e so
completely that there will be no two men left standing together."

"Keep quiet," replied Kemeny, who looked down with contempt upon the
whole business. "Sit down and drink. Let them come nearer, why should
we take the trouble to go to them? we can certainly take them, bag and
baggage.--I am sorry, Dionysius Banfy, that this man is a connection
of yours, but out of consideration for you I will see to it that he is
not broken on the wheel; I'll have him--stuffed."

This hit of Kemeny's was received with roars of laughter.

"Bring a glass for Gabriel Haller, we will go on with our wager. Play
the rest of that interrupted music."

Again the music rang out. The gypsy band played a Czardas. The men
clinked their glasses and sang to the music. The servants outside
joined in. The emptied glasses flew against the wall; there was not
one among them who could not have dashed his glass in a thousand
pieces except Gabriel Haller, who had come last and was still sober,
ashamed to smash the costly Venetian glass.

"Break it against the table so the pieces will fly," thundered the
Prince at him, and Haller, in obedience to his Prince, struck the
glass lightly against the table and snapped the stem, and then bowed
with respectful humility before his master.

Madame Banfy sighed as she thought of her kinsfolk. Her husband, to
prevent any one's thinking that he was in the least concerned in the
affair, jumped from his seat and amid the sounds of the Czardas
invited the beautiful Madame Beldi to dance. The little lady was
ready. Banfy grasped the beauty about her waist, held her firmly and
whirled her around. The excited woman flew with the lightness of a
fairy on the arm of her partner. With that, the rest of the men jumped
from their places, seized other women for a dance, and soon the entire
company was swept away in fantastic revelry, every one clapping,
dancing and shouting. Banfy was hot-blooded and light-headed; he loved
beautiful women, and now in addition there was the glow of the wine.
When his beautiful partner once more hung on his arm, her glowing
cheeks came so near him that he suddenly so far forgot himself as to
press the bewitching woman passionately to his heart and imprint a hot
kiss on her cheek. Madame Beldi cried out and pushed the bold man
from her. Banfy, also startled at what he had done, cast a glance
about him but everybody was so taken up with his own pleasure that, to
all appearances, neither kiss n