarter past ten. Heaven knows what fun he got out of it. For me, the
whole joy of the thing is that you're flirting with Fate." He closed
his eyes